Skip to main content

Innovative surfacing

UK firm Hanson hopes to attain key sustainability targets with its new ERA asphalt product. This energy reducing asphalt delivers a 50% reduction in carbon emissions while enhancing durability and improving health and safety for contractors. It can also use up to 50% recycled content, while the asphalt itself is 100% recyclable. The Hanson ERA production process allows a wide range of base, binder and surface course materials to be produced at temperatures of 80 and 95°C, compared with up to 190°C for equiv
February 29, 2012 Read time: 2 mins
The novel Hanson ERA asphalt product features a high percentage of recycled materials
UK firm 2644 Hanson hopes to attain key sustainability targets with its new ERA asphalt product.

This energy reducing asphalt delivers a 50% reduction in carbon emissions while enhancing durability and improving health and safety for contractors. It can also use up to 50% recycled content, while the asphalt itself is 100% recyclable.

The Hanson ERA production process allows a wide range of base, binder and surface course materials to be produced at temperatures of 80 and 95°C, compared with up to 190°C for equivalent hot-mix asphalt. As well as the increased sustainability credentials, the lower temperature allows faster completion of resurfacing works, minimising time on site for contractors and disruption for motorists.

Hanson ERA can also help local authorities reduce waste and carbon emissions and meet sustainability targets. In the UK 3348 Newport City Council was one of the first to use the material to resurface a bus route carrying heavy traffic loads. Andrew Morris, chief highway engineer at Newport City Council said, "Using Hanson ERA allowed the site to be planed out, resurfaced and reopened to traffic within a very short window of time. Testing has shown that the resistance to deformation is equivalent to standard hot-mix asphalt. We believe that adopting this new surface technology will help us meet our sustainability targets while providing durable longer lasting roads."

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Aggregate Industries Launches UK’s First Ever Commercially Available Biogenic Asphalt
    March 2, 2022
    As part of its ongoing commitment to decarbonising the construction industry, leading building materials supplier Aggregate Industries has further developed its SuperLow product range with the launch of the UK’s first commercially available biogenic asphalt.
  • Vögele's global paving vision
    January 4, 2013
    German paver specialist Vögele is taking a global view of the construction equipment market, with machines developed for very different markets. A prime example of this is with the Dash 3 models now coming to market. The new SUPER 2100-3 paver is also available as the SUPER 2100-3i, a highly sophisticated machine that meets the European emissions requirements while offering high productivity and performance. At the same time, the company is also offering a heavy duty (HD) version of its proven SUPER 1800-2
  • Efficient processing of RAP in the mix
    December 19, 2017
    There are important methods aimed at the reuse and recycling of reclaimed asphalt pavement (RAP) a number of problems have to be solved however, mainly concerning the elimination of moisture content and how best to heat the RAP without damaging the binder. When RAP is used in percentages of up to 30-40% of the final mix, heating can be carried out through direct contact with hot aggregates. On the other hand, in order to use higher RAP percentages, up to 100%, the plant has to be fitted with a specific h
  • New M90 surfacing in the UK gain praise
    January 8, 2013
    Early evaluation of surfacing work on the M90 at Rosyth – the first major application of Scotland’s new TS2010 specification – has earned positive praise. Transport Scotland’s determination to obtain pavement that is durable, long lasting and safe (especially in early life) is clearly apparent on the M90 just north of the Forth Road Bridge. Here surfacing has been carried out this spring to TS2010, a tough new specification designed to ensure thin surfacing pavements that work. And the initial prognosis is