Used Plastic in Cement Concrete Roads can be the new normal – Shirish Phatak

Belagavi based engineer Shirish Phatak has come up with a novel idea of using used plastic waste into making Cement concrete roads.

The central government has been using plastic waste in Bitumen road construction to properly utilize the material which otherwise is not recycled. So far, one lakh kilometer of the road has been constructed using plastic waste.

But the new trend has been towards making of concrete roads and all the new roads under smart city have been made of concrete alone.

Engineer Phatak has come up with this proven idea as per him to use Eco Plastic Concrete Fiber’s ( EPCF ) derived from Used plastic Waste & Polypropylene ( pp ) plastics Waste to be used in Cement Concrete.

The production and use of cement are increasing every year so as that of plastics and also the alarming increase in non-biodegradable waste generated worldwide, predominantly plastics is influencing governments and industries alike to develop new biodegradable alternatives to plastics.

But very less attempt is made to consume/eliminate plastic waste from environment Cement concrete has a unique property to consume within itself anything and everything that is put into it within permissible limits (like solvent).

This property is not explored to date and this unique property of cement concrete can very well be utilized for environmental protection says Phatak.

The Disposal and elimination of various forms of plastics from the environment is a challenging issue. All forms of consumed plastic become waste and require large dumping areas. The low bio-degradability and long-lasting property of plastic negatively impact the environment, but this can be considered as an advantage for its consumption in cement concrete that makes the Plastic a Super Hero.

For any material to be used in cement concrete as an ingredient, it is essential that it should be chemically inert and non –biodegradable, long-lasting so as plastics.

So the solvent property of Cement concrete and the non –biodegradable, long lasting property of Plastic when combined together make them Super Hero’s in the Mission to Protect Environment.

We have developed Plastic (Polypropylene) fibers from Used Plastics Waste for their usage in cement concrete called Eco Plastic Concrete Fiber’s( EPCF ).

These are graded (mixed length) plastic fibers derived from Used Plastic Waste in the shredded form, made suitable for their use in various pcc, precast and structural concrete works.

Fibers when mixed in the concrete disperse themselves immediately and uniformly to act as primary / secondary fiber reinforcement ( FRC ) which reduces plastic shrinkage and concrete cracks normally caused in RMC. Also improves the compressive, tensile & flexural strengths of concrete added Phatak.

Increases the abrasive strength of Roads & Industrial floors and are non-corrosive hence have a long life.

They reduce permeability, increase impact and abrasion resistance to freeze/thaw, reduce honeycombing, segregation, unequal bleeding, prevent corrosion of reinforcement, prevent explosive scaling of concrete due to tire and thereby vastly improve the overall quality of concrete.

Eco Plastic Concrete Fiber’s( EPCF ) is the ultimate solution to eliminate Plastic waste in the Mission to Protect Environment

Phatak suggests that this project can be taken up in combination of three departments

1. For raw material ( plastic waste ) : Swatch Bharat Abhiyaan

2. For Manufacturing of EPCF : Startup India

3. For EPCF use in concrete : Highway authority of india / PWD etc

This project will not only shall eliminate plastic but also generate huge employment opportunities in every district of India

shirishphatakbgm {at} gmail.com