Repsol Asphalts and the Ministry of Public Works organize a Conference on the Circular Economy in Murcia

On November 28, 2017, the Regional Confederation of Business Organizations of Murcia (CROEM) auditorium hosted a Conference on the Circular Economy: Road surfaces that use resources efficiently, organized by the East Commercial Branch Office and the Department of Technical Support and Business Development of the Repsol Asphalts Unit, with the collaboration of the Ministry of Public Works (MFO) through the State Road Demarcation in Murcia and the Technical Division of the Directorate General for Roads and the support of the Technological Center of the Construction of the Region of Murcia (CTCON). The event was attended by a large number of Repsol Asphalts customers and local authorities.

Mr. Jaime Halcón Villavicencio (Director of Repsol Asphalts), Mr. Ángel García Garay (Head of State Road Demarcation in Murcia for the MFO), and Mr. Antonio Navarro Mompean (Chairman of CTCON) opened the conference, which took place in three sessions coordinated by Mr. Francisco Lucas Ochoa (Head of Technical Support and Business Development of Repsol Asphalts).

The first session was devoted to the administration's perspective on the Circular Economy. Mr. Julio Vaquero (Technical Division of the Directorate General for Roads) spoke about “Pre-regulatory initiatives on the matter of road surfaces,” while Mr. Julio López (CTCN) focused on the “Prediction of slip resistance through laboratory tests.”

The second session addressed the asphalt business sector's contribution to the Circular Economy through innovation. A variety of people spoke during this session: Mr. Jesús Felipo (PAVASAL) gave a presentation titled “Innovative bituminous mixtures: an effective tool for emissions reduction”; Mr. José Manuel Berenguer (EIFFAGE GROUP) highlighted “Experiences in the incorporation of waste in high-performance discontinuous mixtures: sound-reducing and crack-resistant”; Mr. José Simón (CHM) explained the development of “Reflective asphalt pavements to mitigate climate change: Project Repara 2.0”; Mr. Francisco Vea (BECSA) gave a talk called “From waste to resource for road surfaces”; and Ms. Patricia Díaz (Sacyr) explained the development of technologies on “Half-warm materials materials recycled at rates of 100%. Life Sure Project.”

The last part of the conference featured several presentations on “Evolution and Innovation in Bituminous Binders.” Mr. Francisco José Lucas Ochoa gave a presentation on “Binders as a vehicular component for Sustainable Development in Roads”; Mr. Francisco Guisado Mateo (Technical Support and Business Development Specialist at Repsol Asphalts) presented “Warm and cold recycling technologies: their importance in the Circular Economy”; and Mr. Francisco José Barceló (Repsol Asphalts Representative at CEN TC336 WG1) finished by highlighting “Forecasts and evolution of bitumen and polymer-modified bitumen specifications."