Shivani Plastic Roads

8/10/2019 Shivani Plastic Roads

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United StatesDepartment ofAgriculture

Forest Services

Technology &DevelopmentProgram

2400ForestManagementSeptember 19969624 1206SDTDC

THE PLASTIC ROAD


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INTRODUCTION

THEORY

HISTORY

CONCLUSION


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INTRODUCTIONMany forest activities require short term access for vehicles and equipment oversensitive sites or soils with low bearing capacity. Likewise, many projects in the

forest benefit from work schedule extensions or seasonal adjustments that allowincreased sensitivity to wildlife. Temporary access over environmentally sensitivesites is facilitated by effective crossing systems that are economical as well aseasily installed, moved within project, and removed. The plastic road is one such

system (see figure 1).

Figure 1. Plastic Road with transition mat.

This system is lightweight, portable, reusable, inexpensive, and easily constructedof readily available materials. The plastic road was conceived with use ontemporary roads in mind.

This report describes site conditions and operational requirements under which the


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plastic road may be used for short-term access into the forest. System limitationsare discussed, as are areas for improvement. Using, moving, disassembling, andtransporting are also described. Materials and tools required to fabricate the plasticroad are listed, and step-by-step instructions for assembly and installation of thesystem are included.

THE PLASTIC ROAD FOR SHORT TERM ACCESSThe plastic road spreads wheel loads over an increased subgrade area, reducingrutting and disturbance to soils and vegetation (see figure 2). This helps reducewater concentrations, channeling, erosion, and the potential for damage to fish andwildlife habitat. A geotextile underlayment (see figure 3) to the plastic road furtherincreases environmental sensitivity by separating the crossing from soil and allowswater to filter through. Geotextile helps spread load, may increase soil bearingcapacity, and facilitates removal of the crossing after use. Removal is quick and

easy compared to that of conventional techniques for crossing soft spots and canaid in closure and obliteration of the temporary road.

The plastic road is lightweight, portable, reusable, and inexpensive when amortizedover system life. Its length is tailored to site conditions in 10 foot (3 meter)increments. Plastic road panels and required accessories for 40 linear feet (12linear meters) of crossing may be transported in a 3/4 ton pickup and assembled ona typical site by a two-person crew (see figure 4) in approximately 1 hour. Thislength of plastic road may be moved from site to site by chaining-to and towingwith a pickup truck or logging equipment. Worn or broken PVC pipe members areeasily replaced, facilitating maintenance and reuse of the system. Materials costincluding geotextile and transition mats (see figure 1) for this length of plastic roadis approximately $2000. Adding labor to fabricate increases the cost toapproximately $2500. Materials are readily available through major hardwaredistributors.


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Figure 2. 40 linear foot Plastic Road installation.

Figure 3. Geotextile underlayment to the Plastic Road.


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Figure 4. Two-person crew installing the Plastic Road.

Transition MatsTransition mats composed of successively larger pipe (2-inch to 3-inch up to the4-inch standard panel pipe size) ease the transition of tires from the approach ontothe plastic road. Making the first 2-inch pipe in the mat to support wheel loads ofSchedule 80 increases mat durability. The transition mats increase environmentalsensitivity by eliminating the need for ramping up to the plastic road with soil,which usually has to be borrowed from somewhere (see figure 5). Use of

transition mats also reduces the forces applied to the plastic road as tires roll onto

it. Longitudinal forces tend to displace the plastic road in the direction the vehicleis moving, discouraging it from gaining a set in the soil. Absence of this set can

lead to soil kneading and increased rutting as the plastic road creeps and pointloads from individual pipe vary in location on the soil. Forces abruptly applied bytires to the 4-inch pipe as in use of the plastic road without ramping or transitionmats can result in pipe shattering, especially in very cold environments.


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Figure 5. Borrowed soil ramps to the Plastic Road.

Use of The Plastic RoadVehicles negotiating the plastic road should travel at a constant 5 mph (8 kph);sudden acceleration or deceleration may cause loss of traction, especially if theplastic is wet. The system has successfully supported 18 wheel on-highway (80,000 lbs GVW, or 36,400 kg) log trucks (and other forest traffic and logging

equipment) on straight alignments with grades up to 4 percent with no cross-slope.Steeper grades or the existence of cross-slope or horizontal curvature may alsoresult in loss of traction. Traction loss may occur between tires and the PVC, or

slippage may occur between the PVC and the soil or geotextile, causing it to workout of the soil ramp if so installed(see figure 6). In these latter cases a wave may

form in the crossing system which can lead to failure if the system folds over onitself.

