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

  • Resilient roads: sector cooperation is the key
    March 11, 2021
    Now is the time for national road agencies and the private sector to cooperate on building more climate resilient roads, urges Dr Erik Denneman*.
  • Asphalt plant innovations coming to the market
    April 20, 2018
    The use of recycled materials continues to be a key issue for asphalt plant development, but other advances are also being introduced to meet market needs - Mike Woof writes The asphalt plant market has been a focus for a series of technical developments in recent years. Warm asphalt solutions and new technology for the use of recycled asphalt have been high on the R&D priority list for manufacturers of both continuous and batching type plants. However, new developing technology is not the only driver f
  • Innovative asphalt production solutions from Marini
    May 24, 2019
    Marini has developed an innovative solution for asphalt production, able to use up to 100% RAP in the mix - Mike Woof writes Italian firm Marini has long been one of the leaders in the field of asphalt plant design and development, competing against other key companies in the segment based in the US, Switzerland and Germany. Marini is expanding its range, with what it claims will be a revolutionary system for using recycled asphalt pavement (RAP) in asphalt mixes, as well as further additions to its mobi
  • Specialist asphalt supply for road upgrade
    November 10, 2021
    A major road in Norfolk has been improved following the installation of Tarmac’s largest ever supply of a specialist asphalt solution. This material grade has been designed to maintain roads where the underlying concrete has deteriorated