Plastic Roads

Rise of The Planet of The Plastics

From waking up to a ringing plastic alarm, drinking water from a plastic bottle, carrying a plastic bag to storing food in plastic containers, plastic has become an inseparable integral part of our lives. 

Adversaries always follow up with excessive utilities. Plastic garbage is proving to be a menace across the country, clogging drains, choking voiceless animals, soil degradation, plastic has had been beneath all. Furthermore, plastic can be recycled only 3-4 times, and the melting process releases highly toxic fumes.


Plastic Roads, The Indigenous Innovation

Aimed to overcome the growing problem of plastic waste disposal the Government of India decided that all road developers in the country must use waste plastic, for road construction after the technology for this was developed by the ‘Plastic Man’ of India, Prof. Rajagopalan Vasudevan. He is a Professor of Chemistry at Thiagarajar College of Engineering, Madurai. He was awarded Padma Shree in 2018 for his immense contributions to science and society.

How Does It Work?

During the initiation, a shredding machine is used to shred the plastic waste to a particular size. The aggregate mix is then heated at 165°c and transferred to the mixing chamber, and the bitumen is heated to 160°c for good binding. 

It takes 30 to 60 seconds for shredded plastic to get coated uniformly over the aggregate, giving an oily look. The resulting mix is then used for road construction. The road laying temperature lies between 110°c to 120°c. The roller used has a potential of 8 tons. For every kilo of stone, 50 gm of bitumen is used, and 1/10th of this is plastic waste. This initiative reduces the amount of bitumen used. 

Advantages

As per studies, the roads built from waste plastic can withstand extreme weather conditions as compared to the conventional roads. Also, plastic increases the aggregate impact value and enhances the quality of flexible pavements. The overall construction method is extremely eco-friendly, as it releases no toxic gases. With plastic, the roads are not as susceptible to disintegration and potholes as a conventional road because moving or stagnant water does not affect the surface.

Economically, plastic roads are cost-effective. Aloof the minimum cost of the shredding process, no new machinery is required, and the maintenance costs are almost nil.

Around The World on Plastic Roads

India has over 1,00,000 kilometres of roads constructed of plastic, with more regions actively joining in this initiative. Meanwhile, Prof. R Vasudevan’s techniques are being used by several nations across the globe. Indonesia, Netherlands, have constructed plastic roads with similar techniques. The United Kingdom has invested large amounts in further research in the area. Presently, trails are taking place in cities like London, Durham, and Gloucester.


WRITTEN BY:Chaitanya Kumar,Debasish Beria.




Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Tackling the storm

Image
CYCLONE RESISTANT BUILDING CONSTRUCTION Cyclones have been an inescapable situation in India, especially in the eastern states of Odisha, West Bengal, and Andhra Pradesh. This calls for the construction of cyclone-resistant buildings in cyclone-prone areas to avoid loss of life and property. Low-lying coast areas, river floodplains, and sea-shore areas are highly vulnerable to cyclones. Certain settlement pattern even causes "funnel effect" which results in greater damage. While it's a common belief that heavier buildings are safer, in reality, a well built and engineered house provides better safety. Minimum standards for the design, construction, and performance of buildings to withstand extreme climate-related natural hazard events depending upon their locations should be set. We know cyclones are beyond human control but measures can be taken to reduce the loss of lives like evacuating people to safe areas, quick recovery of important fa...
Read more

Central Vista Project: Transforming the Political Face of India, the Civil Way

Image
    Source: Wikipedia     Central Vista Redevelopment Project  refers to the ongoing  redevelopment  to revamp the Central Vista, India's central administrative area located near  Raisina  Hill, New Delhi . The area houses India's government and parliamentary offices and has  been  described as the "power corridor" of the country. The project seeks to improve infrastructure for the Government of India, including retrofitting and refurbishing some heritage buildings to make them functional and safe.        Source: The Hindu   The Central Vista Redevelopment Project was launched in 2019 .   The project includes converting North and South Blocks into public museums while creating an ensemble of new secretariat buildings to house all ministries, relocating the Vice President and the Prime Minister's offices  and residences near the North and South Blocks, and revamping the 3 km (1.9 mi) long  Rajpath  between  Rashtrapati...
Read more

Demolition of Building Structures

Image
Demolition of a building is the process of dismantling or destroying a structure after its life of serviceability by pre-planned and controlled methods. It is the science and engineering in safely and efficiently tearing down buildings and other artificial structures . The tallest planned demolition of a building was the 47-storey Singer Building in New York City , built-in 1908 and torn down in 1967–1968 to be replaced by One Liberty Plaza Building Demolition methods: There are two types of demolition methods used for buildings and structures, Non-explosive demolition and Explosive demolition. In the non-explosive method, demolition of a structure is done with some equipment, without the use of any explosive. In contrast, in the explosive method, demolition is done with the help of bombs and explosives. Building Demolition Process: Different steps are involved in the process of demolition of building structures. They are: 1. Surveying 2. Removal of hazardous materials 3...
Read more