Experimentation with tractive surfaces applied to the PVC pipe was conducted inan attempt to reduce the potential for traction problems. Epoxy and sand was tried,

as was attaching sheet grating with machine screws to individual pipe and to aseries of pipes. The epoxy/sand application did not exhibit required durability, as

the sand grains rolled out or were sheared out of the epoxy when subjected towheel loads. Attaching grating was labor and time intensive and did not appear to

greatly increase traction; the coefficient of friction between rubber and steel is low,causing a reliance on interlock between tire tread and grating openings for any

traction increase.


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Plastic Waste in Rural Roads Construction.

1.0 Background

Plastic in different forms is found to be almost 5% in municipal solid waste,which is toxic in nature. It is a common sight in both urban and rural areas tofind empty plastic bags and other type of plastic packing material litteringthe roads as well as drains. Due to its biodegradability it creates stagnationof water and associated hygiene problems. In order to contain this problemexperiments have been carried out whether this waste plastic can be reused

productively in the construction of roads. The experimentation at severalinstitutes indicated that the waste plastic, when added to hot aggregate willform a fine coat of plastic over the aggregate and such aggregate, whenmixed with the binder is found to give higher strength, higher resistance to

water and better performance over a period of time. Therefore, it is proposedthat we may use waste plastic in the construction of Rural Roads.

2.0 Past Experience.

Though approved specifications were not available in the beginning, withthe help of research carried by Prof. Vasudevan of TCE, Madurai, Prof.Justo and Prof. Veeraragavan at Bangalore University and research carriedout by Scientist at CRRI, New Delhi, several trial roads were constructed

using waste plastic. Though detailed performance studies were notsystematically planned and done on all such roads, generally it has beenfound that the roads constructed using waste plastic, popularly known asPlastic Roads, are found to perform better compared to those constructedwith conventional bitumen. Further it has been found that such roads werenot subjected to stripping when come in contact with water. With theexperience gained over the years of construction of roads using waste

plastic, CRRI as well as TCE has firmed up the specifications for the use ofwaste plastic and shared the specifications with organizations willing toconstruct the roads with waste plastic.

3.0 Specifications for Waste Plastic.


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The following types of waste plastic can be used in the construction of ruralroads:

n Films ( Carry Bags, Cups) thickness up to 60micron (PE, PP andPS)

n Hard foams (PS) any thicknessn Soft Foams (PE and PP) any thickness.n Laminated Plastics thickness up to 60 micron (Aluminum coated

also) packing materials used for biscuits, chocolates, etc.,

Please note that Poly Vinyl Chloride (PVC) sheets or Flux sheets should

not be used in any case.

Further, the waste plastic modifier should be free from dust and is to be

shredded, preferably to 2-3 mm particle size. While CRRI specified that theshredded waste plastic should pass through 3 mm sieve, Dr. Vasudevan is ofthe opinion that it has to pass through 4.75 mm sieve and retained on 1 mm.This also indicates indirectly that the size of the shredded bitumen

should normally be 2-3 mm for better spread and coating the aggregate.

4.0 Method of Road Laying.

Dry process is recommended for isolated works. It is recommended thatthe percentage of shredded waste plastic will be 8% by CRRI, while thesame is specified as 10% by Dr. Vasudevan. However we can adopt 8% asthe optimum plastic content for blending the bitumen in the construction of

plastic roads. The details of the process are given below. Bitumen of grades60/70 or 80/100 can be used as binder as in case of conventional method.

With Mini Hot Mix Plant

The stone aggregate mix (as per specification) is transferred to the mixcylinder where it is heated to 1650c (as per the IRC specification) and then itis transferred to the mixing puddler(Temperature can be monitored using IRthermometer), while transferring the hot aggregate into the puddler,calculated quantity of shredded plastics is sprayed over the hot aggregatewithin 30seconds. The sprayed plastic films melts and gets coated over theaggregate, thus forming an oily coating.


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bucket full of plastics so that the addition of plastics will be continuous.Thus manual labor can also be so chosen that the addition is donecontinuous. Two or three labors will be on this work of addition of plastics.

As the plastics is added over the aggregate, the mix (aggregate and plastics)moves into the cylinder.

As the stone is heated the plastic films get melted over the heated stone andget coated. Slowly the plastics coated aggregate moves forward where this

polymer coated aggregate is mixed with bitumen. The polymer coatedaggregate bitumen mix is then transferred to the dipper.

Advantages of Central Mixing Plant:

1. Mixing of the plastics over the aggregate is uniform2. The coating is better and the mixing of bitumen is being carried out at

places like.

