USE OF PLASTIC WASTE AS A PROPERTY

ENHANCER IN BITUMINOUS PAVEMENT

MAJOR PROJECT REPORT

Submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the award of the
Degree of
Bachelor of Technology in Civil Engineering
Submitted to

Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam Technical University, Uttar Pradesh, Lucknow

Submitted By
Anoop Mishra 1303200028
Divyam Gupta 1303200041
Himanshu Bhardwaja 1303200046
Himanshu Singh 1303200048
Shubham Yadava 1303200104
Under the supervision of
Mr Ayush Kumar

Department of Civil Engineering

ABES Engineering College, Ghaziabad
May, 2016-17

Rank Band: 151-200

i
 ABES ENGINEERING COLLEGE, GHAZIABAD

DEPARTMENT OF CIVIL ENGINEERING

CERTIFICATE

This is to certify that the work embodied in this project report entitled, “USE OF
PLASTIC WASTE AS A PROPERTY ENHANCER IN BITUMINOUS PAVEMENT”
being submitted by Anoop Mishra (1303200028), Divyam Gupta (1303200041),
Himanshu Bhardwaja (1303200046), Himanshu Singh (1303200048), Shubham
Yadava (1303200104) for partial fulfilment of the requirement for the award of
Bachelor of Technology in Civil Engineering to “Dr A.P.J. Abdul Kalam Technical
University, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh ” during the academic year 2016-17 is a record
of bonafide piece of work carried out by him under my supervision and guidance in
the “Department of Civil Engineering”, ABES Engineering College, Ghaziabad.

Prof. (Dr.) D.K. Sharma Mr Ayush Kumar

Director (R&D) &HOD (Guide)

Rank Band: 151-200

ii
 ABES ENGINEERING COLLEGE, GHAZIABAD

DEPARTMENT OF CIVIL ENGINEERING

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

On completion of our project we feel that we are highly indebted to a handful of

people without whom our difficulties and doubts would be unsolved and thus
hindering the progress of our project report.

It gives an immense pleasure to express my sincere thanks with deep sense of

gratitude to our supervisor, Mr Ayush Kumar, Asst. Professor.

A heartful thanks to Prof.(Dr.) D.K.Sharma, Head of Department, CE, ABES

Engineering College, Ghaziabad for his valuable guidance, encouragement and
keen personal interest during the course of this project work.

Special thanks to Dr. M.K. JHA, Director, ABES Engineering College, Ghaziabad,
(U.P.) for giving us an opportunity to pursue our studies and helped us in completing
the project work.

We are thankful to our Parents and Staff of Civil Engineering Department of ABES
Engineering College, Ghaziabad and our classmates for their constant
encouragement and needful help throughout the completion of project.

Anoop Mishra 1303200028

Divyam Gupta 1303200041
Himanshu Bhardwaja 1303200046
Himanshu Singh 1303200048
Shubham Yadava 1303200104

iii

Rank Band: 151-200

 ABES ENGINEERING COLLEGE, GHAZIABAD

DEPARTMENT OF CIVIL ENGINEERING

DECLARATION

We, Anoop Mishra, Divyam Gupta, Himanshu Bhardwaja, Himanshu Singh,

Shubham Yadava, students of Bachelor of Technology in Civil Engineering session,
2016-17, Department of Civil Engineering, ABES Engineering College, Ghaziabad,
U.P., hereby declares that the project work entitled, “ USE OF PLASTIC WASTE AS
A PROPERTY ENHANCER IN BITUMINOUS PAVEMENT ” submitted for partial
fulfilment of the award of the degree of Bachelor of Technology is the outcome of our
own work, bonafide and authentic to the best of our knowledge and this work has
been carried out taking care of all Engineering ethics. The work presented does not
infringe any patented work and has not been submitted to any other university or
anywhere else for the award of any degree or diploma course.

Anoop Mishra (1303200028)

Divyam Gupta (1303200041)
Himanshu Bhardwaja (1303200046)
Himanshu Singh (1303200048)
Shubham Yadava (1303200104)

iv

Rank Band: 151-200

 ABES ENGINEERING COLLEGE, GHAZIABAD

DEPARTMENT OF CIVIL ENGINEERING

CERTIFICATE OF APPROVAL

The project work entitled “USE OF PLASTIC WASTE AS A PROPERTY

ENHANCER IN BITUMINOUS PAVEMENTS” being submitted by Anoop Mishra
(1303200028), Divyam Gupta (1303200041), Himanshu Bhardwaja (1303200046),
Himanshu Singh (1303200048), Shubham Yadava (1303200104) has been
examined by us and is hereby approved for the degree of “Bachelor of Technology
in Civil Engineering” for which it has been submitted. It is understood that by this
approval the undersigned do not necessarily endorse or approved any statement
made, opinion expressed or conclusion drawn therein, but approved the project work
only for the purpose for which it has been submitted for.

(Internal Examiner) (External Examiner)

Date: Date:

Rank Band: 151-200

v
 ABSTRACT

Solid waste management is the thrust area. Of this various waste materials, plastic
waste, tyre waste and municipal solid waste are of great concern. On the other side
road traffic as well as traffic intensity is increasing. The load bearing capacity of the
road should be increased.

The present study is helping to take care of both these aspects. In this study
developed techniques to use plastic wastes for construction purpose of roads and
flexible pavement has reviewed. Plastic wastes consisting of carry bags, cups and
thermo Coles that can be used as a coating over an aggregate and these coated
aggregates can be used for road construction.

On-going through this process, a single lane road having parameters 1km length and
3.375m width can consume 1000000 carry bags and the strength is increased by
100% without any pothole formation. Secondly the waste tyres are powered and the
powder is blended with bitumen and this blend is used along with plastic coated
aggregates.

The mix polymer coated aggregates and tyre modified bitumen have shown higher
strength better binding property, stability, density and more resistant to water. Use of
this mix for road construction helps to use both plastic waste and tyre waste.

Utilization of waste plastic bags in bituminous mixes has proved that these enhance
the properties of mix in addition to solving disposal problems. The aggregate mix is
heated and the plastic is effectively coated over the aggregate. This plastic waste
coated aggregate is mixed with hot bitumen and the resulted mix is used for road
construction. The use of the innovative technology will not only strengthen the road
construction but also increase the road life as well as will help to improve the
environment. Plastic roads would be a boon for India’s hot and extremely humid
climate, where temperatures frequently cross 50°C and torrential rains create havoc,
leaving most of the roads with big potholes.

