Puma Bitumen's carbon capturer

Puma Bitumen has developed a new sustainable binder, aiming to reduce the carbon footprint of bituminous products.

As part of a larger research initiative to develop more sustainable and environmentally friendly products, Puma Bitumen has made a commitment to the future of the road construction industry.

One of the world’s largest sources and suppliers of bitumen, the company is uniquely placed to draw on its global expertise to deliver high quality products for customers Australia-wide.

And its research and development hub, based in Melbourne, has been hard at work, trialling and developing products which promote the use of renewable alternatives.

As Phil Chirnside, General Manager Puma Energy explains, the company doesn’t view sustainability as a commercial endeavour. Instead, sustainability is seen as an indispensable component that guides the development of all Puma Bitumen products.

“Everyone, both as individuals and as corporate citizens, has an obligation to future generations to identify opportunities to contribute to the sustainability of our planet,” Chirnside says. “The road construction industry is well positioned to play a vital role in safeguarding this future.”

A commitment to create a sustainable future for the industry has led Puma Bitumen to the Bio-Binder, a newly developed alternative to conventional products.

The Bio-Binder aims to reduce the carbon footprint of bitumen production and use, by capturing carbon from the atmosphere and storing it in the pavement. It supports the renewable use of bitumen, replacing a proportion of the bitumen with biogenic material.

Similar binders overseas, particularly tree-derived products, can have issues with emitting odours. Bio-Binder has been designed to be almost odourless, an important aspect for those wanting to use the product in metropolitan areas.

Another focus while developing Bio-Binder was looking at the chemistry of bitumen to improve its durability. Dr Erik Denneman, Global Technical Manager at Puma Bitumen, says that even though it’s early days, the Bio-Binder could “theoretically” increase the working life of bitumen.

Dr Erik Denneman, Global Technical Manager at Puma Bitumen.

The Bio-Binder is the result of hundreds of hours of development in Australia, at Puma Energy’s Global Technology Centre, established in Melbourne in 1991. Research and development at the centre has resulted in the creation of innovative products, many of which are now commonly used across the industry.

Denneman says initial discussions about the Bio-Binder were inspired by similar products released overseas, as well as the significant push being made by industry towards sustainable production.

“As part of this process we’ve recently done a lifecycle analysis for our bitumen. This has evaluated the sustainability of our own processes, from extraction through to delivery, refining, right through to the distribution on vessels, storage in terminals, and circulation to our customers,” Denneman says.

“We are actively looking at ways to reduce the carbon footprint across the supply chain, such as making our terminals and our shipping more energy efficient.”

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Phil Chirnside, General Manager Puma Energy concurs, saying the Bio-Binder is just a reflection of what’s to come.

“The development of sustainable products such as the Puma Bio-Binder adds to our growing suite of sustainable innovations thus expanding on our expertise and dedication in this space,” Chirnside says.

Backed by innovation

Denneman says one of the biggest challenges when developing a product such as the Bio-Binder is cost.

So how has Puma Bitumen ensured the quality of its products, while also completing extensive research and development?

Puma Energy is owned and supported by Trafigura, one of the world’s largest commodity traders, based out of Singapore. As such, Puma Bitumen’s research and development team have extensive support.

The Bio-Binder will support the sustainable procurement of minor and major infrastructure projects alike.

Denneman says this makes Puma Bitumen uniquely positioned to deliver the best outcomes for customers and the community.

“That’s one of our biggest strengths, being able to access many different sources of renewables and these types of biogenic materials,” he says.

Quality assurance is a staple of Puma Bitumen’s products, which Chirnside says is thanks to Trafigura’s support.

“Not only do our integrated supply chain and global footprint afford us unrivalled capabilities, so to do they provide us with a wealth of expertise and the benefit of global best-practice perspective. These all augment our ability to continually source, assess and secure bitumen (and contributing materials) that not only meet the quality, quantity and pricing needs of the Australian market, but often exceed performance expectations,” Chirnside explains.

“Our NATA (National Association of Testing Authorities) accredited laboratories, people, processes and resources are all testament to us placing quality ahead of all else.”

On-going trials

Puma Bitumen is looking to trial the Bio-Binder across the country soon – the first application will be on Puma Bitumen’s own driveway at its Puma Terminal.

Denneman says he’s excited to showcase what the Bio-Binder has to offer.

“We foresee this product being used across the board. The first trial at our terminal is going to be used with the most highly modified PMB (Polymer Modified Binder) that’s used in Australia. But we can definitely also see it being used in our crumb rubber products, or even in normal paving grade bitumen,” he says.

“Road owners will be able to use the Bio-Binder for developments ranging from local council works to major infrastructure projects.”

This article was originally published in the December edition of our magazine. To read the magazine, click here.