A. Inside the CylinderB. During loading in the dipper.C. During transferring the mix in the paverD. During the spreading of the mix by the paver

Hence better distribution takes place in the Central Mixing Plant Process

5.0 Salient feature of the process.

Characteristics of the process are:

Easy process without any new machinerySimple process without any industry involvementIn situ processUse of lesser percentage of bitumen and thus savings on bitumen

resource

Use of plastics waste for a safe and eco-friendly processBoth Mini Hot Mix Plant and Central Mixing Plant can be usedOnly aggregate is polymer coated and bitumen is not modifiedUse 60/70 and 80/100 bitumen is possible


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5.1 Advantages of Plastic Tar Road.

A well constructed Plastic Tar Road will result in the following advantages.

Strength of the road increased (Increased Marshall Stability Value)Better resistance to water and water stagnation

No stripping and have no potholes.Increased binding and better bonding of the mix.Increased load withstanding property( Withstanding increased load

transport)Overall consumption of bitumen decreases.Reduction in pores in aggregate and hence less rutting and raveling.Better soundness property.Maintenance cost of the road is almost nil.

The Road life period is substantially increased.No leaching of plastics.No effect of radiation like UV.

Advantages of waste plastic in asphalt road surfaces

Reduced penetration and ductility, a higher softening point, less rutting and coldcracking.

Marshall stability value is initially 25% better, later 200-300% better thanunmodified roads.

Test samples show 260% improved resistance to water-soaking, hence ideal forsub-grade.

100% improvement in fatigue life of roads.

Greatly reduced roadcracking after 1 year on Bangalore-Mysore Rd, vsunmodified road.

Use higher percentage of plastic waste.Reduce the need of bitumen by around 10%.Increase the strength and performance of the road.Reduce the cost to around Rs. 5000/Km. of single lane road.Generate jobs for rag pickers.Develop a technology, which is eco-friendly.


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How Much Plastic? How Many roads?

Each 5-member familys use of 5 gm plasticbags a week, all-India = 52,000 tons ayear.

Assume 50% of this is available for roads.

1.5 tons plastic goes into avg 1 km road.

So resurfacing just 35,000 km of roads a year will absorb all this littered waste.This is just

3.5 % of Indias 1 million kmsurfaced roads.

million km more roads are unsurfaced).

o

Waste Minimisation and Infrastructure Improvement

India spends Rs 35,000 crores a year on roadconstructionand repair, including

Rs 100,000 crores a year just on maintenance.

Roads lasting 2-3 times longer, will save us Rs 33,000 crores a year in repairs, plusreduced vehicle wear and tear.

8% by weight of plasticwaste in bitumen = a saving of 0.4% of bitumen by weightin roads.

DISADVANTAGES OF PLASTIC ROADS

1. Cleaning process

Toxics present in the co-mingled plastic waste would d start leaching.

2. During the road laying process

But the presence of chlorine will definitely release noxious HCL gas.


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6.0 Evidence of Better Performance of the Plastic Tar Roads.

The performance studies carried out on the roads constructed in Tamil Naduindicated satisfactory performance with good skid resistance, good texturevalue, stronger and less amount of progressive unevenness over a period oftime. The experimentation carried out by CRRI also indicated better stabilityvalue, indicating higher strength, less flow and more air voids.

7.0 Economic considerations.

It has been found that modification of bitumen with shredded waste plasticmarginally increases the cost by about Rs. 2500 per tonne. However this

marginal increase in the cost is compensated by increase in the volume ofthe total mix, thereby resulting in less overall bitumen content, better

performance and environmental conservation with usage of waste plastic.


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HISTORY

(NEW DELHI, INDIA) -- In the 1990s, Ahmed Khanscompany in Bangalore,India, churned out hundreds of thousands of plastic bags and other packagingmaterial each month that eventually ended up as garbage. Now, he is in the

business of scouring the cityslandfills and trash cans to reclaim some of thatwaste and pave the way to a more environmentally friendly enterprise.

Mr. Khanscompany, K.K. Plastic Waste Management, which he founded with hisbrother, Rasool Khan, has built more than 1,200 kilometers, or 745 miles, of roadsusing 3,500 tons of plastic waste, primarily in Bangalore, Indiastechnology andoutsourcing hub.

Mixing plastic with asphalt, Mr. Khan forms a compound called polymerizedbitumen. When used in roads, it withstands monsoons and everyday wear and tear

better than traditional pavement.

