Étienne LE BOUTEILLER
Results of the 2017 – 2019 Worlwide survey
In 2019, bitumen emulsions worldwide volumes have peaked at 8.7 million metric tons. Half of the volumes have been produced in 4 countries: USA, China, France and Mexico. The top ten countries account for 72% of the total production. During the same year, bitumen consumption has reached 111 million metric tons worldwide.
For the last 7 years, the volumes have increased by 7%, thanks to a high contribution from Asia (+62%), especially China and India.
The best players are Mexico, France and Brazil with an emulsion v/s bitumen ratio of 30% (average worldwide ratio: 7.8%). All the industry should learn from the success of these champions.
We may expect a higher growth in the years to come due the advantages brought by the emulsion techniques in terms of Health, Safety and Environment, and a true commitment from the industry to adequately promote such techniques.