Aggregate Industries trials use of vegetable oil

Aggregate Industries' research manager has proposed the use of waste vegetable oil as a bitumen replacement in asphalt mixtures.

The first live trials have taken place to test the use of waste vegetable oil as a replacement.

Vegetex, is a concept suggested by Helen Bailey, research manager at Aggregate Industries.

Vegetex replaces up to 20 per cent of the bitumen content in asphalt mixes with waste vegetable oil.

The trials took place on 20 October on a residential road in Bedford in conjunction with Bedfordshire Highways.

145 tonnes of surface material was laid, 40 tonnes of which was Vegetex mix.

Helen commented: "The asphalt industry currently uses about 1.25 million tonnes of bitumen a year, at a significant cost to the UK trade balance.

The use of waste vegetable oil as a bitumen replacement offers a number of environmental gains including reduced CO2 for the resultant asphalt mixture, less dependency on landfill for disposal of the waste oil and the oil can be stored at lower temperatures reducing energy requirements".

The use of waste vegetable oil as a bitumen replacement would reduce the UK's reliance on expensive imported hydrocarbons.

The oil is also easily transported, handled and pumped with no requirement for additional expenditure at existing asphalt production facilities.

Vegetex complies with all UK standards and, if brought to market, could have a substantial impact on the asphalt industry.

Helen's Vegetex project has recently been shortlisted for an Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET) Innovation Award (Sustainability category).

Helen has been presented with the Fiona and Nicholas Hawley Excellence in Environmental Engineering Award, by The Worshipful Company of Engineers, for her paper 'The use of waste vegetable oil as a bitumen replacement in asphalt mixtures'.

Helen's work forms part of Aggregate Industries' ongoing commitment to sustainable construction.

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