On the way: Production of Bitumen using biomass
bio-bitumen from biomass or agricultural waste, a move that would help reduce imports of the material used for asphalting of roads while also addressing the persistent issue of stubble burning.
India currently imports about half of its annual requirement of bitumen and the target is to replace imports with bio-bitumen over the next 10 years, a senior government official told ET. «Based on the success of the pilot study, we hope to kick-start production of bio-bitumen on a large scale by the end of 2025,» the official added.
The Central Road Research Institute (CRRI) will soon undertake a pilot study with the Indian Institute of Petroleum, Dehradun on a 1-km road stretch which will be built using bio-bitumen. If successful, the technology will be commercialised and transferred to a private entity or public sector enterprises for large-scale production of bio-bitumen, to be used in the construction of national highways.
«We hope to start production of bio bitumen on a commercial scale by the end of next year. This will result in substantial savings on foreign exchange, make India independent in production of bio-bitumen and can be a great way to address the problem of stubble burning,» CRRI director Manoranjan Parida told ET. Road transport and highways minister Nitin Gadkari is personally overseeing the progress of the project, which is funded by his ministry as the government focuses on various alternatives for road construction including recycled waste material and molasses.
India imported 3.21 million tonnes of
