INNOVATION by DRT

Green roads

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A public asset, the road network is highly strategic and its maintenance ensures the safety of its users. Roads are the heart of environmental issues: that’s why we are working with the biggest industrial groups to develop the roads of tomorrow.

At DRT, our teams work to develop sustainable, high-performance industrial solutions which help reduce the environmental impact of road infrastructure and improve user safety and comfort.

With our strong co-development culture, our experts are ready to work with you to devise specifications for innovative asphalts and road markings.

Our contribution to greener roads actually starts right before the road construction itself. Indeed, among all the bio-sourced products we develop, we provide a range of bioliquids, Dertal®, that is used as a green power source for the production of bituminous mixes on our customers mobile facilities. With this plant-based fuel, we helped our clients to manufacture 450,000 tons of bituminous mixes with renewable energy in 2020.

Another example is our Dertophalt™, recognized for its binding characteristics and used to build roads with a higher renewable content.

DRT Solutions…

Bioliquid

Dertal LV

Biofuel

Dertal 600

Resin acids and fatty acids

Dertophalt

 

An integral part of the infrastructure, road marking is another area where our resins stand out. Our Dertoline® range (Rosin ester resins) is for instance used in thermoplastic formulations which can prove a game changer to replace other technologies used for road marking. Right from the application, these bio-sourced resins improve sustainability and convenience. They offer a solvent-free solution that prevents the release of volatile organic compounds and harmful chemicals, thus protecting construction workers in charge of road laying and more generally the environment. Thermoplastic road markings also dry faster, allowing for a quicker adhesion on the road and helping our customers save time.

Our Dertoline® resins also increase durability of road markings under numerous conditions. With higher polarity than resins from petrochemistry, the adhesion with road and glass beads is improved and lasts longer. Our wide range of modified Rosin esters offer different softening points and consequently the ability to be efficient under various climatic conditions. Their excellent ageing characteristics are particularly recommended for countries with warmer climate as they show excellent resistance to the highest temperatures. Sustainability being at the core of our products, formulating road markings with our resins also makes it possible to meet the latest environmental standards.

DRT Solutions…

Rosin ester

Dertoline PLS

Rosin ester

Dertoline P2L

Rosin ester

Dertoline P 105

Rosin ester

Dertoline MG 105

Rosin ester

Dertoline MG 130

 

In addition to increased road sustainability, our products contribute to less obvious but equally important aspects such as safety. For instance, improving road marking’s visibility during rainy weather requires the addition of glass beads that will reflect the low surrounding light despite difficult weather conditions. With traditional painting, the glass beads adherence is not optimized and will little by little fade away. Yet, our resins with higher acid value make it possible to greatly enhance adhesion, especially for the glass beads with a higher diameter that allow for an even better reflectiveness while remaining stable over time.

DRT Solutions…

Rosin ester

Dertoline PLS

Rosin ester

Dertoline P2L

Rosin ester

Dertoline P 105

Rosin ester

Dertoline MG 105

Maintenance is also inherent to any transport infrastructure management. Road resurfacing traditionally implies the removal of asphalt driveway, carrying the rubbles away, bringing new ones and eventually laying down new asphalt. This process leads to the production of waste that needs to be dealt with in factories and it also means lots of raw materials to be transported.

In an effort to improve this process, we co-developed with one of our customers an on-site bitumen recycling methodology. Rubbles from the road to be resurfaced can now be mixed with our Dertophalt™ in mobile facilities and directly applied again, leading to a brand-new road with even more resistant asphalt! This approach has multiple benefits as it decreases the number of trips needed to transport the rubbles and consequently significantly reduces carbon emissions. At the same time, it also increases the renewable content of the road with the addition of our bio-based product.

With a nice smell of pine tree during the rejuvenation process for a change!

DRT Solutions…

Resin acids and fatty acids

Dertophalt

Rosin ester

Dertoline PLS

Rosin ester

Dertoline P2L

 

Tire manufacturers can use our plant-based resins to develop products with a better balance between rolling resistance and resistance to wear and traction, especially on wet ground.

By carefully modifying these three properties, the lifespan of tires can be extended and fuel consumption reduced.

DRT Solutions…

Polyterpene resin

Dercolyte A 115

Polyterpene resin

Dercolyte L 120

Terpene phenolic resin

Dertophene T 115