India has introduced a new road-construction technology that directly mixes processed waste plastic with bitumen. A pilot section has been laid on the main carriageway of NH-44 in Jhansi, marking the first national-highway trial of this particular wet-mix process. The technology was developed by IIT (BHU), Varanasi, through a research programme supported by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways.
Officials involved in the project say the method could reduce conventional bitumen consumption by around 4%, while the modified material may cost around 20% less than conventional bitumen. India generates an estimated 25,000 tonnes of plastic waste every day, making effective reuse an important environmental challenge.
The new process differs from earlier approaches in which plastic was added as a dry material to aggregates. In the new wet process, processed plastic is mixed directly with bitumen before road construction. Researchers will monitor the Jhansi pilot section to evaluate its long-term performance and suitability under actual traffic conditions.
The technology could potentially combine two objectives: reducing plastic waste and improving the resource efficiency of highway construction.
