Rajarajan Vasudevan

Indian civil engineer pioneering eco-friendly plastic road technology

Rajarajan Vasudevan's Environmental Innovation

Professor Rajarajan Vasudevan (b.1958) revolutionized waste management with his 2015 invention of plastic-asphalt road construction. As Head of Thiagarajar College of Engineering's civil engineering department, he developed a method mixing waste plastic with bitumen to create durable road surfaces - reducing plastic waste while improving road quality.

This innovation was adopted by India's National Highway Authority in 2016, with over 10,000 km of roads constructed by 2019. Each kilometer uses 1 ton of plastic waste, preventing 500 million plastic bags from landfills annually. His 2017 study published in Construction and Building Materials demonstrated 60% stronger road surfaces with reduced maintenance costs.

Global impact includes:

• Adoption in 15 countries including Malaysia and UAE
• 2018 recognition from UN Environment Programme
• Partnership with Tesla to develop electric vehicle charging roads