ENERGY EFFICIENCY AND ENVIRONMENTAL ADVANTAGES OF BITUMEN EMULSIONS: A LITERATURE REVIEW

This article, based on a review of scientific literature, highlights the advantages of bitumen emulsions over hot bitumen binders and hot-mix asphalt technologies. This review comparatively examines the production and application temperatures, energy consumption, and atmospheric emissions of toxic gases (CO2, SO2, volatile organic compounds, and polyaromatic hydrocarbons) for both technologies. The analysis indicates that bitumen emulsions, due to their application at low temperatures (20–60°C), can reduce energy consumption by 35–50%, carbon dioxide emissions by 40–60%, and sulfur dioxide emissions almost entirely (≈99.9%). Furthermore, low operating temperatures significantly reduce toxic emissions that affect the health of workers during the preparation and laying of road surfaces. The article also provides information on the main materials used in the production of bitumen emulsions - bitumen, water, emulsifiers and stabilizing additives.