NewzVille Desk
Crop residue waste will now be converted to bio-butamen which is used for road construction. India’s indigenous bio-bitumen technology developed by CSIR–Central Road Research Institute (CRRI) New Delhi and CSIR–Indian Institute of Petroleum (IIP), Dehradun.
In a Technology Transfer Event on “Bio-Bitumen from Lignocellulosic Biomass – From Farm Residue to Roads was organized today at Anusandhan Bhawan, New Delhi.
Union Minister of Agriculture & Farmers Shivraj Singh Chouhan and Union Minister of Science & Technology Dr Jitendra Singh graced the event. Director General, Council of Scientific & Industrial Research (DG, CSIR) & Secretary, DSIR Dr. N. Kalaiselvi, and other dignitaries were also be present on the occasion.
Addressing the gathering, Shivraj Singh Chouhan described the development of bio-bitumen technology as a “historic and transformative step” that connects agriculture with infrastructure and innovation. “The adoption of bio-bitumen aligns strongly with India’s climate commitments, Net Zero targets, and flagship initiatives such as Atmanirbhar Bharat, the National Bio-Energy Mission, and circular economy frameworks. The use of farm residue for high-value infrastructure applications also offers additional income opportunities for farmers while reducing stubble burning and environmental pollution”, he added.
Dr. Jitendra Singh in his address highlighted that this initiative reflects India’s commitment to self-reliance, clean energy transition, and the principle of “Waste to Wealth.” He underlined that the technology demonstrates effective convergence of multiple sectors, including agriculture, science and technology, and infrastructure development, supported by strong public-private partnerships.
He added that the bio-bitumen technology has demonstrated promising performance in terms of durability, compatibility with conventional bitumen, and reduced carbon footprint, making it suitable for large-scale implementation in national highway projects.
Dr. N. Kalaiselvi stated that the development marks a paradigm shift from petro-based to bio-based materials and reiterated CSIR’s commitment to regular technology rollouts for national development.
Bio-bitumen Technology
Developed through years of research, the bio-bitumen technology utilises agricultural biomass and crop residues as feedstock through a thermochemical conversion process, producing a renewable and environmentally friendly alternative to petroleum-based bitumen.
The technology has demonstrated performance equivalent to conventional bitumen while offering substantial environmental and economic benefits, and has been developed for adoption by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) in road construction.
India produces nearly 600 million tonnes of crop residue annually, which instead of being burnt causing pollution, can be converted to bio-butamen; and bio-bitumen in turn can replace a part of annual requirement of around 88 lakh tonnes of bitumen, of which 50–58% is imported. The technology can save around Rs 40,000 crore.
This move Towards Self-Reliance in Bitumen will reduce import dependence, increasing economic resilience.