In our research work we have done a thorough study on the methodology of using
plastic waste in bituminous mixes and presented the various tests performed on
aggregates and bitumen.

vi
 TABLE OF CONTENTS
PAGE
Certificate ii
Acknowledgement iii
Declaration iv
Certificate of Approval v
Abstract vi
List of Figures ix
List of Tables x
List of Abbreviation xi
Chapter 1: Introduction 1
Chapter 2: Objective 3
Chapter 3: Literature Review 4

Chapter 4: Problem Statement 17

Chapter 5: Materials Used 18

5.1 Aggregates 18

5.2 Bitumen 18

5.3 Plastic Material 19

Chapter 6: Methodology 20

6.1 Dry Process 20

6.2 Wet Process 22

Chapter 7: Tests Performed 23

7.1 Tests on Aggregates 23
7.1.1 Aggregate Crushing Value Test 23
7.1.2 Aggregate Impact Value Test 25
7.1.3 Water Absorption Test 28
7.1.4 Los Angeles Abrasion Test 31

vii
 7.1.5 Shape Test 33

a) Flakiness Index Test 33

b) Elongation Test 34

7.2 Tests on Bitumen 35

7.2.1 Penetration Test 35
7.2.2 Ductility Test 37
7.2.3 Softening Point Test 39
7.2.4 Flash & Fire Point Test 41
7.3 Marshall Stability Test 42
Chapter 8: Case Study 44
Chapter 9: Conclusion 48
Chapter 10: Future Scope 50
Chapter 11: References 51

viii
 List of figures

FIGURE PAGE

5.1 MATERIAL USED 19

6.1 SHREDDED PLASTIC 21
7.1 AGGREGATE CRUSHING VALUE APPARATUS 24
7.2 AGGRAGTE IMPACT VALUE APPARATUS 27
7.3 WATER ABSORPTION TEST APPARATUS 30
7.4 LOS ANGELES’ TEST APPARATUS 31
7.5 THICKNESS GUAGE 33
7.6 LENGTH GUAGE 34
7.7 PENETROMETER 35
7.8 DUCTILITY TEST APPARATUS 37
7.9 RING & BALL APPRATUS 39
7.10 PENSKY MARTIN APPARATUS 41
7.11 MARSHALL STABILITY APPARATUS 43
8.1 PLASTIC ROAD IN JAMSHEDPUR 45

ix
 List of Tables

TABLE PAGE

3.1 Thermal properties of polymer 4

3.2 Physical properties of waste plastic 5
3.3 Properties of aggregate 5
3.4 Marshall stability values for PCA 6
3.5 Aggregate test results 7
3.6 Bitumen test results 8
3.7 Properties of Plastic 10
3.8 Marshall stability test 11
3.9 Comparison between plain & modified bitumen 12
3.10 Result of SDBC mix design using 60/70 grade bitumen 14
3.11 Result of SDBC mix design for varying percentage of LDPE 14
3.12 Physical properties of bitumen 15
3.13 Test on bitumen 16
7.1 Aggregate Crushing values 23
7.2 Aggregate Impact values 26
7.3 Water Absorption Test 29
7.4 Aggregate Abrasion values 32
7.5 Flakiness Index 33
7.6 Elongation Index 34
7.7 Penetration values 36
7.8 Ductility values 38
7.9 Softening point values 40
7.10 Marshall Stability Test values 42
9.1 Comparison between Plastic road & Bitumen road 49

x
 LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS

PET POLYETHYLENE TEREPHTHALATE

HDPE HIGH DENSITY POLY ETHYLENE
PVC POLY VINYL CHLORIDE
LDPE LOW DENSITY POLY ETHYLENE
PP POLY PROPYLENE
PE POLY ETHYLENE
PS POLY STYRENE
PCA POLYMER COATED AGGREGATE
EVA ETHYLENE VINYL ACETATE
ACV AGGREGATE CRUSHING VALUE
AIV AGGREGATE IMPACT VALUE
AAV AGGREGATE ABRASION VALUE
FI FLAKINESS INDEX
EI ELONGATION INDEX

xi
CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION

Plastic is everywhere in today‟s lifestyle. Plastics, a versatile material and a friend to

common man become a problem to the environment after its use. Today, in India
nearly 14 million tons of plastics are used and it is hoped to reach 22 million tons by
2020.

There by plastic waste disposal throws many challenges to the society due to its
non-biodegradability (according to recent studies, plastics can stay as long as 4500
years on earth). It‟s used for packaging, protecting, serving, and even disposing of all
kinds of consumer goods.

Through industrial revolution mass production of goods started and plastic seemed
to be a cheaper and effective raw material. Today, every vital sector of the economy
starting from agriculture to packaging, automobile, building construction,
communication or InfoTech has been virtually revolutionized by the applications of
plastics.

Plastics such as polyethylene, polystyrene, high density polyethylene, low density

polyethylene, polypropylene etc., are used in bags, sacks, detergent bottles, bottles
of disinfectants, milk, fruit juices, bottle caps, film wrapping for biscuits, microwave
trays for ready-made meals, mineral water bottles, credit cards, toys, pipes, pens,
medical disposables, etc. product is growing rapidly and the problem is what to do
with plastic-waste. Plastic is the most hazardous waste affecting the environment.

Studies have linked the improper disposal of plastic to problems as distant as breast
cancer, reproductive problems in humans and animals, genital abnormalities and
much more. They also have very long lifetime and the burning of plastics waste
under uncontrolled conditions could also lead to generation of many hazardous air
pollutants (HAPs) depending upon the type of polymers and additives used.

However, the end-of-life plastics can be recycled into a second life application but
after every thermal treatment, degradation of plastics takes place to a certain extent.

Today the availability of the waste plastics is enormous, as the plastic materials have
become part of daily life. They either get mixed with Municipal Solid Waste and/or
thrown over land area. If not recycled, their present disposal is either by land filling or
by incineration.
1
Both the processes have certain impact on the environment. Under this
circumstance, an alternate use for the waste plastics is also the needed. The waste
plastic can be used effectively as a better binder in the process of construction of
road.

The uses of plastic waste helps in substantially improving the abrasion and slip
resistance of flexible pavement and also allows to obtain values of splitting tensile
strength satisfied the specified limits while plastic waste content is beyond 20% by
weight of mix. If the consistent mixing time and mixing temperature are not provided
for bitumen– modifier mix, modified bitumen cannot exhibit good performance in situ,
thus premature failures will occur.

Therefore, there are certain recommended mixing time, mixing temperature and
modifier content for all the polymers with a trademark. This all should be taken in
mind while missing and laying of roads is to be done using plastic waste. Plastic road
would be a boon for India. In hot and extremely humid climate durable and eco-
friendly plastic roads are of greatest advantages.

2
CHAPTER 2 OBJECTIVES

The objective of this project is to learn and understand the practical utilization of
plastic waste generated as Municipal Solid Waste and also to determine the
optimum plastic % content for the roads construction using plastic as a property
enhancer in bituminous pavements.

For that purpose, the work has been divided into following heads:

1. To determine the properties of aggregates.

2. To determine the properties of Plastic Coated Aggregates (PCA).

3. To determine the properties of bitumen.

4. To evaluate properties‟ modification in flexible pavement on addition of plastic.

5. Analysis and comparison of results.

6. To obtain the optimum % plastic content

3
CHAPTER 3 LITERATURE REVIEW

A) A technique to dispose waste plastics in an eco-friendly way –

Application in construction of flexible pavements

By: R.Vasudevan, A.Ramalinga Chandra Sekar, B. Sundarakannan,

R. Velkennedy

Waste plastics, littered both by domestic and industrial sectors was found to be a
source of raw material for the flexible pavement.

