Global Convention on Cold Central Plant Recycling (CCPR) celebrates the completion of 112.5 kilometers of surfacing in just 100 hours
The Global Convention on Cold Central Plant Recycling (CCPR), hosted by Cube Highways, CUBETECH, and MINDS took place on 4th December'24, at Welcome Hotel by ITC, Dwarka, New Delhi. The event aimed to explore cutting-edge technologies in Cold Central Plant Recycling (CCPR), and its role in enhancing the sustainability and longevity of road construction. It also served as a platform for sharing knowledge, discussing challenges, and building capacity for the industry's future.
The Convention, supported by IIT Madras and NHAI, and partners Indian Oil, Wirtgen Group, BITCOL, OOMS India, and L&T, brought together leaders, experts, and stakeholders from the infrastructure and technology sectors. The event was honored by the presence of Shri Santosh Kumar Yadav, Chairman of NHAI, and Shri S. K Nirmal, former DG & SS, MoRTH.
Welcome Address by Dr. Harikrishnan Reddy
Dr. Harikrishnan Reddy, Chairman, Cube Highways, in his welcome address, highlighted the need for advanced road technologies for building efficient and environmentally sustainable roads in India, which boasts one of the largest road networks in the world. He informed that the lifespan of many roads in India was far shorter than expected, with pavements failing after just a few years of construction. Local factors such as overloading and extreme climate conditions can also contribute to road deterioration. This early deterioration often leads to frequent repairs. In such a scenario, adopting advanced recycling methods like Cold Central Plant Recycling (CCPR), would offer significant benefits, including reduced repair and enhanced road quality and longevity.
Referring to the Ghaziabad-Aligarh and Bharatpur-Jaipur road sections, he emphasized how the successful implementation of CCPR in the road sections to prevent premature road failure, demonstrated the effectiveness of CCPR in restoring and extending the life of roads. He encouraged industry collaboration and knowledge sharing to further advance road maintenance practices and contribute to sustainable infrastructure development across the country.
Dr. Reddy also shared a momentous achievement- Cube Highways had set a world record by completing 112.5 kilometers of surfacing in just 100 hours in the Ghaziabad-Aligarh and Bharatpur-Jaipur road sections. This was a remarkable feat, given the challenges of land acquisition, utility adjustments, and logistical concerns. The success of this project showcased the effectiveness of CCPR and demonstrated Cube Highways' leadership in the industry.
Address by Dignitaries
S. K. Nirmal, former DG & SS of MoRTH and a key figure in India’s road sector, emphasized the importance of CCPR and other technologies in India’s road infrastructure and commended NHAI for implementing them and setting higher standards in road construction. He acknowledged the valuable feedback from NHAI, which helped guide the development of the National Recycling Policy in 2015.
He shared his experience with early recycling projects, including the Kisan Ghar initiative, and highlighted the roles of the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) and the Indian Roads Congress (IRC) in setting construction standards. He pointed out IRC's focus on eco-friendly technologies aimed at reducing carbon footprints, in alignment with the United Nations’ 2050 zero-emission goal.
He recalled the Ministry of Road Transport’s 1985 recycling guidelines and his involvement in the Jammu-Pathankot recycling project in 1986. Despite initial challenges with costs, recycling became more efficient, and by 2002, guidelines for hot-mix and cold-mix recycling were published, helping expand its adoption. He emphasized the importance of using recycled materials like Reclaimed Asphalt Pavement (RAP), especially given the scarcity of raw materials, as over 90% of India’s roads are flexible pavements.
He also discussed the need for updating current recycling guidelines based on feedback, particularly concerning the maximum percentage of recycled material that can be used. He acknowledged quality control as a key challenge and expressed hope that the discussions at the Convention would lead to advancements in road construction practices. He urged Cube Highways to continue exploring new technologies and providing feedback on existing codes.
