Machine manufacturers and construction companies around the globe are currently searching for ways to achieve the ultimate goal of climate-neutral construction. The challenge here is to successively reduce CO₂ emissions as well as other harmful gases (expressed as a CO₂ equivalent: CO₂e) to zero globally over the coming decades. In the road construction sector, this transformation is inextricably linked to the improvement and further development of production and working processes. In the future, machines and construction materials will also be assessed on the basis of the climate-harmful emissions arising from their production and use. The focus is, however, not on individual machines, but on the entire process leading up to the finished product – a road. Ultimately, the deciding factor is the emissions generated per mile of newly built or rehabilitated road – CO₂e per unit of work done.
Sustainable Development Goals
In 2015, the United Nations adopted Agenda 2030. With this agenda, the global community aims to enable people on all continents to live in dignity while also protecting the natural resources required for such a life. Economic, ecological, and social aspects all play a critical role in this. All governments are called upon to contribute to making the Sustainable Development Goals as set out in Agenda 2030 a reality, but it’s not just governments on the hook here – civil society and private enterprise must do their part as well.
The construction industry already faces specific on-site requirements with respect to the use of non-fossil fuels or the deployment of machines with local zero emissions – in the Nordic nations, for instance. In light of this and their obligations to future generations, many leading players in the construction sector and numerous small and mid-size companies are currently setting their own goals to mitigate climate change.
The Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Protocol has established itself globally as a holistic accounting method for CO₂e emissions. In a similar way to business accounting, it enables companies and institutions to systematically determine their levels of harmful emissions and identify their sources.
As a manufacturer of road construction machines, the Wirtgen Group has also set itself concrete goals, broken down into specific steps. For example, Wirtgen, Vögele, Hamm, and Kleemann will further increase the availability of machines powered by hybrid or fully electric drive systems by 2026. In addition, all Wirtgen Group product brands, including Benninghoven, will offer machines and plants that can be operated with non-fossil or climate-neutral fuels. Last but not least, the digitalization of machines will make a significant contribution to process optimization and, in turn, lead to further reductions in harmful emissions.
Benninghoven asphalt mixing plant with a hot gas generator for the production of asphalt from up to 100% milled material.
The ultimate goal of all these measures is a considerable reduction in the carbon footprint of Wirtgen Group machines, plants, and systems by 2030. In concrete terms, we are aiming to reduce scope 1 and scope 2 emissions by over 50%. For scope 3, we plan to reduce upstream and downstream emissions by at least 30%. These primarily include emissions made by machines throughout their service life, but also things like the emissions produced along the supply chain. To this end, John Deere, the parent company of the Wirtgen Group, has joined the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) and has had its own goals assessed and validated.
In order to achieve the greatest possible reduction in overall emissions, it is essential that we focus the efforts of all actors across the road construction industry. The key question we must ask ourselves is: How can we construct or rehabilitate roads with minimal or zero harmful emissions?
CECE is a pan-European organization representing construction machine manufacturers and related industries They have identified four areas in which CO₂e emissions can be reduced: (Source: CECE )
A holistic approach that takes all aspects of road construction into consideration is essential in order to achieve maximum reduction of CO₂e emissions. As the pan-European organization representing construction machine manufacturers and related industries, the CECE has already proposed a number of courses of action. Considerable savings potential can be leveraged by further improvement of machine efficiency, improved construction processes and procedures, and more-efficient operating concepts. At the same time, alternative, non-fossil fuels and electric drive systems can play an important role on the road to climate neutrality.
The CECE 4-Pillars Approach
The Wirtgen Group has already developed numerous solutions over the years to significantly reduce fuel consumption. These include intelligently-designed drive systems and efficiency-optimized controls. One example of this is Wirtgen’s ”Mill Assist”: an assistance system for cold milling machines that automatically adjusts to meet the performance and quality requirements entered by the machine operator and consistently guarantees the most favorable balance between milling performance and operating costs. This simultaneously reduces diesel fuel consumption and minimizes pick wear. Another example is the Dash 5 generation of road pavers from Vögele, which feature environmentally-friendly machine technologies that also ensure lower fuel consumption.
Machines from Wirtgen, Vögele, Hamm, and Kleemann whose engines fulfil the requirements of the US EPA Tier 4f exhaust emission standard or EU Stage V can already be powered by alternative fuels. They are approved for use with alternative paraffinic fuels like HVO (Hydrotreated Vegetable Oils: fuels made of vegetable oils or animal fats) or XtL fuels (X-to-Liquid: synthetic fuels made of solid, liquid, or gaseous energy resources). There are already corresponding solutions for asphalt mixing plants from Benninghoven. These can be fueled with wood dust or BtL (Biomass-to-Liquid).