Utilization of Plastics in construction of roads.

1. UTILIZATION OF WASTE PLASTIC IN
ROAD CONSTRUCTION
Creating Value - Challenges & New
Opportunities
with
Indigenous Technology
By :- PraSaNTa kUMar MahAtO

2. HOW THIS IDEA EMERGED?
Threats of bans on POLYBAGS in south India –Dirty polybags
Waste eyesore-landfills full up.
Realistic Situation-Raw materials scarce in INDIA .
-Economies of Asia-similar old disposal habits .
-Cost and price driven responses can survive.
-We firmly believe waste in only a resource in the wrong
places.

3. OUTLINE
 Introduction
 About
the plastics
 Steps for using plastics
 On site execution
 Characteristic of waste plastic bitumen
 Characteristic of plastic coated aggregate
 Advantages
 Disadvantages
 Conclusion

4. INTRODUCTION
Recent studies in this
direction have shown some
hope in terms of using plasticwaste in road construction
i.e., Plastic roads. Plastic
roads mainly use plastic
carry-bags, disposable cups
and PET bottles that are
collected from garbage
dumps as an important
ingredient of the construction
material. When mixed with
hot bitumen, plastics melt to
form an oily coat over the
aggregate and the mixture is
laid on the road surface like a
normal tar road.

5. PLASTIC ROADS
(BANGALORE)

6. WHAT IS PLASTIC?
A plastic material is any of a wide range of synthetic
or semi-synthetic organic amorphous solids
used in the manufacturing of industrial products.
Plastics are typically polymers of high molecular mass
and may contain other substances to improve perfo-rmance and/or reduce costs. Monomers of plastic are
either natural or synthetic organic compounds
Discarded thin-plastic carry-bags are a menace.
In town they clog drains, cause flooding, choke
animals that eat them and are unsightly.


7. PLASTIC WASTE,
HARMFULL TO EARTH

8. STEPS FOR USING PLASTICS
IN ROADS:1. Segregation.
2. Cleaning process.
3. Shredding process.
4. Collection process.

9. 1) SEGREGATION Plastic waste collected from various sources
must be separated from other waste.
 Maximum thickness of 60 microns.
2) CLEANING PROCESS Plastic waste get cleaned and dried.
SEGREGATION
PROCESS
CLEANING PROCESS

10. 3) SHREDDING PROCESSDifferent types of plastic wastes are mixed together and
Plastics gets shredded or cut into small piece.
4) COLLECTION PROCESS Then plastic waste retaining in 2.36 mm is collected.
SHREDDING PROCESS
COLLECTED PLASTIC

11. ON SITE EXECUTION
There are two type of execution

1. WET PROCESS

2. DRY PROCESS

12. WET PROCESS
Blending of waste plastics by direct mixing
of shredded plastics with hot bitumen at 160°C
 Mechanical stirrer is needed as the mixing is
difficult because of difference in viscosities of
molten polymer and bitumen.
 Addition of stabilizers and proper cooling are
required.
 Since the wet process require a lot of
investment and bigger plants
 Not commonly used..


13. DRY PROCESS
This process is developed by Dr. Vasudevan.
 The aggregate is heated to 170°C in the Mini hot Mix Plant .

MINI HOT MIX PLANT
AGGREGATE TRANSFERRED TO
PUDDLING CHAMBER

14.  The
shredded plastic waste is added in equal
proportion.
WASTE PLASTICS MIXED WITH THE HOT
AGGREGATES

15. 
This plastics gets coated over the aggregate
uniformly.
COATED AGGREGATE
PLAIN AGGREGATE

16. •
Immediately the hot Bitumen at 160°C is added
with the mixture.
AGGREAGTE PALSTIC BITUMEN
MIX
BITUMEN IS ADDED WITH
COATED AGGREGATE

17. 
The mixture is transferred to the road and the
road is laid.
Road is being laid

18. CHARACTERISTIC OF POLYMER
MODIFIED BITUMEN
Use of higher percentage of plastics in
polymer modified bitumen is not favorable.
% of Plastics
Ductility(cm)
Penetration(mm)
Softening
Point(oC)
1%
64
95
54
2%
55
90
50
3%
20
80
50
5%
11
55
72
10%
7
NIL
75

19. CHARACTERISTIC OF PLASTICS
COATED AGGREGATE

Los Angel’s Abrasion Test –
 Wear and tear values of plastic coated aggregate
if found to be decreasing while using plastics.
 Eg. 37% without plastic, 32% with 1% plastic,
29% with 2% plastic.

Soundness Test The plastic coated aggregate, did not show any
weight loss, hence improve the quality of the
aggregate.

20. ADVANTAGES








Simple process, no new machinery is required
Use higher percentage of plastic waste.
Reduce the need of bitumen by around 10%.
Increase the strength and performance of the road.
Reduce the cost to around Rs. 5000/Km. of single
lane road.
Generate jobs for rag pickers.
Develop a technology, which is eco-friendly, no toxic
gas evaluation.
Reduced penetration and ductility, a higher softening
point, resist the permeation of water and cold
cracking.

21. DISADVANTAGAES OF PLASTIC
ROADS
1. Cleaning process
Toxics present in the co-mingled plastic waste
would start leaching.
2. During the road laying process
In the presence of chlorine will definitely release
noxious HCL gas.
3.After the road laying
The components of the road, once it has been
laid, are not inert.

22. Trisool Road (Tamil Nadu)
Laid in April 2004
Photo date Jan 2007

23. Jubilee Park Road (Jamshedpur)
Laid in Jan 2005
Photo date Aug 2010

24. CONCLUSION
Plastic will increase the melting point of the
bitumen.
 Use of the innovative technology not only
strengthened the road construction but also
increased the road life.
 Help to improve the environment (ecofriendly).
 Plastic road would be a boon for India’s hot and
extremely humid climate where durable and
eco-friendly roads which will relive the earth
from all type of plastic waste.