The use of PCA for asphalt pavement helps for the reuse of plastics waste and for
the improvement of road strength. In the construction of asphalt pavement, hot
bitumen is coated over hot stone aggregate and rolled. Bitumen acts as a binder.

Polymer material is coated over stone aggregate and this PCA is

used as a raw material for pavement construction. Plastics waste
like PE, PP and PS is coated over stone aggregate and the PCA is mixed with
bitumen and the mix is used for flexible pavement construction. Higher percentage of
plastic waste (10–15%) can be used without separation. The quality of the aggregate
is also improved.

TABLE 3.1

4
TABLE 3.2

TABLE 3.3

5
 TABLE 3.4

CONCLUSION

1. Use higher percentage of plastics waste.

2. Reduce the need of bitumen by around 10%.
3. Increase the strength and performance of the road.
4. Avoid the use of anti-stripping agents.
5. Reduce the cost to around Rs. 30,000/km of single lane road as on date.
6. Carry the process in situ.
7. Avoid industrial involvement.
8. Avoid disposal of plastics waste by incineration and land filling.
9. Generate jobs for rag pickers.
10. Add value to plastics waste.
11. Develop a technology, which is eco-friendly.

6
B) Use of Plastic Waste Material in Flexible Pavements
By R.A. Bondre, P.S. Kamble and S.L. Chauhan

Use of plastic along with the bitumen in construction of roads not only increases its
life and smoothness but also makes it economically sound and environment friendly.
Plastic waste is used as modifier of bitumen to improve some of bitumen properties
Roads that are constructed using plastic waste are known as Plastic Roads and are
found to perform better compared to those constructed with conventional bitumen.
Further it has been found that such roads were not subjected to stripping when come
in contact with water. Plastic waste replaces 10% to 15% of bitumen, and thereby
saves approximately Rs. 35000 to Rs. 45000 per kilometre of a road stretch.

The objective of study is

(i) To coat the aggregates with the waste plastic
Materials
(ii) To check the properties of bituminous mix specimen
(iii) To check the properties of bituminous mix specimen due to coating of waste
plastic materials.

TABLE 3.5 AGGREGATE TEST RESULTS

7
 TABLE 3.6 BITUMENTEST RESULTS

CONCLUSION

 The polymer coating reduces the voids. This prevents the moisture absorption
and oxidation of bitumen by entrapped air.
 This has resulted in reducing rutting, ravelling and there is no pothole
formation.
 The roads can withstand heavy traffic and show better durability.

8
C) Effective Utilization of Waste Plastic In Construction Of Flexible
Pavement For Improving Their Performance

By: - Mr P. B. Rajmane, Prof A. K. Gupta, Prof D. B. Desai

Solid waste management is the thrust area. Of this various waste materials, plastic
waste and municipal solid waste are of great concern. On the other side, the road
traffic is increasing. The traffic intensity is increasing. The load bearing capacities of
the road are to be increased. Our present work is helping to take care of both these
aspects.

Once the plastic waste is separated from municipal solid waste, the organic matter
can be converted into manure and used. The main object of paper is to analyse &
study how the waste plastic will be effectively utilized in construction of flexible
pavement as a binder material for replacing the content of bitumen and in detail
process & its successful application.

Today the availability of the waste plastics is enormous, as the plastic materials have
become part and parcel of daily life. They either get mixed with Municipal Solid
Waste and/or thrown over land area. If not recycled, their present disposal is either
by land filling or by incineration. Both the processes have certain impact on the
environment. Under this circumstance, an alternate use for the waste plastics is also
the needed.

Plastic waste 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. In
the construction of flexible pavements, bitumen plays the role of binding the
aggregate together by coating over the aggregate. It also helps to improve the
strength of the road. But its resistance towards water is poor. Antistripping agents
are being used.

A common method to improve the quality of bitumen is by modifying the rheological

properties of bitumen by blending with organic synthetic polymers like rubber and
plastics. This Concept of Utilization of Waste Plastic in Bituminous Mixes for Road
Construction has been done since 2000 in India, They can return to the earth as
beneficial additives in bitumen roads.

9
Tests conducted on materials

1. Bitumen

i) Penetration Test - 35 mm ii) Ductility Test - 6.5 N/mm2

iii) Softening Point Test - 70˚ C iv) Flash & Fire Point - 265˚ C & 290˚ C

2. Aggregate

i) Specific Gravity - 2.82 ii) Water Absorption Test - 2.1 %

iii) Impact Value Test - 8.77 % iv) Abrasion Test - 15.7 %

3. Plastic

TABLE 3.7 PROPERTIES OF PLASTIC

Type of Plastic Chem. Formation Density Softening point

Low Density (-CH2-CH2-)n 0.9 to 0.95 100˚C to1200C

Polyethylene
Plastic (LDPEP)

High Density (-CH2=CH2-)n 0.95 to 0.96 120˚C to130˚C

Polyethylene
Plastic (HDPEP)

CONCLUSION

The waste plastic bitumen mix forms better material for pavement construction as
the mix shows higher Marshall Stability value and suitable Marshall Coefficient.
Hence the use of waste plastics for pavement is one of the best methods for easy
disposal of waste plastics.

10
D) Use of waste plastic in construction of bituminous road
By: Mrs Vidula Swami, Mr. Abhijeet Jirge
Bottles, containers and packing strips etc. is increasing day by day. As a result
amount of waste plastic also increases. This leads to various environmental
problems. Many of the wastes produced today will remain in the environment for
many years leading to various environmental concerns.

Therefore it is necessary to utilize the wastes effectively with technical development

in each field. Many by-products are being produced using the plastic wastes. Our
present work is helping to take care of these aspects.

Once the plastic waste is separated from municipal solid waste, the organic matter
can be converted into manure and used. Our paper will discuss in detail the process
and its successful applications.

The scientists are looking for alternative materials for highway construction, and
industrial wastes product is one such category. If these materials can be suitably
utilized in highway construction, the pollution and disposal problems may be partly
reduced.

TABLE 3.8 MARSHALL STABILITY TEST

11
 TABLE 3.9 Comparison between plain bitumen and modified bitumen

CONCLUSION:

 The optimum content of waste plastic to be used is between the range of 5%

to 10%.
 Plastic has property of absorbing sound, which also help in reducing the
sound pollution of heavy traffic.
 Total material cost of the project is reduced by 7.99%

12
E) Use of Waste Plastic and Waste Rubber Tyres in Flexible
Highway Pavements
By. Rokade S

In India, it is estimated that over 33 lakh kilometres of road exists. The road transport
carries close to 90% of passenger traffic and 70% of freight transport. Investigations
in India and countries abroad have revealed that properties of bitumen and
bituminous mixes can be improved to meet requirements of pavement with the
incorporation of certain additives or blend of additives. These additives are called
“Bitumen Modifiers” and the bitumen premixed with these modifiers is known as
modified bitumen.

