Avantium and Roelofs construct the world’s first test road with lignin produced in the Netherlands

AMSTERDAM and DEN HAM, 2 June 2021, 07:00 CEST – Infrastructure company Roelofs today starts the construction of the world’s first test road made from bio-asphalt with Dutch lignin. This lignin is produced by Avantium, a leading technology company in renewable chemistry. The fully plant-based lignin is used as a substitute for bitumen in asphalt, which is derived from crude oil.

In collaboration with the province of Groningen, the 250-metre-long lignin-based test section will be constructed in the north of the Netherlands, on the N987 between Siddeburen and Wagenborgen. This test road is part of the CHAPLIN XL* project, a collaboration of industrial and academic parties aiming to demonstrate that lignin as bitumen replacement works effectively at scale and leads to a significant CO₂ reduction of road construction.

English press release in PDF

Nederlands persbericht in PDF