PLASTIC ROADS SEMINAR 2017

1. INTRODUCTION

Plastic materials have become the corner stone of our lives, so it leads to
generation of huge quantity of plastic waste. These materials pose a different pollution in
the environment. Considerable measures have been done for the disposal of these plastic
wastes. Plastics are considerably non-biodegradable so that can be used as a modifier in
bitumen and enhance their strength. Plastic roads are different from standard roads in the
respect that standard roads are made from asphalt concrete, which consists of mineral
aggregates and asphalt.

Traditionally soil, stone aggregates, sand, bitumen cement etc. are used for road
construction. Natural materials being exhaustible in nature, its quantity is declining
gradually. Also, cost of extracting good quality of natural material is increasing.
Concerned about this, the scientists are looking for alternative materials for highway
construction, and plastic wastes product is one such category. If these materials can be
suitably utilized in highway construction, the pollution and disposal problems may be
partly reduced. In the absence of other outlets, these solid wastes have occupied several
acres of land around plants throughout the country. Keeping in mind the need for bulk
use of these solid wastes in India, it was thought expedient to test these materials and to
develop specifications to enhance the use of these plastic wastes in road making, in which
higher economic returns may be possible. The possible use of these materials should be
developed for construction of low-volume roads in different parts of our country. The
necessary specifications should be formulated and attempts are to be made to maximize
the use of solid wastes in different layers of the road pavement

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2. MATERIALS USED
2.1 Bitumen

Fig. 1 Bitumen

The properties of bitumen are sticky, black and highly viscous liquid or
semi-solid, in some natural deposits. It is residue or by-product of fractional distillation
of raw petroleum. Bitumen composed primarily of highly condensed polycyclic
aromatic hydrocarbons, containing 95 percent of carbon and hydrogen. The bitumen used
for the present work is of 80/90 penetration grade and has been widely used for paving
application.

PROPERTIES BITUMEN GRADE 80/90

PENETRATION 83

SPECIFIC GRAVITY 0.99

DUCTILITY 78 CM

SOFTENING POINT 47℃

Table.1 Physical properties of bitumen

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2.2 Plastic

Fig. 2 Plastic waste

The plastic used was the waste plastic bottles, LDPE/HDPE bags, wrappers,
collected from the nearby houses and apartments and from the dump yards. The plastic
waste has two major categories of plastics, thermoplastics and thermo set plastics.
Thermoplastics, is 80% approximate and thermo set 20% approximate of total post
consumer plastics waste generated in India. Thus, the waste plastic can easily be mix with
the bitumen in road construction ,bitumen is heat in the range of 155-165°C by using of
waste plastic of practical size are passes through 4.75mm sieve and retaining at
2.36mm sieve.

2.2.1. Characteristics of plastic waste

a) Thermal study

A study of the thermal behavior of the polymers namely polyethylene, polypropylene,

polystyrene, shows that those polymers get softened easily without any evolution of gas
around 130-140℃, this has been scientifically verified. At around 350℃ they get
decomposed releasing gases like methane, ethane etc and at 700℃ they undergo
combustion, producing gases like CO and CO2.

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b) Binding Property

The molten plastic waste inhibits good binding property. Following experiments
were carried out to study the binding property. The aggregate was heated to around
170℃ and the shredded plastic waste was added. Plastics got softened and coated over
the aggregate. The mix of aggregate and plastic was compacted and cooled. The block
was very hard and showed compressive strength not less than 130 MPa and binding
strength of 500 kg/𝑐𝑚2 . This shows that the binding strength of the polymer is good. The
polymer coated aggregate was soaked in water for 72 hours. There was no stripping at all.
This shows that the coated plastic material sticks well with the surface of the aggregate

% of plastic coating over Compressive strength Bending strength

aggregate (Mpa) (Mpa)

10% 250 325

20% 270 335
30% 290 350
40% 320 390

Table.2 Compressive and bending strength

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2.2.2. Steps involved in recycling process

a) Collection process

Waste plastic is collected from roads, garbage trucks, dumpsites or compost plants etc.