Santosh Kumar Yadav, Chairman, NHAI and Chief Guest discussed his extensive career in infrastructure development and his commitment to leveraging innovative technologies like CCPR to create better, more sustainable roads. He acknowledged the efforts of all stakeholders, particularly Dr. Harikrishnan Reddy and his team, for their continuous work in the highway sector. He highlighted the remarkable contributions of Cube Highways, citing their involvement in several capacity-building sessions aimed at strengthening the sector. He also praised the collaboration with engineers and contractors, which has led to the successful implementation of innovative technologies.
One of the significant milestones under his leadership has been the implementation of CCPR, which has contributed to the construction of 534 kilometers of road sections in the Ghaziabad-Aligarh Road, using recycled materials and setting a world record. This project’s success resulted in a reduction of 78,000 tons of carbon dioxide emissions, demonstrating that development can occur without having an adverse impact on the environment.
He emphasized that while economic progress is essential, it must be achieved using new technologies that align with environmental goals. While acknowledging the challenges faced in advancing new technologies, he expressed his appreciation for the team's spirit of innovation.
He laid stress on continuous monitoring of project quality, independent audits and certifications, as well as awareness and training for fieldworkers and supervisors, for maintaining high construction standards. To support this, the NHAI has created instructional videos on the implementation of new practices in the field of road construction. He called for continued innovation, knowledge sharing, and the wider adoption of new technologies. He assured the audience that NHAI is fully committed to innovation and research, with the goal of delivering world-class infrastructure.
Unveiling of the GAEPL 100 in 100 Coffee Table Book
Cube Highways unveiled the ‘GAEPL 100 in 100’ coffee table book that celebrates the completion of 112.5 kilometers of surfacing in just 100 hours. Dr. Reddy expressed his pride in the achievement and acknowledged the collaborative efforts of the teams involved.
Technical Sessions
The inaugural session was followed by a series of technical sessions, each addressing key aspects of CCPR such as Design Aspects of CCPR; Field Implementation of CCPR; Strategic Perspectives and Initiatives on Bituminous Materials in CCPR; and Global Experience of CCPR, Performance Evaluation, and Sustainability. These sessions were conducted by experts with discussions on sustainable road technologies.
Bhanoj Dokku, Vice President – Strategies & Analytics, Cube Highways, provided valuable insights into the strategies behind employing CCPR; the research, investigations, and traffic studies that guided the design process; and the challenges posed by existing pavements that were in a poor condition or had no remaining life. Investigations revealed issues with binder content, aggregate properties, and California Bearing Ratio (CBR) values. Traffic studies were conducted to estimate the design traffic, which showed a substantial increase compared to the initial design.
To address the deteriorating pavement, multiple options were evaluated. Cold In-Place Recycling (CIR) and CCPR were considered due to their sustainability and cost-effectiveness. However, due to time constraints and challenges in implementing CIR, CCPR was selected for its superior quality control. In the Ghaziabad-Aligarh road sections, the design and implementation strategy focused on using higher-quality binder materials and addressing weaker road sections with CCPR. This approach allowed the team to effectively handle material challenges while ensuring sustainability by recycling 650,000 metric tons of Reclaimed Asphalt Pavement (RAP).
Ultimately, the design was executed with a mix of conventional methodologies and CCPR, depending on the condition of each section. The most distressed areas were treated with CCPR, while conventional methods were used for the less damaged sections. The project successfully blended innovation with practicality, ensuring durability and sustainability within the required timeframe.
Dr. Stéphane Charmot, Technical Director at Ingevity, USA, discussed the design of emulsions for CCPR, the chemical properties, selection criteria, and the development of tailored emulsions to achieve superior results in recycling projects.
With over 30 years of experience in pavement engineering, Dr. Charmot has been involved in more than 100 recycling projects in the US and Asia, focusing on cost-effective maintenance and rehabilitation technologies, particularly using RAP, cold recycling, warm mix asphalt, and asphalt emulsion-based methods. He explained how asphalt emulsions are produced and optimized for specific applications, especially for CCPR; the emulsification process; the importance of particle size; and how the emulsion’s behavior (such as its break rate) impacts performance. He also discussed different types of emulsions—rapid, medium, and slow set—and explained that CCPR typically requires a slow-set emulsion.
