The minister said using bio-bitumen will not only help the environment but also fight air pollution in Delhi and nearby cities, while also helping farmers earn some extra money. representative image
Union Minister Nitin Gadkari said in the Rajya Sabha that the expected benefits of bio-bitumen are reduction in bitumen imports, reduction in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and generation of income and employment opportunities for farmers and MSMEs.
Union Minister Nitin Gadkari on Wednesday said the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) has approved two research projects to evaluate bio-bitumen in laboratories and evaluate the performance of pavements constructed with bio-bitumen. Long term performance.
Furthermore, the minister told the Union House that a test section was laid in November 2022 on the Shamli-Muzaffarnagar section of NH-709AD for performance monitoring for three years to assess the suitability of bio-asphalt in road construction.
Asphalt is a black solid or sticky substance derived from petroleum and used to cover roads. Bioasphalt, also known as bioasphalt, is a sustainable, petroleum-free alternative to conventional asphalt derived from fossil fuels.
Gadkari said the expected benefits of bio-bitumen are to reduce bitumen imports, reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, and generate income and provide employment opportunities to farmers and MSMEs.
Addressing the House of Representatives, the minister said that India used 8.8 million tonnes of bitumen in 2023-24 and it is expected to touch 10 million tonnes this year.
He said that India has the largest road network in the world and 90% of the roads use asphalt layer.
India imports almost half of its bitumen requirements at a cost of Rs 25,000 to Rs 30,000 crore.
“The ministry has approved two (02) research projects, one each by IIT Roorkee and Central Road Research Institute (CRRI), New Delhi, in collaboration with Indian Institute of Petroleum (IIP) Dehradun, to evaluate bio-bitumen in laboratories and to evaluate bio-bitumen The long-term performance of the constructed pavement,” Gadkari said.
Two companies are using crop residue, known as parali, to develop bioasphalt. This burning of Palali is one of the major causes of winter air pollution in and around the national capital.
The minister said using bio-bitumen will not only help the environment but also fight air pollution in Delhi and nearby cities, while also helping farmers earn some extra money. Besides, this will also enable India to save on import costs, he said.
Gadkari added that the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) is also considering conducting bio-asphalt trials on the Chorabhat-Shillong section of NH-40.
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