Fig.3 collection of plastic

b) Segregation

Plastic waste collected from various sources must be separated from

other waste. Maximum thickness is 60 microns.

Fig.4 Segregation

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c) Cleaning Process
Plastic wastes get cleaned and dried

Fig.5 Cleaning and drying of plastic

d) Shredding process

Will be shredded or cut into small piece. The different types of plastic wastes
are mixed together. Shredding is done in shredding machine.

Fig.6 Shredding of plastic

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3. AGGREGATE

Fig.7 Aggregate

Aggregate forming the main skeleton of pavement should be tested against their
suitability as a pavement construction material with reference to MORTH. An aggregate
which has good and sufficient strength, hardness, toughness and soundness have to be
chosen. Crushed aggregates produce higher stability. The aggregate taken in use has
been passed through 12.5 mm sieve and were retained on 10 mm sieve. The aggregate
has been heated in a pan for 20 min so that moisture and dust get removed.

PROPERTIES OBSERVATIONS MORTH SPECIFICATION

SPECIFIC GRAVITY 2.62
FLAKINESS INDEX 15%
MAX 30%
ELONGATION INDEX 18.08%
ANGULARITY NUMBER 9
IMPACT VALUE 17% MAX 24%
CRUSHING VALUE 20.15%
ABRASION VALUE 20.08% MAX 30%

Table 3. Properties of aggregate

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4. PREPARATION OF POLYMER-AGGREGATE-BITUMEN
MIX

Fig. 8 Polymer aggregate bitumen mix

There are two methods

4.1 Wet process

It is the blending of shredded plastic bags and bitumen prior to the production of
modified bituminous mixes. Flow chart shows steps in wet process of bitumen, the
chemical processes that produces binders, are considered to be swelling of the plastic
particles from absorbing some of the more volatile compounds from the bitumen,
followed by degradation of the plastic from devulcanising and polymerization.

The rate of reaction is affected by the following:

• Temperature of the binder (higher temperatures provide a quicker reaction),

• The surface characteristics of the plastic used (rougher surface reacts quicker),

• The size of the waste plastic particles (smaller particles swell quicker but lesser)

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• The period, blend is kept at the reaction temperature (longer time, greater reaction).

The main and important process in bitumen modification using wet process is blending of
polymers and bitumen. It requires proper blending technique to ensure a required quality
of blend.

1. Pastic waste collection, segregation and storage

2. Cleaning and drying of plastic waste
3. Shredding of plastic waste into required size (2 to 4 mm)
4. Blending of waste plastic with hot bitumen at 180℃
5. Stirring with mechanical stirrer and proper cooling
6. Mixing with aggregates
7. The mix(composite) known as waste plastic bitumen mix . This composite is used
for road laying at the temperature between 110℃ to 130℃

4.2 Dry process

Mixing the appropriate quantity of dry shredded waste plastic with hot aggregate
prior to production of bituminous mixes at hot mix plant by varying percentage of plastic
by weight of the mix.

(i) Various types of waste plastic are collected, analyzed as per their type and sent for
storage.

(ii) These segregated wastes are then cleaned and dried to remove impurities from them.
Then cut into a size of 1.184.36 mm using shredding machine, (PVC waste should be
eliminated).

(iii) The aggregate mix is heated to 165℃ (as per the HRS specification) and transferred
to mixing chamber. Similarly, the bitumen is to be heated up to a maximum of 160℃
(HRS Specification) to have good binding and to prevent weak bonding. (Monitoring the
temperature is very important).

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(iv) At the mixing chamber, the shredded plastics waste is to be added to the hot
aggregate. It gets coated homogeneously over the aggregate within 30 to 45 seconds,
giving a look of oily coated aggregate.

(v) The plastics waste coated aggregate is mixed with hot bitumen at the temperature
range between 150℃-165℃. The resulted mix of temperature range 130℃-140℃ is used
for road construction. The road laying temperature is between 110℃-120℃ using the
roller of 8 ton (min.) capacity.

