Embedding Biogenic Binder Technology into Everyday Asphalt Production
By integrating biogenic binder technology into everyday production, we’re enabling lower carbon asphalt without compromising performance.
Tarmac has reached a major milestone in advancing lower carbon construction materials with the successful roll out of on demand biobinder availability at our Birmingham asphalt plant. Following a programme of trials and operational testing, the site is now fully equipped with dedicated storage and blending capability. This allows biobinders to be incorporated into asphalt mixes whenever customers choose a renewable alternative to conventional fossil derived bitumen. This transition from development to business ready supply reflects both a technical breakthrough and a practical, scalable contribution to the decarbonisation of road construction.
The Birmingham trials confirmed that biobinders integrate seamlessly with Tarmac’s existing operations. They work effectively with recycled asphalt planings (RAP) additions, warm mix technologies, and cold‑lay asphalts, with no impact on mix design or performance. This compatibility gives customers confidence that lower carbon choices can be made immediately, without specification changes, revised working methods, or compromise to durability. The success at Birmingham now enables contractors and local authorities to access a renewable, lower‑carbon option as soon as they need it, supporting sustainability ambitions across a wide range of projects.
A Renewable, Biogenic Alternative to Fossil‑Based Bitumen
Biobinders are plant‑based materials derived from renewable, biogenic byproducts such as tall oil, lignin, fatty acids, and rosin generated from the pulp and paper industry. These natural feedstocks absorb carbon during plant growth, and when used in asphalt, that carbon remains stored within the road structure. This gives biobinders a markedly different environmental profile from petroleum‑based bitumen, acting as carbon sinks, reducing embodied emissions, and lowering reliance on finite fossil resources.
Beyond their carbon benefits, biobinders behave in much the same way as traditional bitumen. They blend cleanly into mixes, support strong cohesion and adhesion, and deliver the performance characteristics needed for durable, long-life pavements. Their ability to sit comfortably alongside advanced materials approaches, including RAP and lower temperature production methods, positions them as a key enabler for more sustainable asphalt technologies, including Tarmac’s CEVO low carbon solutions.
Why Biobinders Matter: Responding to Industry, Policy and Customer Needs
The move to mainstream biobinder availability reflects wider drivers across the construction and infrastructure sector. National policy commitments, including the UK’s target for net zero by 2050 and National Highways’ ambition for net zero maintenance and construction by 2040, are accelerating demand for lower‑carbon materials. More than half of local authorities have declared climate emergencies, further increasing the need for solutions that cut emissions without compromising delivery.
Biobinders contribute directly to Tarmac’s sustainability goals, strengthen supply resilience, and support innovation led growth by enabling customers to adopt new more sustainable materials with confidence. As demand for more sustainable alternatives increases, biobinders help ensure Tarmac continues to lead in the development of practical, high-performance low carbon solutions.
Looking Ahead
With biobinders now available on demand out of Birmingham, Tarmac has created a practical pathway for customers to cut embodied carbon in asphalt without altering specifications or compromising performance. As the UK moves toward more sustainable and resource‑efficient construction, biobinders will play an increasingly important role in enabling lower carbon road networks, supporting circularity, and reducing reliance on fossil‑based materials.
The success at Birmingham demonstrates what can be achieved when renewable feedstocks, material science, and operational capability come together. By integrating biobinders into everyday production, Tarmac is helping clients adopt more sustainable construction choices confidently and contributing to the wider transition toward net zero.
