Intertek Launches New Bitumen Inspection and Testing Services

Intertek, a leading quality solutions provider, has launched new services for the inspection and testing of bitumen in the UK. Asphalt provides the surface for some 95 per cent of the UK’s roads, as well as playgrounds, footways, car and lorry parking areas and airport runways. Asphalt’s strength comes from aggregates, but these require a binding agent – this is normally bitumen, an oil-based product derived from crude oil.

The UK government has over the past couple of years announced plans for the biggest investment in road infrastructure since the 1970s, and this new bitumen facility allows Intertek to be able to provide services to fully support this initiative.

The new Intertek bitumen testing capability is led from the company’s West Thurrock laboratory, which has seen significant investment in equipment to increase its capabilities to cover the testing of bitumen to BS EN 58, BS EN 13924-2, BS EN 12591 and BS EN 13808 specifications. This fully covers the testing requirements for standard bitumen, which is mainly used for road construction, waterproofing roofs and pipelines. The addition of the new bitumen laboratory expands the already extensive list of petroleum products capable of being tested by Intertek at West Thurrock and Intertek’s other laboratories in the UK.

The bitumen testing capability at West Thurrock is complemented by bitumen inspection capabilities on site as well as at other strategic locations within the UK and is further enhanced by “key” testing capabilities at these strategic locations. This exciting development now allows Intertek to provide around the clock inspection and testing services to the bitumen market in the UK.

Intertek’s West Thurrock laboratory manager Lee Burton said: “It is vital for customers to know that the bitumen they have bought does not deteriorate while stored in tanks or loaded into trucks, so we provide daily checks to ensure the conditions in the tank remain stable and that the specification of the product remains unchanged.”

David Breach, Cargo & Analytical Assessment Business Line Leader UK said: “By working closely with our clients, we can respond quickly to meet an industry need such as this by training up expert bitumen teams to support the industry right across the UK.”