IOC invites EOI for commercial use of plastic in road sector

Indian Oil Corporation, which has built 850 metres of road using 16 million tons of single-use plastic waste in bitumen concrete, has invited 'expression of interest' from various parties and aggregators to consistently supply commercial quantities of such waste. IOC built the road outside its R&D facility in Faridabad on an experimental basis for testing its strength and durability. It is demarcated into three zones representing 1%, 2% and 3% concentration of waste plastic such as carry bags and packaging film waste, and will be monitored under the same conditions for two years. According to Central Road Research Institute specification, allowable percentage of waste plastic in bitumen is 0.8%. IOC, in partnership with CRRI, is experimenting whether this limit can be extended to 3%. Incorporation of 3% of waste plastic will save Rs.2 lakh per km for road construction as compared to currently used premium quality bitumen, said director (R&D), IOC, S S V Ramakumar, elaborating that the input cost will be reduced massively by using indigenous waste plastic and not depending on imported virgin polymers. If the experiment is successful, IOC will approach the road transport ministry to make it mandatory for every bitumen aggregator to use waste plastic to the scientifically proven percentage, he said.