Built to last

BTC’s Franz Saif explains the importance of using high-quality, high-performance materials in the construction and maintenance of Europe’s roadways.

Moving people and goods quickly, efficiently and cheaply is a central tenet of the EU's goal for a dynamic economy and cohesive society. The transport sector generates 10 percent of EU wealth in terms of gross domestic product (GDP) and provides more than 10 million jobs. Therefore sustainable road construction is an important issue for the European economic system.

With the European transport system as it stands at present, there are no signs of individuals or companies turning away from road transport, and traffic is continuing to increase at the rate of 2 percent a year. The constant growth in mobility puts severe strains on transport systems. In the EU, 44 percent of goods go by road, against 39 percent for short-sea shipping routes, 10 percent for rail and 3 percent for inland waterways.

Road dominates even more for passenger transport (largely car journeys) accounting for 81 percent against rail's 6 percent and 8 percent for air. As far as road transport is concerned, properly planned and constructed roads are the connecting veins of our markets and countries. Fast and safe transportation of our daily goods without frontiers and traffic hold-ups are the daily challenge of many companies.

But roads are not even roads. There can be high differences between the quality and life-span. The German BTC - a Group company of the world's leading chemical company BASF - supplies the asphalt industry with high quality asphalt modifiers for sustainable and eco-friendly road construction. Our Butonal SBR polymers for asphalt modification are manufactured in a highly automated state-of-the-art facility, ensuring consistently high quality products. The products are successfully used in both hot mix and asphalt emulsions applications, both domestically and globally.

Our excellent technical capabilities and knowledge allow us to work closely with our customers creating value added solutions. Our research efforts continue to push the frontier in asphalt polymer innovation. Add to this consistent and accurate invoicing, consistent product quality, and our excellent on-time delivery record. BTC is the ideal partner in business. With our polymers, roads have a high temperature performance - also in Southern Europe where the climate is hot and mostly dry or in Nordic regions where the weather is mosty cold, wet and frosty.

BASF Butonal polymers have long been a leader in asphalt modification. Our Butonal polymers greatly enhance hot mix asphalt performance including the production of performance-graded asphalts. Modification with these elastomers widens the asphalt's useful temperature interval to improve resistance to rutting at high temperatures and decrease the susceptibility to thermal cracking at low temperatures. The resulting binder also displays superb resilience to improve the pavement's fatigue behaviour, diminishing the cracking attributed to wear and tear.

All of these performance benefits are attained easily as Butonal polymers are readily dispersible into the asphalt without the need for high shear milling, with the flexibility to be added to both the asphalt binder or final mix. Chip seal and surface dressings BASF Butonal polymers have set new chip seal performance standards. Highly efficient, enhancing both early and long-term performance in chip seal systems. They are easily dispersible into asphalt emulsions and can be added to the soap solution or co-milled along with the soap or directly injected into the asphalt line during milling. Research shows that it is imperative that the polymer is in the water phase of the emulsion to attain maximum benefit and Butonal polymers make this possible.

The use of BASF asphalt modifiers is not limited to paving applications. They are also used in water proofing membranes, pipe and tank coatings, roofing applications, sealers, automotive sound deadening and underbody protection. The addition of BASF asphalt modifiers improves the properties of the specialty coatings. These include improved stress-strain properties, final strength, and long lasting elastometric properties.

Using the right asphalt modifiers - like Butonal - guarantees a safe, eco-friendly and sustainable development of our actual and future European transport system. BTC complies with it.

 

Franz Saif is Director and Head of International Business, Procurement & Logistics at BTC Speciality Chemical Distribution GmbH in Cologne, Germany. He has many years of experience in the Butonal business and in international procurement in general. He joined BASF 29 years ago and over the past 10 years he has added value for BTC in Cologne.