Plastics are user friendly but not eco-friendly as they are non-biodegradable. The
better binding property of plastics in its molten state has helped in finding out a
method of safe disposal of waste plastics, by using them in road laying.

Modified bitumen is expected to give higher life of surfacing (up to 100%) depending
upon degree of modification and type of additives and modification process used.
Different types of modifiers used are Polymers, Natural Rubber and Crumb Rubber.

Modified Bitumen is one of the important construction materials for flexible

pavements. Use of plastic waste Low Density Polyethylene (LDPE) and Crumb
Rubber i.e. the rubber obtained from the waste tyres of vehicles, in the construction
of flexible pavement is gaining importance.

It is also worth mentioning that, the modifier raw-material has been sourced from
disposed waste plastic and crumb rubber. Marshal method of bituminous mix design
was carried out for varying percentages of LDPE and Crumb Rubber to determine
the different mix design characteristics.
In the present study, an attempt has been made to use waste plastic, Low Density
Polyethylene (LDPE) and Crumb Rubber, blended using dry process for LDPE and
wet process for CRMB.

13
 TABLE 3.10 RESULTS OF SDBC MIX DESIGN USING 60/70 GRADE BITUMEN

TABLE 3.11 RESULTS OF SDBC MIX FOR VARYING PERCENTAGES OF LDPE

CONCLUSION

The study on the use of LDPE and CRMB reveals that the Marshal Stability value,
which is the strength parameter of SDBC has shown increasing trend and the
maximum values have increased by about 25% by addition of LDPE and CRMB. The
density of the mix has also increased in both the cases of LDPE and CRMB when
compared with 60/70 grade bitumen.

14
F) Use of Waste Plastic in Flexible Pavements
By. Yash Menaria, Rupal Sankhla
The LDPE can only be used in this technique as it gets softened at the desired
temperature i.e., 160˚C and coated over the aggregates. There is no modification in
the plant is required because plastic is mixed at the same time when aggregates are
poured into Hot Mix Plant for 30 - 50 sec, hence no fuel consumption takes place.

TABLE 3.12 PHYSICAL PROPERTIES OF BITUMEN

CONCLUSION

1) Utilisation of waste plastic improves the binding property of mix.

2) The optimum result of waste plastic came out to be 8% from the experiments
conducted.

3) The properties of bitumen such as penetration, softening point improved with the
addition of the waste fibre.

4) Plastic roads can also be constructed in the areas having high temperatures
(50˚C).

5) Waste plastic in roads increases the stability value and durability to a great extent.

15
G) EFFECTIVE UTILIZATION OF PLASTIC WASTE IN FLEXIBLE
PAVEMENT

By. Sandeep R Unde, Dr. S.C.Potnis

Tests were performed to determine the physical impact on bitumen and aggregate.
The results indicate that the use of plastic waste enhance abrasion resistance and
slip resistance of 20% and give pavements with low porosity (less than 5%).

TABLE 3.13 TESTS ON BITUMEN

TEST RESULT Ranges

Softening Point 49.8 0C 45-600 0 C

Flash Point Test 285 0C >180 0C

Fire Point Test 3070C >1800C

Penetration Value 62mm 60-70mm

Ductility Test 75.5 40mm

CONCLUSION

1. Aggregate Impact value of control specimen was 5.75%. It reduced to 4.91% for
PP8 and 4.2% for PP10. Reduction in value was 22% for PP10. This shows that the
toughness of the aggregate was increased to face the impacts.

2. Crushing Value was reduced from 19.25% to 12.25% and 9.70% for PP8 and
PP10 respectively. Value reduced by 30% for PP8 and 50% for PP10.Low aggregate
crushing value indicates strong aggregates, as the crushed fraction is low.

3. Specific Gravity of the aggregate increases from 2.45 or control specimen to 2.85
for PP8 and 3.35 for PP10 due to plastic coating.

5. Los Angeles Abrasion Value of the control specimen was found to be 13.42%.
Coating of polymer over aggregate for PP8 increased abrasion value by 19.97% and
29.88%for PP10. This indicates the hardness of the aggregate

16
CHAPTER 4 PROBLEM STATEMENT

The debate on the use and abuse of plastics environmental protection can go on,
without yielding results until practical steps are initiated at the grassroots level by
everyone who is in a position to do something about it. The plastic wastes could be
used in road construction and the field tests withstood the stress and proved that
plastic wastes used after proper processing as an additive would enhance the life of
the roads and also solve environmental problems. The present write-up highlights
the developments in using plastics waste to make plastic roads.

The rapid rate of urbanization and development has led to increasing plastic waste
generation. As plastic is non-biodegradable in nature, it remains in environment for
several years and disposing plastic wastes at landfill are unsafe since toxic
chemicals leach out into the soil, and under-ground water and pollute the water
bodies.

Due to littering habits, inadequate waste management system / infrastructure,

plastic waste disposal continue to be a major problem for the civic authorities,
especially in the urban areas. As stated above, plastic disposal is one of the major
problems for developing countries like India, at a same time India needs a large
network of roads for its smooth economic and social development.

The rapid rate of urbanization and development has led to increasing plastic waste
generation. As plastic is non-biodegradable in nature, it remains in environment for
several years and disposing plastic wastes at landfill are unsafe since toxic
chemicals leach out into the soil, and under-ground water and pollute the water
bodies. Scarcity of bitumen in future needs a deep thinking to ensure fast road
construction.

Due to littering habits, inadequate waste management system / infrastructure, plastic

waste disposal continue to be a major problem for the civic authorities, especially in
the urban areas. As stated above, plastic disposal is one of the major problems for
developing countries like India, at a same time India needs a large network of roads
for its smooth economic and social development.

17
CHAPTER 5 MATERIAL USED

The material used for making the mix is aggregate, bitumen and plastic. Investigation
of plastic waste materials aggregates and bitumen requires various field test and lab
tests.
a) Aggregates: The aggregates may be classified into natural and artificial
aggregates. The natural aggregates again are classified as coarse aggregates
consisting of crushed rock aggregates or gravels and fine aggregates or sand. The
blast furnace slag obtained as by-product from blast furnaces is the one extensively
used as road construction material. Stone aggregate used for road work should be
hard, tough, durable and hydrophobic for bituminous surface. Gravel should be well
graded (6.4mm to 38mm) and should have a fineness modulus of not less than 5.75.
Sand should be sharp, well graded, clean of all silts, clay and organic matter.

b) Bitumen: It is used as binders in pavements constructions. Bitumen may be

derived from the residue left by the refinery from naturally occurring asphalt. In India
mostly 80/100 and 180/200 grade bitumen is used.