5. EXPERIMENTAL TEST
5.1 On bitumen
a) Marshall stability test

This test is done to determine the Marshall stability of bituminous mixture as per
ASTM D 1559. The principle of this test is that marshal stability is the resistance to
plastic flow of cylindrical specimens of a bituminous mixture loaded on the lateral
surface.

Fig. 9 Marshall stability plastic content bar chart

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b) Determination of softening point

The softening is the temperature at which the substance attains a particular

degree of softening under specified condition of test. The softening point of bitumen is
usually determined by Ring and Ball test. Generally higher softening point indicates
lower temperature susceptibility and is preferred in warm climates. The blend of
different percentage of plastic waste has been prepared and their softening points were
determined as given in Table-1. It is observed that the softening point increases by the
addition of plastic waste to the bitumen. Higher the percentage of plastic waste added,
higher is the softening point.

% Of polymer in Softening Point℃

Bitumen
Polyethelene(PE) Polypropelene(PP) Polystyrene(PS)

0 50 50 50

0.5 52 57 53

1.0 60 62 60

1.5 62 63 61

Table.4 Variation of softening point

c) Penetration test (is:1203-1978)

The penetration test determines the hardness or softness of bitumen by measuring

the depth in tenths of a millimeter to which a standard loaded needle will penetrate
vertically in 5 seconds. The bitumen grade is specified in terms of the penetration value.
Samples having different percentage of plastic waste in bitumen were prepared and their
penetration values determined as per the IS Code given in Table-2. The penetration
values of the blends are decreasing depending upon the percentage of polymers and the
type of polymer added. The increase in percentage of polymer decreases the penetration
value. This shows that the addition of polymer increases the hardness of the bitumen.

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% Of polymer in Penetration value at 25℃
Bitumen
Polyethelene(PE) Polypropelene(PP) Polystyrene(PS)

0 70 70 70

1 68 69 69

1.5 67 68 68

2 64 64 65

Table. 5 Variation in penetration value

d) Ductility

It is important that the binders form ductile thin films around the aggregate. The
ductility is expressed as the distance in centimeters to which a standard briquette of
bitumen can be stretched before the thread breaks. Samples with different percentage of
plastic waste in bitumen were prepared and ductility was checked. The Table-3 shows
that the ductility is decreasing by the addition of plastic waste to bitumen. The decrease
in the ductility value may be due to interlocking of polymer molecules with bitumen.

% Of polymer in Ductility(cm)
Bitumen
Polyethelene(PE) Polypropelene(PP) Polystyrene(PS)

0 75 75 75

1 66 58 50

1.5 53 48 45

2 35 33 37

Table. 6 Variation in ductility

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e) Stripping test (is :6241-971)

The stripping is due to the fact that some aggregates have greater affinity towards
water than with bituminous binders and this displacement depends on the phsico-
chemical forces acting on the system. Stripping is generally experienced only with
bituminous mixtures which are permeable to water. Plastic waste was dissolved in
bitumen and the blend was coated over aggregate. It was tested by immersing in water.
Even after 72 hours, there was no stripping. This shows that the blend has better
resistance towards water. This may be due to better binding property of the plastic waste-
bitumen blend.

f) Flash and fire point (is: 1209-1978)

The studies of flash and fire points of the plastic waste-bitumen blend helps to
understand the inflammability nature of the blend. Flash point “the flash point of a
material is the lowest temperature at which the vapour of a substance momentarily takes
fire in the form of a flash under specified condition of test.”Fire point “the fire point is
the temperature at which the material gets ignited and burns under specified conditions of
test.”Pensky –Martens closed cup apparatus or open cup are used for conducting the tests.
Flash and fire point of plain bitumen is 175-2100°C. From the experimental results it is
observed that the inflammability of the blend is decreasing as the percentage of polymer
increases. The blend has developed better resistance to burning.