Typically,our roads have a life of three to four years under ideal conditions, but

the plastic has increased that by at least another year or two,said Sunil Bose, head

of the Flexible Pavement Division at the Indian Central Road Research Institute, a

government agency.

Building a road with a mix of plastic costs about 3 percent more than constructing

a conventional road, but Mr. Khan said that in the long run such roads cost less

because repair and repaving expenses are much lower.

Polymerized bitumen is not a new compound and has been used for paving in

places other than India. But typically the bitumen is mixed with new plastic,

making it an expensive venture that has no environmental benefits. Mr. Khans

innovation uses waste plastic, including bottles and food packaging.

India was not a big user of plastic until the mid-1980s, when the governmentsanctioned increases in the national production of plastic to help industries become

globally competitive. The use of plastic was also stimulated by the movement of

more people to cities and importing of more foreign goods.


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India, which traditionally recycled a lot of its garbage, was not prepared to handle

the increase in plastic waste, including discarded bags, which some experts say can

take as long as 1,000 years to decompose.

In 2005, after monsoon rains flooded Mumbai, plastic bags were blamed forclogging the underground drainage system and intensifying the effect of the floods.

In areas frequented by tourists, like Goa, heavy consumption of bottled water has

resulted in trash on beaches, creating eyesores and endangering marine life.

Even Indiascows, considered sacred, have not been spared. After 3,000 cows died

in Lucknow in 2000, the city investigated and found plastic bags in their stomachs.

Apparently the bags had been ingested as the animals grazed at dump sites.

Mr. Khan said he had never set out to be an environmental entrepreneur, but after

an anti-plastics movement gained strength in the mid-1990s, he decided that

environmentalists had a valid argument and started to worry about his business.

From 1998 to 2000, he and his brother developed their technology, testing it on

more than 600 potholes in Jayanagar, an upscale neighborhood in Bangalore.

Convinced that they had made a breakthrough, they approached Bangalore

University and later the road institute for research and support. Several years and

many more road tests later, they were given their first contract by the Bangalore

municipal government to pave 40 kilometers of roads.

The Khansbusiness spread to other cities and states, and although they patented

the plasticized pavement in India, other companies are copying the technology.

The Khans said they had decided not to object.

With a ban on plastic bags being enforced in the Indian capital and the Indian High

Court asking the government to explore new ways of using plastics, the New Delhi

municipal government is showing interest as well. The road institute is working

with the Public Works Department in New Delhi to start a project in the city using

the technology.


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The plastic in Mr. Khansroads is collected by garbage collectors, who form thebackbone of the Indian recycling industry. These workers collect trash from homesand offices and sort through it for material that can be sold to specializedmiddlemen, who sell it to recycling companies. Typically, an average garbagecollector is paid less than a dollar a day, making as much as 8 rupees, or 17 cents, akilogram, or 2.2 pounds, depending on the quality of the plastic. But Mr. Khanoffers them 8 to 10 rupees a kilogram, ensuring a steady supply. With the help ofthe Bangalore government, he is also setting up collection points in residentialareas.

Of the 35 tons of plastic waste generated by Bangalore each day, Mr. Khan said hewas already using three to five tons daily on the roads.

The plastic waste is churned into flakes, then combined at a ratio of eight tons of

plastic to every 100 tons of bitumen. For every kilometer of single-lane road, abouttwo tons of plastic is needed.

Five years after the laying of Mr. Khansfirst plastic-mix pavement, the roadsseem to be surviving. Mr. Khan attributes this to theplasticstendency to act as a

binding agent, thereby increasing the ability of bitumen to hold together at highertemperatures. And since plastic is water-resistant, the roads do not getwaterlogged, have fewer potholes and need repairs less frequently thanconventional roads.

Not everyone is enthusiastic. Despite interest from Sheila Dikshit, chief minister ofDelhi, only two kilometers of such pavement have been laid in the Indian capital,and that was five years ago. Local news reports suggest that senior officials havenot allowed proposals to go further because contracts for regular maintenance ofroads are a big business in India, worth 350 billion rupees a year. Not only wouldsome businesses lose money, but government officials who take kickbacks couldalso lose, the reports have said.

The information officer for the chief ministersoffice, who goes by a single name,

Satpal, said, Werealways going to say theresno corruption.BANGALORES KK PROCESS FOR ASPHALTED HIGHWAYS

The Indian RoadsCongress in 1999 issued Special Publication 53 titled : TentativeGuidelines on Use of Polymer and Rubber Modified Bitumen in RoadConstruction. It documented the excellent advantages of adding an optimum 6% by


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weight of virgin polymer into tar roads. The high cost of virgin polymer (about Rs50/kg) for getting this added value has prevented its adoption in India until now.