Heavier grade cut backs, rapid setting emulsions or heavier grade tars may also be
used. The grade of basic bitumen is altered either by controlled refining or by mixing
with diesel oil or other oils.

 Road Tar: This bituminous material is obtained by the destructive distillation of

organic matters such as wood, coal shale etc. In the process of destructive
distillation, the carbonation results in the production of crude tar which is
further refined by distillation process.

 Cut-back bitumen: The asphaltic bitumen is very often mixed with

comparatively volatile solvents to improve the workability of the material. The
solvent gets evaporated leaving behind the particles together. This cutback
bitumen is classified into slow, medium and rapid curing depending upon the
type of solvent used.

 Emulsions: An emulsion is a mixture of normally two immiscible liquids.

Asphalt gets broken up into minute globules in water in the presence of the

18
 emulsifiers. It improves the workability of bitumen or asphalt. As a result of
emulsification, asphalt is available at normal temperature in the liquid form.

c) Plastic material: Plastics are usually classified by their chemical structure of

the polymer's backbone and side chains. Some important groups in these
classifications are the acrylics, polyesters, silicones, polyurethanes, and
halogenated plastics.

Examples include polyethylene, polypropylene, polystyrene, poly vinyl chloride,

and polytetrafluoroethylene.

Different type of waste plastic (polymer) and its Origin

Type of waste plastic (polymer) Origin

1) Low density polyethylene (LDPE): bags, sacks, bin lining and

Squeezable detergent bottle.

2) High density polyethylene (HDPE): bottles of pharmaceuticals,

disinfectants, milk, fruit juices.

3) Polypropylene (PP): bottle caps and closures, film

Wrapping for biscuit, microwave

trays for readymade meals

4) Polystyrene (PS): yogurt pots, clear egg packs.

5) Foamed Polystyrene: Food trays, egg boxes, disposable cups.

Fig 5.1 Material Used

19
CHAPTER 6 METHODOLOGY

Waste plastic bags were collected from roads, garbage trucks, dumpsites and
compost plants, rag pickers, waste buyers at Rs. 5-6 per kg. Household plastic was
also collected for the project work, like empty milk bags, used plastic bags etc. The
collected Plastic waste was sorted as per the required thickness.

Generally, polyethylene of 60 micron or below is used for the further process. Less
micron plastic is easily mixable in the bitumen at higher temperature (160°c-170°c).It
is clean by de-dusting or washing if required.

Collected Plastic was cut into fine pieces as far as possible. The plastic pieces were
sieved through 4.75mm sieve and retaining at 2.36mm sieve was collected. Firstly,
Bitumen was heated up to the temperature about 160°c-170°c which is its melting
temp. Pieces were added slowly to the hot bitumen of temperature around 160-
170°c.The mixture was stirred manually for about 20-30 minutes. In that time period
temperature was kept constant about 160-170°C.

Polymer-bitumen mixtures of different compositions were prepared and used for

carrying out tests i.e. Penetration test, Ductility test, Flash point test & Fire point test,
Stripping test, Ring and ball test and Marshall Stability value test.

6.1 DRY PROCESS

For the flexible pavement, hot stone aggregate (170 0C) is mixed with hot bitumen
(160 0C) and the mix is used for road laying. The aggregate is chosen on the basis of
its strength, porosity and moisture absorption capacity as per IS coding. The bitumen
is chosen on the basis of its binding property, penetration value and viscoelastic
property.

The aggregate, when coated with plastics improved its quality with respect to voids,
moisture absorption and soundness. The coating of plastic decreases the porosity
and helps to improve the quality of the aggregate and its performance in the flexible
pavement. It is to be noted here that stones with <2% porosity only allowed by the
specification.

20
Advantages of dry process:

 Plastic is coated over stones – improving surface property of aggregates.

 Coating is easy & temperature required is same as road laying temp.
 Use of waste plastic more than 15% is possible.
 Flexible films of all types of plastics can be used.
 Doubles the binding property of aggregates.
 No new equipment is required.
 Bitumen bonding is strong than normal.
 The coated aggregates show increased strength.
 As replacing bitumen to 15% higher cost efficiency is possible.
 No degradation of roads even after 5 -6 yrs after construction.
 Can be practiced in all type of climatic conditions.
 No evolution of any toxic gases as maximum temperature is 180ºC.

Disadvantages of dry process:

The process is applicable to plastic waste material only.

Fig 6.1 Shredded Plastic

21
6.2 WET PROCESS

Waste plastic is ground and made into powder; 6 to 8 % plastic is mixed with the
bitumen. Plastic increases the melting point of the bitumen and makes the road
retain its flexibility during winters resulting in its long life.

Use of shredded plastic waste acts as a strong “binding agent” for tar making the
asphalt last long. By mixing plastic with bitumen the ability of the bitumen to
withstand high temperature increases. The plastic waste is melted and mixed with
bitumen in a particular ratio. Normally, blending takes place when temperature
reaches 45.5°C but when plastic is mixed, it remains stable even at 55°C.

The vigorous tests at the laboratory level proved that the bituminous mixes prepared
using the treated bitumen binder fulfilled all the specified Marshall mix design criteria
for surface course of road pavement. There was a substantial increase in Marshall
Stability value of the mix, of the order of two to three times higher value in
comparison with the untreated or ordinary bitumen.

Another important observation was that the bituminous mixes prepared using the
treated binder could withstand adverse soaking conditions under water for longer
duration.

Advantages of wet process:

 This Process can be utilized for recycling of any type, size, shape of waste
material (Plastics, Rubber etc.)

Disadvantages of wet process:

 Time consuming- more energy for blending.

 Powerful mechanical is required.
 Additional cooling is required as improper addition of bitumen may cause air
pockets in roads.
 Maximum % of waste plastic can be added around 8%.

22
CHAPTER 7 TESTS PERFORMED

7.1 TESTS ON AGGREGATE

7.1.1 AGGREGATE CRUSHING VALUE TEST

APPARATUS USED: Cylindrical measure and plunger, Compression testing

machine, IS Sieves of sizes – 12.5mm, 10mm and 2.36mm.

PROCEDURE:

 The aggregates passing through 12.5mm and retained on 10mm IS Sieve are
oven-dried at a temperature of 100 to 110oC for 3 to 4 hrs.
 The cylinder of the apparatus is filled in 3 layers, each layer tamped with 25
strokes of a tamping rod.
 The weight of aggregates is measured (Weight „A‟).
 The surface of the aggregates is then levelled and the plunger is inserted. The
apparatus is then placed in the compression testing machine and loaded at a
uniform rate so as to achieve 40t load in 10 minutes. After this, the load is
released.
 The sample is then sieved through a 2.36mm IS Sieve and the fraction
passing through the sieve is weighed (Weight „B‟).

Aggregate crushing value = (B/A) x 100%.

