Two Polish companies have developed an asphalt mixture that neutralises the usual pungent smell of a new road surface and replaces it with a pleasant floral aroma, creating better working conditions for road builders.
Budimex SA, Poland’s largest construction firm, and oil company Lotos hope that the new road surface, which they say is also more environmentally friendly, will soon be rolled out on a wider scale.
Lotos Asfalt, a subsidiary of the oil firm, developed the fragrant mixture to neutralise the pungent smell typical of hot asphalt, which is harmless to humans but unpleasant to work with.
“The additive used in the asphalt with a reduced odour intensity is a mixture of natural and synthetic essential oils and has a pleasant floral aroma,” explained Cezary Godziuk, Lotos Asfalt’s CEO.
Most of the active ingredients in the substances neutralise the usual smell of asphalt, while the others produce the floral fragrance, reports Dziennik.pl.
“Working with the mixture containing asphalt with a reduced odour intensity was different, that is it clearly didn’t have the characteristic smell of traditional asphalt,” said Sławomir Szpak of Budimex SA. “At times you could smell the scent of flowers, which made the work more pleasant.”
“We care about the environment and improving the working conditions of our employees, and the project we are working on with Lotos is an example of such an initiative,” said Ewelina Karp-Kręglicka, head of the company’s purchases, quality and environmental protection office.
“This is a promising product that is also part of the green and ecological trend in construction,” Łukasz Bargenda, head of Budimex laboratories, added. “Research and laboratory analyses of the mineral-asphalt mixture containing this special asphalt is continuing.”
The first tests have been promising, confirming that the floral mixture complies with Polish road standard norms without a reduction in quality, and the company intends to add the product to its range, Karp-Kręglicka confirmed.
Main image credit: Budimex SA/Facebook
Ben Koschalka is a translator and senior editor at Notes from Poland. Originally from Britain, he has lived in Kraków since 2005.
