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One of the steepest sections of the B 500, an important road in the southern Black Forest, had to be renewed in the summer of 2023 – more precisely: the first kilometres behind the Triberg town sign, past the famous waterfalls. Asphalt paving specialists from Gebrüder Bantle GmbH & Co. KG were commissioned to resurface the carriageway.

Machine manufacturers and construction companies around the globe are currently searching for ways to achieve the goal of climate-neutral construction. The challenge here is to successively reduce emissions of CO2 and other harmful gases (summarized to CO2 equivalents: CO2e) around the world to zero over the coming decades. In the road construction sector, this transformation is inextricably linked to the improvement and further development of production and working processes. In the future, machines and construction materials will also be assessed based on the climate-harmful emissions arising from their production and use. However, the focus should not be on individual machines, but on the entire process leading up to the finished product – a road. Ultimately, the decisive factor is the emissions generated per kilometer of newly built or rehabilitated road – the “CO2e per work done”.

The shift toward a circular economy approach is key to the transition towards net zero carbon emissions. At Volvo Construction Equipment (Volvo CE), keeping construction machines – and their parts – in action for longer, to maximise their useful life, is a core part of its sustainability ambitions.

These days, even those beasts of the construction site – excavators – have a date with sustainability, despite the huge amount of electric power needed to operate a machine that pushes about high loads of dirt.

Sophisticated solutions allows the use of RAP in asphalt mixes.

Advances in asphalt production will reduce carbon emissions and energy consumption.

Easier to operate, thanks to the increasing use of GPS, and greener to run because of biofuels are two of the more innovative technologies being integrated into machine design by major road recycling equipment manufacturers.

Power Curbers president Stephen Bullock discussed business trends with Mike Woof

Cleaner asphalt production will reduce blue smoke emissions.