India becomes first country to produce indigenous bio-bitumen to build eco-friendly highways

India is pushing the boundaries of sustainable infrastructure as it embraces a new kind of road building material made from agricultural waste. Union Minister of State for Science and Technology Dr Jitendra Singh said the country has officially entered an era of “Clean, Green Highways” with the launch of bio-bitumen technology for road construction.

The breakthrough comes as scientists and engineers announced the technology transfer of “Bio-Bitumen via Pyrolysis: From Farm Residue to Roads,” an indigenous innovation developed by research bodies such as CSIR–Central Road Research Institute (CSIR-CRRI) and CSIR–Indian Institute of Petroleum (CSIR-IIP).

This new bio-bitumen is designed to be more affordable, longer-lasting and significantly more environmentally friendly than traditional materials.

Taking to X, Singh said “India is possibly the first country in the world to take bio-bitumen technology to industrial and commercial scale.”

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"This day, 7 January 2026, will go down in the history as India enters into an era of 'Clean, Green Highways', with the successful Technology Transfer titled “Bio-Bitumen via Pyrolysis: From Farm Residue to Roads”, an indigenous innovation developed by two of the #CSIR… pic.twitter.com/ISzNqXoagY

— Dr Jitendra Singh (@DrJitendraSingh) January 7, 2026

From farm waste to highways

Bio-bitumen is produced by converting farm residue, like paddy straw, through a process called pyrolysis, which breaks down biomass into useful components. The result is a bio-binder that can be used as a partial or blended replacement for petroleum-based bitumen in road construction.

Singh described the initiative as a hallmark of India’s drive toward a circular economy and reduced environmental impact. “India’s highways are now transitioning from fossil-fuel dependency to bio-driven, regenerative, and circular economy solutions,” he said.

He also pointed out that adopting bio-bitumen could dramatically cut India’s dependence on imported bitumen, which currently costs the nation around Rs 25,000–30,000 crore each year.

📍 New Delhi

Today marks a historic milestone in India’s road infrastructure, as our nation becomes the first in the world to commercially produce bio-bitumen.

My heartfelt congratulations to CSIR and its dedicated scientists, and my sincere thanks to Union MoS Shri… pic.twitter.com/QSF9uFvhl6

— Nitin Gadkari (@nitin_gadkari) January 7, 2026

To prove the technology’s practicality, a 100-metre trial stretch using bio-bitumen has already been laid on the Jorabat–Shillong Expressway (NH-40) in Meghalaya.

As per the Director General of CSIR and Secretary, N Kalaiselvi, a patent for the technology has been filed, and multiple industries have already been brought on board to enable commercial deployment, as per the official statement of the Ministry of Science & Technology.

The statement adds that bio-bitumen not only helps cut down air pollution from stubble burning, a persistent challenge in northern India, but also contributes to economic self-reliance. Beyond road construction, the pyrolysis process produces other useful by-products such as energy-efficient gas and high-grade carbon, which could have applications in industries from batteries to water purification.