% Of polymer in Polyethylene Polypropylene Polystyrene

bitumen
Flash Fire Flash Fire Flash Fire
point point point point point point
0.25 280 340 320 345 240 300
0.50 290 350 330 340 270 310
0.75 295 330 333 350 280 315
1.00 340 350 342 355 295 320
Table.7 Variation of flash and fire point

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5.1.1 Comparison Between Plain Bitumen And Modified bitumen

Sl no Test conducted Test resultts

Plain bitumen Modified bitumen

1 Penetration test 68mm 58mm
2 Ductility 83mm 52mm
3 Flash Point 235°c 260°c
4 Fire Point 251°c 295°
5 Stripping value 0.45% 0.0%
6 Softening Point 53°c 64°c

Table 8 Comparison between plain and modified bitumen

5.2 On aggregates

Number of tests is recommended in the specifications to judge the properties of

the aggregates, e.g. strength, hardness, toughness, durability, angularity, shape factors,
clay content, adhesion to binder etc. Angularity ensures adequate shear strength due to
aggregate interlocking, and limiting flakiness ensures that aggregates will not break
during compaction and handling

a) Aggregate impact value

The coating of plastics improves Aggregate Impact Value, thus improving the
quality of the aggregate. Moreover a poor quality of aggregate can be made useful by
coating with polymers. It helps to improve the quality of flexible pavement. This shows
that the toughness of the aggregate to face the impacts. Its range should be less than 10%.

b) Aggregate crushing value

The aggregate with lower crushing value indicate a lower crushed fraction under
load and would give a longer service life to the road. Weaker aggregate would get

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crushed under traffic load. It is clearly seen from Table- that plastic coated aggregates
shows the lower crushing value and which can be withstand to traffic load more
efficiently than the plain aggregates. The results show that the aggregates are within the
range according to ISS. Its range should be less than 30-35%.

c) Specific gravity

The specific gravity of an aggregate is an indirect measure of its strength. The

more specific gravity the more is the strength. The value of specific gravity of plain
aggregate is less as compare to that of plastic coated aggregate. Since aggregates having
low specific gravity are generally weaker than those with higher specific gravity values,
the results say that the specific gravity of the aggregates are increased increasing its
strength. Its range should be within 2.5-3.0%.

d) Stripping value

Stripping value gives the effects of moisture upon the adhesion of bituminous film
to the surface particles of the aggregate. The plastic coating to aggregates gives the nil
value of stripping. It indicates that the aggregates are more suitable for bituminous road
construction than plain aggregates. The results obtained of the control specimen are
within the range of the IRC standards whereas coating of the aggregate reduces the
affinity of the aggregate towards water. Its range should be less than 25%.

e) Water absorption

The aggregate is chosen also on the basis of the moisture absorption capacity. The
aggregate when coated with plastics improved its quality with respect to moisture
absorption. The coating of plastic decreases the moisture absorption and helps to improve
the quality of the aggregate and its performance in the flexible pavement. The results
show that the moisture absorption of the aggregate is within the range of IRC
specifications which reduced to nil due to coating. Its range should be less than 10%.

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f) Los angeles abrasion value

The repeated movement of the vehicle will produce some wear and tear over the
surface of pavement. This test gives that wear and tear in percentage. Under this study the
percentage of wear and tear values of plastic coated aggregate is found to be in
decreasing order with respect to the percentage of plastics. When the Los Angeles
abrasion value of plain aggregate value is compared with the plastic coated aggregates
the values are less for coated aggregates. The results obtained are within the range hence
can be used for the construction. Its range should be less than 35%.

5.2.1 Comparison between plain and modified aggregate

Test conducted Ordinary aggregate Plastic coated aggregate

Moisture absorption(%) 1.7 Nill
Aggregate impact value(%) 5.43 4.91
Aggregate crushing 19.2 13.33
value(%)
Loss Angeles Abrasion 13.42 10.74
value(%)
Specific gravity 2.45 2.7
Stripping value(%) 8 Nill

Table 9. Comparison between plain and modified aggregate

6. COMPARISON OF PLASTIC ROAD WITH ORDINARY ROAD

1. The durability of the roads laid out with shredded plastic waste is much more
compared with roads with asphalt with the ordinary mix.

