Repsol YPF

Rubber improved bitumens

With Repsol’s interest in continual innovation and its growing concern for the environment, it has developed a technology to use rubber from old tyres for improving bitumen performance. In addition to various technical advantages over conventional bitumens, these binders have a two-fold environmental advantage: first of all they solve the important problem of the accumulating old tyres in dumps and secondly, they improve the acoustic impact by reducing noise levels when vehicles drive over the surface.

Our industrial process for manufacturing rubber improved bitumens has enabled us to obtain products which are stable in storage, suitable for ensuring normal operations in hot bituminous mixture manufacturing plants, and which also improve the features of conventional bitumens. These binders have intermediate properties between modified and conventional bitumens.
In comparison with the use of conventional bitumens, their properties in the bituminous mixture are optimised in order to improve the cohesion of dry measures, provide greater resistance to fatigue and ageing and to increase the range of usage temperatures, leading to greater durability of the surface.

Rubber improved bitumens are available in two penetration ranges: BC 35/50 and BC 50/70. The technical specifications have been approved by the Ministry of Development and are listed in OC 21/3007. 
Rubber improved bitumens are mainly applied in base and intermediate layers, and can also be used in surface layers with conventional mixes for T1 and T4 heavy traffic categories.

Repsol makes its Technical Assistance department available to you for advice in every situation about the best conditions for usage, handling and storage of this kind of special binders.