PLASTIC ROADS

India generates 1,88,000 tons garbage every day. Plastic Waste in different forms is found to be almost 9% to 12% in municipal solid waste, which is toxic in nature. Non‐biodegradability of plastic in the environment has created numerous challenges for both urban and rural India. Common problems are choking of drains, stagnation of water, release of toxic gases upon open incineration. Research experiments in the public and private sector have been undertaken to address the growing Environmental challenge.

One of the solutions proposed and demonstrated was by Professor Vasudevan in utilizing waste environmental plastic in road construction

Plastic roads are made entirely of plastic or of composites of Plastic with other materials. Plastic roads are different from standard roads in the respect that standard roads are made from asphItinvolves:alt concrete, which consists of mineral aggregates and asphalt . Plastic roads first developed by Rajagopalan Vasudevan in 2001.

There are two kinds of Plastic roads:

• the “Plastic Road”: consists of modular, hollow and prefabricated road elements made from consumer waste plastics; and

• Plastic Roads: consist of an asphalt mix with plastic waste incorporated into the asphalt mixture.

Initial Development

• The technology was initially developed and patented by RajagopalanVasudevan of the Thiagarajar College Of Enginnering.

• He developed an innovative method to reuse plastic waste to construct better, more durable and very cost-effective roads.

• This method will help in making roads much faster and also will save the environment from dangerous plastic waste. The roads also show greater resistance to damages caused by heavy rains.

• The plastic-bitumen road-laying technique covered under a patent held by the Thiagarajar College Of Engineering in 2006. Dr Vasudevan has since made it freeto use for the greater good.

It involves:

a. Collecting waste plastics, including plastic carry bags, cups, soft and hardFoams, and laminated plastics;

b. cleaning it by washing;

c. shredding it to a uniform size;

d. melting the waste plastics at 165 °C, and blending it with hot aggregates and bitumen and using this mixture to lay the road.

Construction

Since plastic roads are a relatively new idea, construction processes vary. In Jamshedpur, India, roads are created from a mix of plastic and bitumen. In Indonesia roads are also being built using a plastic-asphalt mix in many areas including Bali, Surabaya, Bekasi, Makassar, Solo, and Tangerang. These roads are made from recycled plastics, and the first step in constructing them is to collect and manage the plastic material.

1.The plastics involved in building these roads consists mainly of common post-consumer products such as product packaging.

2.Some of the most common plastics used in packaging are polyethylene Terephthalate (PET or PETE), polypropylene (PP), and high- and low-density.

3.These materials are first sorted from plastic waste. After sorting, the material is cleaned, dried, and shredded.

4.he shredded plastic is mixed and melted at around 170 °C.Hot bitumen is then added and mixed with the melted plastic.

5.After mixing the mixture is laid as one would with regular asphalt concrete.

PROPERTIES

Below are the some of the advantages and disadvantages of the plastic roads:

Advantages:

• In the proposed model by Volkerwessels, plastic roads can have hollow space built in to allow ease of wiring, connecting pipes, etc.

• Since plastics come with various chemical and physical properties, roads can be engineered to meet specific requirements .

• Using less asphalt saves on cost and resources. Asphalt concrete requires petroleum which is becoming more scarce.

• The addition of plastic in asphalt can reduce the viscosity of the mix. This allows a lower working temperature, which lowers VOC and CO emissions.

• Plastic-bitumen composite roads have better wear resistance than standard asphalt concrete roads. They do not absorb water, have better flexibility which results in less rutting and less need for repair. Road surfaces remain smooth, are lower maintenance, and absorb sound better.

Disadvantages:

• Pure plastic roads require use of compatible plastics because, when plastic is melted, plastics of different types may phase-separate and cause structural weaknesses, which can lead to premature failure.

• Plastics in the road can break down into microplastics and can find their way into the soil and bodies of water. These microplastics can also absorb other pollutants.

• Every time maintenance is performed on these modular roads the flow of power, water, and internet that has been installed within will be interrupted.

Conclusion

Plastics increase the melting point of the bitumen. The use of this plastics in road construction is an innovative technology which not only strengthens the road but also increases the road life. The analysis in this paper reveals that Durability, strength.

Source : https://www.google.com/urlsa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plastic_road&ved=2ahUKEwjt3aDa_cT1AhWfzDgGHX4UCswQFnoECCYQAQ&usg=AOvVaw1013N4Nr9zEXXlNrRuA2_h