TABLE 7.1 AGGREGATE CRUSHING VALUES

a) Without Plastic

SAMPLE ACV (%)

1 22.25

2 23.40

3 19.60

23
 b) With Plastic

S.No. PLASTIC (%) ACV (%)

1 8 18.3

2 12 15.6

3 15 14.2

Fig 7.1 Aggregate Crushing Value Apparatus

24
7.1.2 AGGREGATE IMPACT VALUE TEST

APPARATUS USED: A testing machine weighing 45 to 60 kg; A cylindrical steel

cup; A metal hammer weighing 13.5 to 14.0 kg; A cylindrical metal measure;
Tamping rod; A balance.

PROCEDURE:

 The aggregates passing through 12.5mm and retained on 10mm IS Sieve.

 Pour the aggregates to fill about just 1/3 rd depth of measuring cylinder.
 Compact the material by giving 25 gentle blows with the tamping rod.
 Add two more layers in similar manner, so that cylinder is full.
 Strike off the surplus aggregates.
 Determine the net weight of the aggregates to the nearest gram (Weight „A‟).
 Bring the impact machine to rest without wedging or packing up on the level
plate, block or floor, so that it is rigid and the hammer guide columns are
vertical.
 Put sample in it and compact by giving 25 gentle strokes with tamping rod.
 Raise the hammer until its lower face is 380 mm above the surface of
aggregate sample in the cup and allow it to fall freely on the aggregate
sample.
 Give 15 such blows at an interval of not less than one second between
successive falls.
 Remove the crushed aggregate from the cup and sieve it through 2.36 mm IS
sieves. Also, weigh the fraction retained in the sieve (Weight „B‟).
 Compute the aggregate impact value.

Aggregate impact value = (B/A) x 100%.

25
 TABLE 7.2 AGGREGATE IMPACT VALUES

a) Without plastic

SAMPLE AIV (%)

1 23.5

2 22.3

3 20.6

b) With Plastic

S.No. PLASTIC (%) AIV (%)

1 8 17.3

2 12 14.1

3 15 13.2

26
Fig 7.2 Aggregate Impact Value Apparatus

27
7.1.3 WATER ABSORPTION TEST

APPARATUS USED: Wire basket – perforated, wire hangers for suspending it from
the balance, Water-tight container for suspending the basket, Dry soft absorbent
cloth – 75cm x 45cm (2 nos.), Shallow tray of minimum 650 sq.cm area, Air-tight
container of a capacity similar to the basket.

PROCEDURE:

 The sample should be thoroughly washed to remove finer particles and dust,
drained and then placed in the wire basket and immersed in distilled water at
a temperature between 22 0C and 32 0C.
 After immersion, the entrapped air should be removed by lifting the basket
and allowing it to drop 25 times in 25 seconds. The basket and sample should
remain immersed for a period of 24½ hrs. afterwards.
 The basket and aggregates should then be removed from the water, allowed
to drain for a few minutes, after which the aggregates should be gently
emptied from the basket on to one of the dry clothes and gently surface-dried
with the cloth, transferring it to a second dry cloth when the first would remove
no further moisture.
 The aggregates should be spread on the second cloth and exposed to the
atmosphere away from direct sunlight till it appears to be completely surface-
dry. The aggregates should be weighed (Weight „A‟).
 The aggregates should then be placed in an oven at a temperature of 100 to
110 0C for 24 hrs. It should then be removed from the oven, cooled and
weighed (Weight „B‟).

Water absorption = [(A – B)/B] x 100%.

28
 TABLE 7.3 Water Absorption Test

a) Without Plastic

SAMPLE WATER ABSORPTION (%)

1 1.7

b) With Plastic

S.No. PLASTIC (%) WATER ABSORPTION (%)

1 8 0.32

2 12 0

3 15 0

29
Fig 7.3 Water Absorption Test Apparatus

30
7.1.4. LOS ANGELES’ ABRASION TEST

APPARATUS USED: Los Angeles abrasion testing machine; IS Sieve of size –

1.7mm; Abrasive charge – 12 nos. cast iron or steel spheres each weighing between
390 and 445g ensuring that the total weight of charge is 5000 +25g and Oven.

PROCEDURE:

 5000 grams aggregate ‟A‟ is taken and placed in the Los Abrasion Machine
and machine rotated at 33rpm for 15mins.
 The material coarser than 1.70mm IS Sieve should be washed dried in an
oven at a temperature of 100 to 110 0C to a constant weight and weighed
(„B‟).
 The proportion of loss between weight „A‟ and weight „B‟ of the test sample
should be expressed as a percentage of the original weight of the test sample.

Aggregate abrasion value = (A-B)/B x 100%.

Fig 7.4 Los Angeles Apparatus

31
 TABLE 7.4 AGGREGATE ABRASION VALUES

a) Without Plastic

SAMPLE ABRASION (%)

1 16.3

b) With Plastic

S.No. PLASTIC (%) ABRASION (%)

1 8 18.2

2 12 18.9

3 15 19.6

32
7.1.5 SHAPE TEST

7.1.5(a) FLAKINESS INDEX TEST

APPARATUS USED: Thickness gauge; Sieves [63, 50, 40, 31.5, 25, 20, 16, 12.5,10
& 6.3mm]; Balance [0-10 kg].

PROCEDURE:

 Take 200 pieces of aggregate and weighed (W1) passing 6.3mm sieve.
 Aggregate passing various thickness gauges is weighed (W2).

Flakiness Index Value = (W2/W1) * 100 %

TABLE 7.5 FLAKINESS INDEX

SAMPLE FLAKINESS INDEX (%)

1 13.1

Fig 7.5 Thickness Gauge

33
7.1.5 (b) ELONGATION INDEX TEST

APPARATUS USED: Balance, elongation gauge (length gauge) and IS sieves of the
following mesh sizes [63mm, 50mm, 40mm, 31.5mm, 25mm, 20mm, 16mm, 10mm
and 6.3mm].

PROCEDURE:

 Take the sample passing Flakiness Index Test (W3).

 Aggregates passing various lengths are weighed (W4).

Elongation Index Value = (W3 / (W1 - W2)) * 100 %

TABLE 7.6 ELONGATION INDEX

SAMPLE ELONGATION INDEX (%)

1 18.6

Fig 7.6 Length Gauge

34
7.2 TESTS ON BITUMEN

7.2.1 PENETRATION TEST

APPARATUS USED: Penetrometer, Water bath, Bath thermometer – Range 0 to 44

0
C, Graduation 0.2 0C.

PROCEDURE:

 Soften the bitumen above the softening point (between 75 and 100oC). Stir it
thoroughly to remove air bubbles and water.
 Pour it into a container to a depth of at least 15mm in excess of the expected
penetration.
 Cool it at an atmospheric temperature of 15 to 30oC for 11/2 hours. Then
place it in a transfer dish in the water bath at 25.0 + 0.1oC for 11/2 hrs.
 Keep the container on the stand of the penetration apparatus.
 Adjust the needle to make contact with the surface of the sample.
 Adjust the dial reading to zero.
 With the help of the timer, release the needle for exactly 5 seconds.
 Record the dial reading.

