The Asphalt Institute Foundation (AIF) hosted a public webinar on March 20, 2025, titled “Analyzing the Petroleum Asphalt Binder Supply-Chain under Energy Transition Scenarios.”
The online seminar communicated results from a year-long strategic sustainability research project that was funded by the AIF and contracted to Wood Mackenzie, an internationally renowned independent energy consultancy. The sustainability oversight panel, comprised of the Asphalt Institute member company volunteers from all parts of the asphalt binder supply chain, provided valuable feedback throughout the project with Wood Mackenzie.
Associated Asphalt, An Ergon Company and Marathon Petroleum Company sponsored the research project.
The webinar had three speakers:
1. Dr. John Brownie, Imperial Oil (presented as a representative of the AIF Sustainability Oversight Panel)
2. Dr. Chait Bhat, Asphalt Institute
3. Reed Ryan, Asphalt Institute Foundation
The well-attended webinar with over 160 participants from varying backgrounds (e.g., public agencies, industry, academia) detailed the following aspects:
1. Expected pace of energy transition
2. Impact of energy transition on petroleum asphalt binder supply
3. Potential carbon emissions from asphalt binder supply-chain
Petroleum asphalt binder is a co-product obtained by refining crude oil through complex refineries. The primary purpose of refineries is to produce fuels such as gasoline, diesel, aviation fuel and others used as energy sources across various sectors. Hence, the research considered “energy transition” as the foundational hypothesis to understand pragmatic feasibility and impact on petroleum asphalt binder supply.
Wood Mackenzie was selected to conduct the research since they developed in-house scenarios for energy transition based on macroeconomics, supply-demand interactions, technological plus economical feasibilities and more for more than 90 sectors. A publicly available energy outlook published every year by Wood Mackenzie provides an in-depth assessment of evolving energy transition scenarios.
In addition to assessing the implications of energy transition to petroleum asphalt binder supply, the research also assessed the potential carbon emissions from asphalt binder supply chain through two case studies:
1. Influence of different pavement preservation/maintenance strategies during the use-stage
2. Influence of different mitigation strategies across asphalt binder supply-chain.
The intriguing question and answer session that followed the webinar was a testament to the importance of the research topic and provided insights for future research through the AIF.
“Asphalt pavement durability plays a critical role within decarbonization of the asphalt binder supply chain. The durability needs to be assessed in a context-specific manner through data-driven mechanisms such as efficient pavement management systems. Timely implementation of pavement preservation and maintenance treatments extends the service life of pavements thereby reducing the number of major rehabilitations during the design life of a pavement,” said Dr. Bhat.
The recording of the complete webinar is available on the Asphalt Institute’s YouTube channel. An accompanying report communicating the scope and outcomes of the detailed project is also available at asphaltfoundation.org.
Bhat is the Asphalt Institute Head of Sustainability Engineering and Research.
