Construction

A Dutch cleantech SME has developed a circular solution for converting wet organic waste into sustainable biobitumen for the asphalt industry. The company's patented hydrothermal upgrading process transforms manure, digestate, sewage sludge, and other wet biomass into biocrude—a bio-oil that serves as feedstock for biobitumen production. The current state of development is TRL 7, with a demonstration plant operational in the Netherlands, processing wet organic waste streams and proving the technology at scale. The SME is now ready to scale up through pilot projects with asphalt producers. CURRENT METHODS: Current asphalt production relies on fossil bitumen derived from crude oil, contributing significantly to the construction sector's CO₂ emissions. Traditional bitumen production and asphalt manufacturing face several challenges: - Fossil bitumen has a high carbon footprint, with asphalt production accounting for substantial CO₂ emissions in the construction industry - Asphalt producers depend on fossil fuel supply chains, creating vulnerability to price volatility and availability - Agricultural sectors struggle with manure surplus, leading to nitrogen emissions and environmental pollution - Wet organic waste streams are typically incinerated or landfilled, losing valuable energy and material resources - Incineration of wet biomass requires extensive drying, consuming significant energy with limited recovery These conventional approaches result in high operational costs, missed circular economy opportunities, and substantial environmental impact. SOLUTION: Where traditional asphalt production uses fossil bitumen, the SME recovers biobitumen from wet organic waste, creating a truly circular solution for green asphalt. By processing wet organic waste locally using the hydrothermal technology, transportation of waste and consumption of fossil resources are prevented, reducing the CO₂ footprint for asphalt production by up to 90%. The process ensures efficient conversion of wet biomass into biocrude without the need for energy-intensive drying. The biocrude is then upgraded to biobitumen, which serves as a direct drop-in replacement for fossil bitumen in asphalt production. This eliminates the need for infrastructure changes at asphalt plants while delivering significant sustainability benefits. By integrating CO₂ capture throughout the process, the technology achieves maximum climate impact. The solution also eliminates ammonia and methane emissions from manure treatment, addressing the nitrogen crisis in agriculture. The real innovation is the patented reactor that makes this effective conversion possible. By placing the technology at or near waste sources, transportation costs and fossil chemical use are minimized, creating a sustainable circular economy model. PARTNER: The Dutch SME is looking to establish pilot projects with asphalt producers across Europe to demonstrate and validate the biobitumen in real-world asphalt production. The company would like to partner with asphalt producers that have existing production facilities and are willing to test biobitumen in their asphalt formulations. The SME will invest (partly) in the pilot installation and provide the biobitumen, while the partner provides production capacity, technical expertise, and market access. The partner will be responsible for producing green asphalt with the biobitumen, testing performance, and providing feedback for optimization. The SME will support with technical integration, quality control, and certification processes. Advantages and innovations: - Patented reactor for effective conversion of wet organic waste to biocrude - Conversion efficiency without energy-intensive drying (percentage >98%) - Biobitumen meets all EN standards for asphalt production - Drop-in solution requiring no changes to existing asphalt infrastructure - >90% CO₂ footprint reduction for asphalt production compared to fossil bitumen - Eliminates ammonia and methane emissions from waste treatment - Addresses nitrogen crisis by processing manure surplus - Creates circular economy value from agricultural and organic waste -60% lower operational costs compared to conventional waste treatment methods - Full CO₂ capture integration for maximum climate benefit Expected role of a partner: The Dutch SME is looking to establish pilot projects with asphalt producers across Europe to demonstrate and validate the biobitumen in real-world asphalt production. The company would like to partner with asphalt producers that have existing production facilities and are willing to test biobitumen in their asphalt formulations. The SME will invest (partly) in the pilot installation and provide the biobitumen, The partner will be responsible for producing green asphalt with the biobitumen, testing performance according to industry standards, and providing feedback for optimization. The SME will support with technical integration, quality control, and certification processes.