Fig 7.7 Penetrometer

35
 TABLE 7.7 PENETRATION VALUES

a) Without Plastic

SAMPLE PENETRATION VALUE

1 70

2 68

3 71

b) With Plastic

S.No. PLASTIC (%) PENETRATION VALUE

1 4 67

2 6 65

3 8 64

36
7.2.2 DUCTILITY TEST

APPARATUS USED: Standard Mould, Water bath, Testing Machine, Thermometer

– Range 0 to 44 0C.

PROCEDURE:

 Completely melt the bituminous material to be tested by heating it to a

temperature of 75 to 100 0C above the approximate softening point until it
becomes thoroughly fluid.
 Assemble the mould on a brass plate, thoroughly coat the surface of the plate
and the interior surfaces of the sides of the mould with a mixture of equal
parts of glycerine and dextrin.
 Leave it to cool at room temperature for 30 to 40 minutes and then place it in
a water bath maintained at the specified temperature for 30 minutes.
 Place the brass plate and mould with briquette specimen in the water bath
and keep it at the specified temperature for about 85 to 95 minutes.
 Remove the briquette from the plate, detach the side pieces and the briquette
immediately.
 Measure the distance in cm through which the clips have been pulled to
produce rupture.

Fig 7.8 Ductility Test Apparatus

37
 TABLE 7.8 DUCTILITY VALUES

a) Without plastic

SAMPLE DUCTILITY (cm)

1 88.4

2 90.2

3 89.4

b) With Plastic

S.No. PLASTIC (%) DUCTILITY (cm)

1 4 84.1

2 6 80.3

3 8 78.7

38
7.2.3 SOFTENING POINT TEST

APPARATUS USED: Ring and ball apparatus, Thermometer – Low Range: -2 to 80

C & High Range: 30 to 200 0C.

PROCEDURE:

 The sample should be just sufficient to fill the ring. Heat the material between
750C and 1000C. Stir it to remove air bubbles. Heat the rings and apply
glycerine. Fill the material in it and cool it for 30 minutes.
 Apply heat until the material softens and allow the ball to pass through the
ring.
 Record the temperature at which the ball touches the bottom, which is nothing
but the softening point of that material.

Fig 7.9 Ring & Ball Apparatus

39
 TABLE 7.9 SOFTENING POINT

a) Without Plastic

SAMPLE SOFTENING POINT (0C)

1 53

2 52

3 50

b) With Plastic

S.No. PLASTIC (%) SOFTENING POINT (0C)

1 4 54

2 6 55

3 8 55

40
7.2.4 FLASH & FIRE POINT TEST

APPARATUS USED: Pensky-Martens apparatus, Thermometer- Low Range:7 to

110C, High Range: 90 to 370 0C.

PROCEDURE:

 Soften the bitumen between 75 and 100oC. Stir it thoroughly to remove air
bubbles and water.
 Fill the cup with the material to be tested upto the filling mark. Place it on
the bath. Fix the open clip.
 Light the test flame, adjust it. Supply heat at such a rate that the
temperature increase, recorded by the thermometer is neither less than
50C nor more than 6 0C per minute.
 Flash point is taken as that temperature when a flash first appears at any
point on the surface of the material in the cup. Take care that the bluish
halo that sometimes surrounds the test flame is not confused with the true
flash.
 After flash point, heating should be continued at such a rate that the
increase in temperature recorded by the thermometer is neither less than
5 0C nor more than 6 0C per minute. The temperature at which bitumen
catches fire is the fire point.

FLASH POINT = 261.3 0C

FIRE POINT = 283.7 0C

FIG 7.10 PENSKY MARTIN’S APPARATUS

41
7.3 MARSHALL STABILITY TEST
APPARATUS USED: Compaction Mould, Marshall Mould, Thermometer, Hot Water
Bath, Hammer, Marshall Stability Apparatus.

PROCEDURE:

 Fry the aggregates at 170 0C and spray shredded plastic over it. Heat the
bitumen at 163 0C.
 Mix them thoroughly; transfer the mixed material to the compaction mould.
 Give 75 blows on the top side of the specimen mix with a standard
hammer (450mm, 4.86kg).
 Reverse the specimen and give 75 blows again.
 Take the mould with the specimen and cool it for a few minutes.
 Remove the specimen from the mould by gentle pushing.
 Before testing of the mould, keeps the mould in the water bath having a
temperature of 60 0C for half an hour.
 Check the stability of the mould on the Marshall Stability apparatus.

TABLE 7.10 MARSHALL STABILITY TEST VALUES

SAMPLE BITUMEN (%) PLASTIC (%) STABILITY FLOW VALUE

(Kg) (mm)

1 4.5 0 940 2.8

2 4.5 8 950 2.6

3 4.5 10 1005 2.87

42
Fig 7.11 MARSHALL STABILITY APPARATUS

43
CHAPTER 8 CASE STUDY

A) JAMSHEDPUR

Excessive plastic is no longer a problem for Jamshedpur. Thanks to the work of

the Jamshedpur Utility and Services Company (JUSCO), which is a subsidiary
company of Tata Steel? This city is the first in Eastern India that uses plastic to
make roads.

Using bitumen technology, scientists have found a way to use waste plastic,
including biscuit packets, poly bags, etc. to construct roads. JUSCO has
constructed 12-15 km roads in the steel city, as well as widened 22 roads using
the environmentally-friendly technology.

Bitumen, also commonly known as Asphalt, is a sticky, black and highly viscous
liquid or semi-solid form of petroleum. The primary use of bitumen is in road
construction where it is used as the glue or binder mixed with aggregate particles
to create asphalt concrete.

" As far as we know, Jamshedpur is the only city in eastern India where bitumen
technology (Dry Process) patented by Thiagarajar College of Engineering (TCE),
Tirupparankuram, Madurai, has been implemented on accumulated waste plastic
for the first time", Gaurav Anand, Senior Manager (Quality Assurance) of JUSCO
said on April 29.

Anand, who is an environment engineer, says there are no maintenance costs for
the first five years. He also said that for every one km long and four metre wide
road using this technology, one tonne of bitumen costing Rs. 50,000 is saved.

The use of bitumen has reduced by 7% since JUSCO began this

initiative. Anand said the longevity of roads made of waste-plastic-bitumen was
two times better than bitumen roads.

Besides that, it is also water resistant, has a better binding property, higher
softening point, can withstand high temperatures and higher loads and has lower
penetration value. That's not all. The technology costs less as compared to
bitumen road and has no toxic gas emission.

44
JUSCO has received a number of requests to duplicate this technology from
states such as, Chhattisgarh, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Jharkhand. It
has also received a request from Nigeria, whose government wants to replicate it
in their country. However, JUSCO has no plans of commercialising this
discovery, only to use it to serve society

Fig 8.1 Plastic road in Jamshedpur

45
 B) MAHARASTRA

Maharashtra has planned to make roads using plastic waste in cities. Taking a cue
from the Centre, it has decided on a pilot road construction project using shredded
plastic.