Research began in 1997 by KK Polyflex for value-added disposal of shreddedwaste plastic litter into bitumen roadsat an affordable cost to make the processviable. The approach was scientific, with exhaustive comparison of different

proportions of different types of plastic done by a Ph D student. By now thetechnology and results are well-established. Marshall Stability values and evenwet penetration values improve by addition of 8% shredded plastic by weight of

bitumen used. Lab tests show 2-3 times superior performance. In practice, such aplastic road laid in Bangalore (at the busy Rajarajeshwari Junction)in March2001 as a technology demonstration for the Chief Minister, showed superiorsmoothness and uniformity and less rutting as compared to a plastics-free road laidat the same time, which has begun to develop crocodile cracks. As a result, by

now 25 km of plastic roads have been laid in Bangalore, unfortunately withoutanother same-day plastics-free normal road. All these 25 km are performing well.The process was also approved in 2003 by the CRRI=Central Road ResearchInstitute Delhi, and has thereafter been included in the Govt of Karnatakas PWDSchedule of Rates. News reports say that Bangalore intends to lay a further 800km of such plastic roadsand the work order for this is expected shortly. Road lifeimproves through improved tackiness and viscosity of the bituminous mix, thereby

binding the stones more firmly together and improving the water-resistance of themix to rain etc. For the same reason, the temperature of the mix both at the plantand at the point of laying, needs to be 20oC higher than normal.

The proprietary KK Process consists of procuring (by collection from roads,garbage trucks, dumpsites or compost plants, or from school collection programs,or by purchase from rag-pickers or waste-buyers at Rs 5-6 per kg) waste plasticlitter in the form of thin-film carry-bags, use-and-throw cups, PET bottles, etc.These are sorted, de-dusted, washed if necessary, and finely shredded aftertreatment as required. Yield of useful material is poor, the rest being dust, rags andsome unusables. This shredded material is added into the bitumen stream ofCentralised Hot-Mix Plants in a proprietary manner, using KKs own equipment

(under patent) as an add-on to the plant and under their supervision. 1 km ofsingle-lane road uses about 1 ton of plastic.

In Uttaranchal, the added 6% cost of high-quality roadswill also be more thanoffset by savings in the cost of plastic waste management. For example, the Nanda


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Devi Sanctuary authorities did a fantastic job of cleaning the Hemkund area of 52tons of plastic, but at a cost of Rs 52 per kg to bring it down and transport it toDehradun for eventual purchase by a Delhi buyer. If instead this plastic is used forasphalted roadsas close to the collection point as possible, the cost savings will behuge. As there is a plan for similar plastic cleanup of the Char Dhams, waste-

polymer-modified bitumen roadscan be specified in and near these areas.

What is required from cities desiring this option are :

1, Use of sufficient land on the outskirts for processing of waste plastic litter intoshredded additive, both of which are very bulky. For Bangalores 60 lac

population, generating 200 tons a month of plastic waste, an area of 10 acres wouldbe required.

2, Electricity connection of 100 HP at citys cost, with power consumption paidfor by KK.

3, orders for a minimum quantity of plastic-additive roadsto be laid per quarter,with the additive to be procured from and added by KK. Escalation clause forincreased cost of power, which should preferably be supplied at preferential ratesfor this pollution-abatement activity.

4, prompt payment of bills for shredded plastic supplied, preferably through bankagainst presentation of bills, and payment of 2% interest per month for delayed

payment, as that is the cost of finance for industrialists.

5, an MoU for a 3-year period covering the above aspects.


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CONCLUSIONSThe plastic road is available to aid short term access for vehicles and equipmentinto the forest. This system is lightweight, portable, reusable, inexpensive, andconstructed of readily available materials. The plastic road reduces rut depth theseconstraints and further development effort to optimize performance is warranted.and has provided satisfactory service over sensitive sites and soils of low bearingcapacity on relatively flat road grades free of cross slope and horizontal curvature.Testing usage outside

Disclaimer: The information regarding the facilitation is given based on theinformation available at NRRDA and is shared here. However, this should not beconstrued as a recommendation of NRRDA about the two firms mentioned above.

The states are at liberty to find out appropriate method of cleaning, shredding and

mixing of suitable waste plastic to get the best results for the Waste PlasticBlended Bitumen for Rural Road construction.

Acknowledgements: The above guidelines are prepared with help from Dr. V.Vasudevan, TEC, Madurai, and CRRI, New Delhi. Help received from both isgratefully acknowledged.

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Shivani Plastic Roads