Gazpromneft Bitumen Materials, operator of the Gazprom Neft bitumens business, announced on July 28, 2016, that the company has seen sales of its polymer-bitumen binders* increase to 39,000 in 1H 2016 — an increase of more than twofold on the same period last year.
This volume of polymer-bitumen binders would typically be used for laying an average 900 kilometres of high-quality road surfacing, the useful life of which would be twice as long as roads laid with traditional coverings.
PBB 60 has become the most sought-after brand in the Central Federal Okrug — its physical and chemical properties being the optimum solution for the climatic conditions of this region. Those brands in greatest demand in the Siberian Okrug and the Russian Far East are PBB 90 and PBB 130, the compositions of which have been adapted to meet the climatic conditions of the north.
The company has supplied polymer-bitumen binders throughout the first six months of 2016 for major road-building projects including the construction of the M1 “Belarus” federal highway, and the M2 “Crimea”, M4 “Don”, M8 “Kholmogory”, M10 “Russia” and M18 “Kola” highways, as well as the Moscow and St Petersburg arterial roads.
The high quality of its bitumen materials — certified as meeting Russian and international standards — has allowed the company to also increase its export operations, with increasing sales of PBB 4580-65 (fully compliant with EN (European certification) standards) on the international market, including throughout European countries, and throughout the CIS and beyond, including Central Asia and South Africa.
Production of high-technology modified bitumens is undertaken at the Gazprom Neft Moscow and Omsk refineries, at the company’s Ryazan bitumens plant, and at its new high-technology facility in Vyazma.
Dmitry Orlov, CEO, Gazpromneft Bitumen Materials, commented: «High-technology bitumen materials, which increase the useful life of road coverings, are, today, in ever increasing demand. Roads are becoming increasingly resistant to cracks and ruts. It is precisely these products, meeting the greatest demands of our key customers in the road-building sector that our facilities are producing. And, as a technological leader in the Russian bitumens market, we are actively implementing innovative technologies and developing formulations for specific, individual orders, as well as developing new brands of PBBs.»
*Polymer—bitumen binders are based on traditional bitumens, with the addition of styrene-butadiene-styrene (SBS) polymers and a plasticizer. Polymer—bitumen binders demonstrate better quality in comparison with traditional bitumen, including greater resistance to warping, better endurance under extreme temperatures, and greater resistance against deterioration.
