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Mint Explainer| Will the US-Iran war nudge India towards bio-bitumen for road construction?
NEW DELHI: India builds some of the world’s fastest expanding highway networks but depends on imports for a large share of the bitumen used to bind asphalt.The country needs about 9 million tonnes of bitumen each year for road construction. In FY25, domestic production was 5.3 million tonnes, with the rest imported—largely from West Asia, a region currently facing conflict.Against this backdrop, bio-bitumen, an alternative derived from biomass, could replace up to a third of petroleum-based bitumen, potentially reducing India’s import dependence.
Mint explains.Conventional bitumen is a heavy residue left over after crude oil is refined into fuels such as petrol and diesel. It acts as the binding material in asphalt, holding together aggregates such as gravel and sand to form road surfaces.Bio-bitumen, by contrast, is produced from biomass-derived materials rather than crude oil.
The most common feedstocks include lignin (a plant-based polymer), vegetable oils, forestry residues and agricultural waste such as rice straw. These materials are processed through technologies such as pyrolysis, which converts biomass into bio-oil and other compounds that can be refined into asphalt binders.In India, government research bodies such as CSIR-Central Road Research Institute (CSIR-CRRI) have been developing bio-bitumen formulations using crop residues like paddy straw, which could address both road construction demand and the problem of agricultural waste burning.
CSIR-CRRI also piloted its paddy straw-based bio-bitumen in October 2024 on NH6 Jorabat-Shillong Expressway.
It showed “satisfactory field performance under traffic”, CSIR-CRRI said. According to the state-run research institute, using its paddy straw-based bio-bitumen
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21.05 / 10:17
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21.05 / 10:17
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21.05 / 10:17
markets
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21.05 / 09:47
markets
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UPS
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