“The initial target of the Public Works Department (PWD) is to construct 100
kilometres of roads in and around cities using this new technology,” said a senior
state PWD official.

“It will not only help dispose off plastic waste, but studies have shown that plastic can
insulate tar from water. It will help in preventing damage to roads due to rainfall. So,
we have decided to focus on urban areas because roads here are more prone to
wear and tear,” he added.

For now, the government has decided to use disposable plastic in road construction
in all the municipal corporations, having a population of more than five lakh, and the
municipal councils, having a population of more than two lakh.

Regional offices have been instructed to use plastic waste for road work in a
50kilometre radius of these areas.

Maharashtra generates at least 10,950 tonnes of plastic waste per year. It has 291
registered plastic manufacturing and recycling units, according to a report by Central
Pollution Control Board.

According to the Centre‟s guidelines, plastic waste such as carry bags and cups of a
thickness of up to 60 micron, hard foam, soft foam and laminated plastic or
aluminium-coated packaging material can be used for road construction.

Optimally, at least 8 per cent shredded plastic waste can be blended with bitumen.

Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) has encouraged the use of
municipal waste in highway construction and various Union government departments
have already used this technology. In a report submitted to the government, the
organisation has claimed that roads built with plastic waste were of better quality and
cheaper to construct.

46
Recently, Prime Minister Narendra Modi asked all states to use plastic in road
construction during his regular video conferencing with the administrative heads of
states, an exercise titled Pragati.

“After the Pragati video conference, the Maharashtra chief secretary issued orders to
work out a plan to use plastic waste in tar roads,” said another PWD official.

Regional offices have been asked to ensure that all roads constructed with plastic
waste turn out to be of a better quality than regular tar roads. There is a cost benefit
involved too.

All roads built using plastic waste will be monitored for quality, every three months,
and regional centres would send a comprehensive report to the state government at
the end of one year, said the official.

47
CHAPTER 9 CONCLUSION

Plastic coating on aggregates is used for the better performance of roads. This helps
to have a better binding of bitumen with plastic wasted coated aggregate due to
increased bonding and increased area of contact between polymers and bitumen.
The polymer coating also reduces the voids. This prevents the moisture absorption
and oxidation of bitumen by entrapped air. This has resulted in reducing rutting,
ravelling and there is no pothole formation. The roads can withstand heavy traffic
and show better durability.

Following are some points which are drawn from the study:

1) In addition to the improvement of the quality of the road, this technology has
helped to use the waste plastics obtained from domestic and industrial packing
materials. This has added more value to the dry process as this process helps to
dispose 80% of the waste polymers usefully by an eco-friendly method.

2) Reduce the need of bitumen by around 10%.

3) Penetration at 25 0C will generally decrease as LDPE content increases, which

indicates an improved shear resistance in medium to high temperatures.

4) Softening point tend to increase with the addition of LDPE, which indicates
improvement in resistance to deformation.

5) The percentage loss of air and heat decreases with the addition of LDPE (i.e. the
resistance of asphalt to the action of temperature and temperature changes and the
action of heat increases).

6) Penetration index values indicated that LDPE reduced the temperature

susceptibility of asphalt.

7) The Optimum Plastic percentage was found to be ranges between 8% to 10%.

8) It helps to improve the properties of Bitumen and Aggregate.

9) By using this method, the cost of laying road decreases by 8%.

48
 TABLE 9.1 COMPARISION BETWEEN PLASTIC ROAD & BITUMEN ROAD

TEST BITUMEN ROAD PLASTIC TAR REASONING-PLASTIC

ROAD TAR ROAD
Skid Resistance More expected Within the limit Not very smooth-
<65 value supported by texture
45
value
76
Sand Texture More depth Less depth Due to bonding-in
permissible limit
0.6-0.8 0.83 >0.6
Roughness More bumps Less Bump Better binding-less
rutting and ravelling
5200 >4000
Density Moderate Moderate Value Better binding
2.86 2.88 2.55

49
CHAPTER 10 FUTURE SCOPE
As the population increases, the solid waste also increases proportionally. The best
alternative is the usage of waste as construction material assuring a good disposal.
As this method is economic, the practice would be on satisfactory extent aiding the
future generations for a good solid waste management.

Plastic roads would be a boon for India‟s hot and extremely humid climate, where
temperatures frequently cross 50°C and torrential rains create havoc, leaving most of
the roads with heavy distresses. This adversely affects the life of the pavements.
The polymer modified bitumen show better properties for road construction and
plastics waste which otherwise are considered to be a pollution menace. It can find
its use in this process and this can help in solving the problem of pollution because
most of the plastic waste is polymers.

1) A total of 33,400km of plastic mix roads are constructed in India, of which half are
in Tamil Nadu.

2) It helps in decreasing the problem of bleeding in hot temperature region.

3) The Government of India has advised that towns having population more than 5
lakhs will use plastic waste in laying of roads.

4) The Government of India has also advice to use 5% plastic of bitumen in laying of
any highways.

50
CHAPTER 11 REFERENCES

 R.Vasudevan, A.Ramalinga Chandra Sekar, B. Sundarakannan, R.

Velkennedy “A technique to dispose waste plastics in an eco-friendly way –
Application in construction of flexible pavements”
 Highway Engineering by S. K. Khanna, C.E.G. Justo; Publishers-New Chand
& Bros; Eighth edition; 2001.
 Polymers in Building and Construction, By K. Cousins; Rapra Publishing;
2002
 Field Studies on Flexible Pavement Overlaid Using Waste Plastic Coated
Aggregate; National Transport Planning and Research Centre, Trivandrum:
June 2007.
 R.A. Bondre, P.S. Kamble and S.L. Chauhan “Use of Plastic Waste Material
in Flexible Pavements”.
 Mr P.B. Rajmane, Prof A. K. Gupta and Prof D. B. Desai “Effective Utilization
of Waste Plastic in Construction of Flexible Pavement for Improving Their
Performance”.
 Mrs Vidula Swami and Mr. Abhijeet Jirge “Use of waste plastic in construction
of bituminous road”.
 Rokade S. “Use of Waste Plastic and Waste Rubber Tyres in Flexible
Highway Pavements”.
 Yash Menaria and Rupal Sankhla “Use of Waste Plastic in Flexible
Pavements”.
 Sandeep R. Unde and Dr. S.C. Potnis “EFFECTIVE UTILIZATION OF
PLASTIC WASTE IN FLEXIBLE PAVEMENT”.

 A.I.Hadidy, Tan Yi-Qiu (2008). “Effect of polyethylene on life of flexible

pavements”. Construction and building Materials 23(2009)1456-1464.
 http://pmgsy.nic.in/ guidelines for the use of plastic waste in rural roads
construction.

51