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Plastic roads of India | Ep. #77
I am tired of traveling on pothole filled roads constantly changing service roads in my neighborhood. I wonder how authorities manage to get funds approved to dig 6ft deep on the same road EVERY YEAR!
This may sound like a mini rant, but If you are in India, I guess you can relate to this experience. Don’t you think that we spend a lot on building roads that develop potholes? What a waste of tax money!
Not only is it unproductive, this recurring process uses way more sand, stone & bitumen in addition to excessive workmanship hours and obviously never ending traffic in a way making the whole city unproductive. This reality proves how the local authorities are mindlessly seeking short-term goals without considering long-term solutions. I also feel that most citizens have given up whistleblowing on such activities.
But guess what, I just found out that a circular solution already exists and many cities across across 11 states in India have implemented this innovation.
Curious to know what it is? The solution is hybrid plastic roads! This system was developed by Dr. Rajagopalan Vasudevan, a professor of chemistry at the Thiagarajar College of Engineering in Madurai, India. This system replaces 10% of road's bitumen with repurposed plastic waste.
Confused? Okay let’s break it down. As an Aam Janata most of us may have noticed these two types of road construction: A) Asphalt / Tar roads; B) Concrete roads
The plastic road can be considered a sustainable alternative for Asphalt roads because Asphalt roads are made out of a mix of Sand, Stone / aggregate & Bitumen.
In comparison to the speed of infrastructure development, Sand and stone are non-renewable resources as they undergo unsustainable mining processes. Bitumen too is non-renewable as it is a byproduct of the Oil & Gas industry.
It is a low tech, simple process. First, the plastic waste is shredded to sizes of 1.6mm to 2mm and scattered onto an aggregate of crushed stones and sand before being heated to about 170C – hot enough to melt the waste. The melted plastics then coat the aggregate in a thin layer. Then heated bitumen is added on top, which helps to solidify the aggregate, and the mixture is complete.
To make 1km of single lane road you need 10 tonnes of Bitumen. Dr Vasudevan’s solution uses 9 tonnes of Bitumen and 1 tonne of plastic waste to build the same road. To put it into perspective 1 tonne plastic is equivalent to 10 lakh single-use carry bags.
Tune into the episode to learn more.
Keyword : What is a circular economy?
Reach out to us on LinkedIn | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | [email protected]
Sources: BBC / Reuters / Builder Space
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By Sreepriya Sridharan
5
11 ratings
I am tired of traveling on pothole filled roads constantly changing service roads in my neighborhood. I wonder how authorities manage to get funds approved to dig 6ft deep on the same road EVERY YEAR!
This may sound like a mini rant, but If you are in India, I guess you can relate to this experience. Don’t you think that we spend a lot on building roads that develop potholes? What a waste of tax money!
Not only is it unproductive, this recurring process uses way more sand, stone & bitumen in addition to excessive workmanship hours and obviously never ending traffic in a way making the whole city unproductive. This reality proves how the local authorities are mindlessly seeking short-term goals without considering long-term solutions. I also feel that most citizens have given up whistleblowing on such activities.
But guess what, I just found out that a circular solution already exists and many cities across across 11 states in India have implemented this innovation.
Curious to know what it is? The solution is hybrid plastic roads! This system was developed by Dr. Rajagopalan Vasudevan, a professor of chemistry at the Thiagarajar College of Engineering in Madurai, India. This system replaces 10% of road's bitumen with repurposed plastic waste.
Confused? Okay let’s break it down. As an Aam Janata most of us may have noticed these two types of road construction: A) Asphalt / Tar roads; B) Concrete roads
The plastic road can be considered a sustainable alternative for Asphalt roads because Asphalt roads are made out of a mix of Sand, Stone / aggregate & Bitumen.
In comparison to the speed of infrastructure development, Sand and stone are non-renewable resources as they undergo unsustainable mining processes. Bitumen too is non-renewable as it is a byproduct of the Oil & Gas industry.
It is a low tech, simple process. First, the plastic waste is shredded to sizes of 1.6mm to 2mm and scattered onto an aggregate of crushed stones and sand before being heated to about 170C – hot enough to melt the waste. The melted plastics then coat the aggregate in a thin layer. Then heated bitumen is added on top, which helps to solidify the aggregate, and the mixture is complete.
To make 1km of single lane road you need 10 tonnes of Bitumen. Dr Vasudevan’s solution uses 9 tonnes of Bitumen and 1 tonne of plastic waste to build the same road. To put it into perspective 1 tonne plastic is equivalent to 10 lakh single-use carry bags.
Tune into the episode to learn more.
Keyword : What is a circular economy?
Reach out to us on LinkedIn | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | [email protected]
Sources: BBC / Reuters / Builder Space