- Last few days I was investigating in few government agencies like PWD's & National Highway Authority of India NHAI road building technique in different section of road in Orissa. Though new way road building equipment has been introduced but no change in road building material. Lots of mountains has been chopped up for granite ore essential for road building material. In a typical coastal or mountain condition where climate change is influenced by heavy rain & snowy condition these road get damaged more often.
- Another major issue I came across is Plastic. You can notice these are dumped so damn everywhere. Needless to say plastic is the biggest enemy of our planet earth. Research say it takes hundreds of year to decompose a single plastic bag naturally. Lots of foreign countries have taken this plastic issue more seriously. I don't know why we are taken it for granted. Disposal of waste plastic bags is a menace and has become a serious problem, specially in urban areas, in terms of its misuse, its dumping in the dustbins, clogging of drains, reduced soil fertility and aesthetic problem etc. Waste plastics are also burnt for apparent disposal, causing environmental pollution.
Discarded thin-plastic carry-bags are a menace. In town they clog drains, cause flooding, choke animals that eat them and are unsightly. Strewn across fields, they block germination and prevent rainwater absorption by soil. Recycling plastic by melting releases fumes, and is only possible 3-4 times. Toxic contents might leach into recycled water-pots or water-pipes.
This is the high time to take some serious action against these odds. First we have to reduce our plastic usage. Secondly take some serious major to cope up with the existing garbage plastic. In my last few days of study I came across some proven case study which has implemented by few local authorities of building road from waste plastic in asphalt road surface. This sound quiet interesting to me so here I tried to provide some information in this edition of lonely earth Green planet edition. Shredded plastic is a great additive for tar roads. The laboratory studies conducted by CRRI in utilization of waste plastic bags in bituminous concrete mixes have proved that these enhance the properties of mix in addition to solving disposal problems. The results indicated that there was an improvement in strength properties when compared to a conventional mix. Therefore, the life of pavement surfacing using the waste plastic is expected to increase substantially in comparison to the use of conventional bituminous mix. There are two different processes, namely dry and wet process, to incorporate waste plastic the·bags into the bituminous mixes. The performance test proved that increased resistance to rutting and·fatigue life was doubled and water damages when plastic waste was used. Field trials have been carried out using dry process i.e. by mixing the appropriate quantity of dry shredded plastic bags with hot aggregate prior to production of bituminous mixes at hot mix plant. Wet process i.e blending of shredded plastic bags & bitumen prior to the production of modified bituminous mixes, is at the commercialization stage. The wet process for modification of bitumen using waste plastic has been patented by CRRI Field trials have also been carried out, using Dry process in Delhi under which about 3.5km road stretch has recently been constructed with 40mm bituminous concrete overlay on the above said location. The section will be monitored for another three years for its performance. Burying plastic forever into roads is the safest. A new KK* Blower [* KK Plastic Waste Mgt, Yelachenhalli,
Advantages of waste plastic in asphalt road surfaces:
Reduced penetration and ductility, a higher softening point, less rutting and cold cracking.
How Much Plastic? How Many roads?
Each 5-member family’s use of 5 gm plastic bags a week, all-India = 52,000 tons a year.
Assume 50% of this is available for roads.
1.5 tons plastic goes into avg 1 km road.
So resurfacing just 35,000 km of roads a year will absorb all this littered waste. This is just
3.5 % of
(1.1 million km more roads are unsurfaced).
Roads lasting 2-3 times longer, will save us Rs 33,000 crores a year in repairs, plus reduced vehicle wear and tear. 8% by weight of plastic waste in bitumen = a saving of 0.4% of bitumen by weight in roads. Negligible extra cost for far better infrastructure.
Plastic bags disposal need never be a problem.
Corruption in road works is a major obstacle:
State and Central PWDs and National Highway Authority must incorporate waste-plastic modified bitumen into all road specifications.
BOOT road-builders will benefit the most.
http://www.hindu.com/2005/09/21/stories/2005092117280300.htm
http://www.thehindu.com/2009/03/31/stories/2009033153730300.htm
http://ibnlive.in.com/news/bangalore-activist-on-the-road-to-plastic-success-story/46501-3.html
