ELVALOY™ Reactive Elastomeric Terpolymers
Paving the way for a smoother future with polymer modified asphalt
More traffic. Crumbling infrastructure. Autonomous vehicles. More frequent road repairs. The need for smooth, long-lasting, more sustainable pavement has never been greater.
Polymer modified asphalt (PMA) is a widely used, successful solution for making better pavement. For decades, ELVALOY™ Reactive Elastomeric Terpolymer (RET) products have been offering excellent performance and processing, longer service life and the potential for lower life cycle costs compared to conventional, neat asphalt.
ELVALOY™ RET creates a permanently improved binder, delivering long-lasting performance in well-engineered pavements—meaning it can offer a higher total value from its extended service life and reduce the need to disrupt traffic prematurely.
ELVALOY™ RET can be used in various paving applications
Roads & Intersections
ELVALOY™ RET improves the binder at a molecular level, which helps roads and intersections stay smoother, safer and more resistant.
Expressways
Highways around the world are handling traffic better and for longer thanks to improved binder performance with ELVALOY™ RET.
Airports
Achieve smoother, longer-lasting airport runways, taxiways and related pavements with ELVALOY™ RET.
ELVALOY™ RET Success Stories
Explore locations around the world where ELVALOY™ RET is helping improve asphalt performance.
Reduced rutting in hot climates
India's GVK Desert Zone Expressway—Jaipur to Kishangarh—in the State of Rajasthan is in a high-temperature desert zone, with sections subject to heavy traffic.
Brazil transportation corridor
Rodovia Anhangüera (SP-330), a 4-lane toll highway, connects São Paulo with the state's hotter northern areas.
Challenging Canadian winters
Pavements made with different modifiers were tested side-by-side in Timmins, Ontario, where winter temperatures reach record lows.
Managing hot-cold range extremes
Oregon "high desert" highway sections built in a service environment marked by heavy truck traffic and severe temperature cycles.
Managing costs reduced
Project engineers in Montana wanted all the temperature range they could get, to fight cracking and rutting with a better-built pavement.
The tested and successful performance of ELVALOY™ RET versus SBS
Extensive test data is available from third parties, including government agencies, industry groups and universities, demonstrating that ELVALOY™ RET has equivalent or improved performance vs. styrene butadiene styrene (SBS) modified asphalt at lower dosages. ELVALOY™ RET slows down pavement deformation and resists damage from extreme temperatures and moisture, making it an investment for the long-term.
Let’s compare the differences in detail.
The differences between ELVALOY™ RET and SBS begin with basic polymer chemistry and handling properties.
| ELVALOY™ RET | Styrene Butadiene Styrene (SBS) |
| Specifically engineered for asphalt modification | Developed in the 1950s as a replacement for rubber |
| Storage-stability, because ELVALOY™ RET chemically links with asphalt | Susceptible to separation from the asphalt |
| Can be winter-filled and stored for reheating and use later on | Not recommended for winter-filling |
| Only low shear mixing is necessary | High-shear mill required for mixing at increased capital and maintenance costs |
| Delivered as a free-flowing pellet which results in easy handling | Not as easily handled |
Typical values, not to be construed as specifications. Users should confirm results by their own tests.
Terminal operators and paving contractors can also benefit from successful ELVALOY™ RET asphalt modifier technology.
| ELVALOY™ RET | Styrene Butadiene Styrene (SBS) |
| Lower processing, storage, mixing, and compaction temperatures | Higher storage, mixing and compaction temperatures |
| Less energy use in mix plant | More energy use in the mix plant |
| Less likely to have smoking issues | More likely to have emissions (smoking) from the mix plant if extra additives are applied |
| Faster compaction to meet required densities which requires less equipment and more rapid opening to traffic | Longer compaction times, and long lane closures; harder to construct due to ever-increasing night and weekend paving windows |
| Lower processing temperatures, resulting in reduced emissions and fewer odor complaints | More likely to result in complaints to authorities from workers and the public about fumes |
| Fewer complaints from job site neighbors | More likely to have fumes at the paving train due to higher temperatures |
| Increased workability for paving crews who quickly realize ELVALOY™ RET paves like neat asphalt | Harder for crews without PMA experience to use; Can cause significant paving issues, particularly for highly-modified asphalt mixes |
Typical values, not to be construed as specifications. Users should confirm results by their own tests.
*Asphalt is defined as bitumen or binder
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