PUNE: Praj Industries, India’s leading industrial biotech company has announced the inauguration of the country’s first sustainable road made using lignin-based biobitumen. Inaugurated by the Hon. Minister of Road Transport and Highways, Shri Nitin Gadkari, this road is at the Nagpur-Mansar Bypass project, NH 44. This eco-friendly technology can partially replace fossil-derived bitumen and is being used to create the country’s first national highway.

Praj’s proprietary technology refines crude lignin into Lignin Bio-Bitumen and has the potential to replace fossil-based bitumen and offer sustainable solutions to the road infrastructure industry. This green construction material, with a blending capacity of up to 15%, offers significant benefits, including a 70% reduction in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions compared to fossil-based bitumen. India would require ~15 lakh tons of bio-bitumen to achieve 15% blending with conventional bitumen. Through this investment, India can save ₹4000-4,500 crore on foreign exchange, marking a transformative step toward sustainable and eco-friendly road infrastructure.

Commenting on this development, Shri. Nitin Gadkari, Hon. Minister of Road Transport and Highways, congratulated Praj on the successful development of this technology saying, “The biobitumen used in this project, developed by Praj Industries in collaboration with CSIR-CRRI, is a significant step toward sustainability. It reduces our dependency on imported bitumen and provides an innovative solution by turning agricultural waste into a valuable resource.” He also expressed that in the future, our farmers will not only be food providers but also energy providers, producing biohydrogen and contributing to a cleaner and greener India. 

In a collaborative project with CSIR- Central Road Research Institute (CRRI), Praj tested the lignin-based bio-bitumen sample for application studies, successfully replacing up to 15% of bitumen. Praj laid a service road in Halol, Gujarat using Lignin Bio Bitumen as one of the components. After 2.5 years and 3 monsoon seasons, CSIR-CRRI conducted the performance evaluation, and the results were found satisfactory with no signs of distress on the road. This success was one of the key factors in building the Nagpur-Mansar project.

Talking about this milestone, Dr. Pramod Chaudhari, Founder Chairman, Praj Industries said, “The inauguration of India’s first sustainable road using a lignin-based bio-bitumen is a proud moment for Praj Industries and a testament to India’s commitment towards a greener and self-reliant future. This innovative lignin-based bio-bitumen, developed under the ‘Make in India’ initiative, not only replaces fossil-based bitumen but also helps save significant foreign exchange, strengthening our nation’s vision of Atmanirbhar Bharat. We deeply thank the Hon. Minister of Road Transport and Highways, Shri Nitin Gadkari, for his visionary leadership and unwavering support in fostering sustainable infrastructure development. As we look toward the goal of Viksit Bharat 2047, we are also advancing our efforts in bio-hydrogen development, which holds immense potential to transform India’s energy landscape and contribute to a sustainable future. At Praj, we remain dedicated to pioneering eco-friendly solutions contributing to nation-building and global climate goals.”

Bitumen, a black viscous mixture of hydrocarbons produced by fractionation of crude oil, serves as a crucial binder in road construction. However, the rapid consumption and future demand of this product require a sustainable solution to attain the vision of Viksit Bharat 2047. According to oil ministry data, India’s bitumen consumption in 2023-24 was 88 lakh tons and is expected to rise to 100 lakh tons in 2024-25. 50% of this bitumen is imported, incurring an annual import cost of ₹25,000-30,000 crore for the country.

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Senior representatives of governments and oil and gas industries from seven Asian countries, as well as the U.S. Department of State, attended the event at Honeywell’s regional headquarters in Kuala Lumpur. The reduction of methane emissions is one of the most cost-effective and impactful methods to help reach global climate and environmental goals, according to the International Energy Agency.

Honeywell’s Emissions Management Solution (EMS) offers customers in the industrial sectors an array of sustainability technologies that will support their emission reduction goals and their compliance with regulatory standards. It features a combination of innovative, hazard area-certified wireless gas leak detection technology, automated data collection systems, and software to quickly identify methane leaks. By integrating a holistic and proactive solution that provides actionable insights and drives emission reduction strategies, customers will be able to produce accurate, auditable, and near real-time time reports of their total methane emissions across their infrastructure within Asia.

Honeywell has partnered with their customers in the Oil & Gas industry as well as the U.S. government in their international efforts to promote methane abatement across the world and is a key contributor to the book: Methane Abatement for Oil and Gas: – Handbook for Policymakers. The open-access, plain language handbook was issued by the Office of Commercial Law Development Program (CLDP) of the US Department of State, Bureau of Energy Resources, and it is intended to help policymakers reduce methane from oil and gas operations.

“Honeywell is a trusted partner that helps organizations solve the world’s toughest and most complex challenges, with actionable solutions for industrial automation, the future of aviation, and the energy transition,” said Robert Kester, PhD, Chief Technology Officer, Emissions, Honeywell Process Solutions. “It’s an honor for us to work with multiple stakeholders and use our proven technologies and experience to help companies throughout Asia with methane-intensive operations be better positioned to meet their sustainability goals.”

“Unprecedented collaboration is needed between the private and public sectors to work together to reduce methane emissions,” said YC Lim, Honeywell president for Malaysia and Singapore. “Operators are facing market changes that require sustainable solutions to accelerate lower greenhouse gases while maintaining profitability and yield. Employing a reputable partner that can provide the technology, software, and outcome-based services is critical to meeting those goals.”

Honeywell is committed to achieving carbon neutrality in its operations and facilities by 2035 and recently announced a new set of commitments that further advance its sustainability goals, including committing to set a science-based target with the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) that will include scope 3 emissions and participation in the U.S. Department of Energy’s Better Climate Challenge. The company also supports the Paris Climate Agreement. These efforts build on the company’s track record of sharply reducing the greenhouse gas intensity of its operations and facilities as well as its decades-long history of innovation to help its customers meet their environmental and social goals. In 2021, approximately 60 percent of Honeywell’s new product introduction research and development investment was directed toward products that improve environmental and social outcomes for customers.

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