2. While a normal 'highway quality' road lasts four to five years it is claimed that plastic-
bitumen roads can last up to 10 years.

3. Rainwater will not seep through because of the plastic in the tar.

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4. The cost of plastic road construction may be slightly higher compared to the
conventional method.

5. The maintenance cost is low as compared to conventional method.

6. It initial cost is slightly more as compared to conventional method.

Sl no PROPERTIES PLASTIC ROAD ORDINARY ROAD

MARSHALL
1 MORE LESS
STABILITY VALUE
2 BINDING PROPERTY BETTER GOOD
3 SOFTENING POINT LESS MORE
4 PENETRATION VALUE MORE LESS
5 TENSILE STRENGTH HIGH LESS
6 RUTTING LESS MORE
7 STRIPPING(POT HOLES) NO MORE

8 SEEPAGE OF WATER NO MORE

9 DURABILITY OF THE ROADS BETTER GOOD

10 COST OF PAVEMENT LESS NORMAL

11 MAINTANANCE COST YES NO
12 ENVIRONMENT FRIENDLY YES NO

Table 10. Comparison of plastic road with ordinary road

7. ADVANTAGE OF WASTE PLASTIC BITUMINOUS MIX

1) Stronger road with increased Marshall Stability Value (measures the maximum load
sustained by the bituminous material).

2) Better resistance towards rain water and water stagnation.

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3) No stripping and no potholes.

4) Increase binding and better bonding of the mix.

5) Reduction in pores in aggregate and hence less rutting and raveling.

6) No leaching of plastics.

7) No effect of radiation like UV.

8) The strength of the road is increased by 100%.

9) The cost of road construction is also decreased

10) Maintenance cost almost nil

8. DISADVANTAGES

1. Cleaning process -:
Toxics present in the co-mingled plastic waste would start leaching.

2. During the road laying process -: In the presence of chlorine will definitely release
noxious HCL gas.

3.After the road laying -: It is opined that the first rain will trigger leaching. As the
plastics will merely form a sticky layer, (mechanical abrasion). The components of the
road, once it has been laid, are not inert

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9. WASTE PLASTIC ROAD CONSTRUCTED

1. The Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) has used plastic on about
600km of roads, including many thoroughfares and arterial roads.

Fig 10

2. Jambulingam street, Chennai

Fig 11

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10.CONCLUSION

The generation of waste plastics is increasing day by day. The major polymers,
namely polyethylene, polypropylene, and polystyrene show adhesion property in their
molten state. Plastics will increase the melting point of the bitumen. Hence, the use of
waste plastics for pavement is one of the best methods for easy disposal of waste plastics.

The use of the innovative technology not only strengthened the road construction
but also increased the road life as well as creating a source of income. Plastic roads
would be a boon for India’s hot and extremely humid climate, where temperatures
frequently cross 50°C, and torrential rains create havoc, leaving most of the roads with
big potholes. It is hoped that in near future we will have strong, durable and eco-friendly
roads that will relieve the earth from all type of plastic waste.

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11.REFERENCES

[1] Vasudhevan R, “utilization of plastic waste plastics for flexible pavement”,

Indian Highways (Indian road congress),Vol.34,no 7 (July 2016)
[2] IJCEM (International journal of core engineering and management), “Use of
waste plastic in pavement” Vol. 1,issue 1,( April 2015)
[3] Prof, P.L. Naktode, Prof, M.R. Nikhar, ICQUEST(International conference on
quality up gradation in engineering science and technology), “Use of waste plastic
in road construction” (June 2015)
[4] SSRG-IJCE (International journal of civil engineering), “Partial replacement of
bitumen by using plastic waste in bitumen concrete” Vol. 3 issue 7(July 2016)
[5] http://nbmcw.com/articles/roads/930-use-of-waste-plastic-in-road construction-
of-flexible-pavement.html

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