He informed that engineered emulsions are specially formulated for each project to achieve the desired mixture properties. He highlighted the need for quality control, compatibility with recycled materials, and the importance of environmental conditions in the emulsion’s performance. His presentation provided valuable insights into optimizing CCPR applications for sustainability and efficiency.
J. Murali Krishnan, Professor, Department of Civil Engineering, IIT Madras, has expertise in highway engineering and pavement engineering, having worked as an asphalt engineer on NH1 and NH45 during one of India’s earliest cold in-place recycling projects in the 1990s.
Professor Krishnan emphasized the importance of understanding material properties to create stable and durable cold recycling mixes, and provided valuable insights into CCPR complexities. He gave a presentation on the mix design of immersion-based cold recycling mixes, and emphasized the importance of consulting reference manuals, including the TG2 guidelines, UC Davis manual, ASHTO, and JTG T5521 guidelines, which offer valuable insights into cold in-place recycling practices.
He discussed the importance of distinguishing between recycling and reclamation, as there are common misconceptions about the two processes. He explained that according to Caltrans' definition, recycling involves using the material for the same purpose, while reclamation reduces the material’s quality. Regarding challenges in mix design, he noted that while one might assume a straightforward mix of 90% reclaimed asphalt pavement (RAP), 10% virgin aggregate, 2.5% water emulsion, and 2% cement, the actual design process is far more complex due to the dynamic interactions of the materials.
He presented guidelines for selecting appropriate materials such as emulsions, cement content, and active fillers and highlighted the challenges posed by temperature, particularly in regions like Ghaziabad, where RAP material could undergo significant changes at high temperatures.
He informed that different standards from regions like JTG, South Africa, and ASHTO recommend various approaches to mix design, focusing on factors such as binder content, moisture susceptibility, and the compaction process. The use of a two-stage compaction method and retwiel testing for assessing material properties were also explained. In conclusion, the mix design was finalized after extensive trials, resulting in a carefully sequenced combination of materials, with binder and cement content determined through retwiel testing.
Dr. Nivitha M.R., Assistant Professor at BSC College of Technology and a graduate of IIT Madras, gave a presentation on the structural design of CCPR pavements, material mechanics, load-bearing capacity, and design guidelines. She explained the mechanistic-empirical method used globally for pavement design, including traffic, climate, and material parameters and elaborated on how stress and strain calculations inform the pavement's load-carrying capacity, and the importance of understanding modulus variations across pavement layers.
She discussed various design approaches from South Africa, Australia, and the US, highlighting the need for tailored distress transfer functions, especially for Bitumen Stabilized Materials (BSM), and demonstrated how the design principles help optimize pavement longevity and performance, especially under varying traffic and climatic conditions.
Arpan Ghosh, President – Engineering, Cube Highways Technologies, gave a presentation on the implementation of CCPR and the importance of a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP). He discussed the challenges encountered on the Ghaziabad-Aligarh road, emphasizing the need to select the right technology to maximize recycling effectiveness and explained that while cold in-place recycling (CIR) techniques maximize recycled material, high RAP content presents performance challenges. CCPR, however, proved to be more efficient in using larger percentages of RAP.
He highlighted the difficulties in maintaining consistent material properties due to rapid degradation of the reclaimed material. As a solution, a controlled process with rigorous quality checks was implemented at every stage, ensuring high precision, and underscored the importance of maintaining strict timelines and extensive testing to ensure the solution’s long-term viability.
As regards production, he said that a well-defined SOP is needed to maintain consistency across all phases of the project. He shared that the team focused on precise milling speed, moisture control, and compaction to avoid inconsistencies in recycled material. A detailed dashboard was used to monitor performance metrics and ensure all processes followed the established guidelines. The collaborative effort from engineers, contractors, and designers was key to the success of this challenging yet rewarding project.
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