India, Feb. 4 -- The Government of India has issued a release:
(a)
Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), through its constituent laboratories namely, CSIR-Central Road Research Institute (CSIR-CRRI), New Delhi and CSIR-Indian Institute of Petroleum (CSIR-IIP), Dehradun, has jointly developed an indigenous technology to produce bio-bitumen from agricultural residue (notably rice straw) by pyrolysis. The process converts crop residue into bio-oil via pyrolysis which is subsequently upgraded through chemical processing and blended/modified to produce a bio-binder suitable for use in bituminous roads.
(b)
Bio-bitumen developed indigenously has the potential to partially replace conventional petroleum-based bitumen without compromising pavement performance. Studies and pilot-scale evaluations indicate that bio-bitumen can replace up to 30 per cent of conventional bitumen. Even at a conservative blending level of 15 per cent, the adoption of bio-bitumen across road projects in the country is estimated to result in foreign exchange savings of approximately Rs.4,000 crore per annum through reduction in petro-bitumen imports. However, the actual savings will depend on blending ratio, availability of feedstock, and extant market prices.
(c) & (d)
Yes. The developed technology has been transferred on a non-exclusive basis to 14 industries from different parts of the country for commercial manufacturing and scale-up on 7th January 2026. The technology transfer, inter alia, includes provisions relating to payment of upfront technology transfer fees (premia) and royalties, adherence to prescribed technical specifications and quality standards, protection of intellectual property rights, confidentiality obligations, and compliance with the scope and conditions stipulated in the licence agreements. The details of the 14 licensees is at Annexure-I.
(e)
To enable nationwide production and supply, the developed technology has already been transferred to 14 industries from different regions of the country on a non-exclusive basis to facilitate decentralized manufacturing and commercial scale-up. Further, CSIR-CRRI is working with the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) to evaluate long term performance of Bio-bitumen roads to draft standards and specifications for Bio-bitumen. In addition CSIR-CRRI is also working with the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) for the formulation of material specifications, test protocols and usage guidelines to ensure uniform quality, safety and long-term performance of bio-bitumen in road construction.
S. No.
Company Name
City
State
1
Bitumenking India Private Limited
Patiala
Punjab
2
Catalyst Petrochem LLP
Delhi
Delhi
3
Engrow Carbon Energy Private Limited
Erode
Tamil Nadu
4
Future Universal Petrochem Private Limited
Yamuna Nagar
Haryana
5
Jalnidhi Bitumen Specialities Private Limited
Kolkata
West Bengal
6
Kotak Nova Green Energy LLP
Jamnagar
Gujarat
7
Negam Care Private Limited
Namsai
Arunachal Pradesh
8
Neptune Petrochemicals Limited
Ahmedabad
Gujarat
9
Nexxus Petro Industries Limited
Ahmedabad
Gujarat
10
Ooms Polymer Modified Bitumen Private Limited
Gurugram
Haryana
11
Rex Fuels Management Private Limited
Mumbai
Maharashtra
12
RK Truevalue LLP
Mumbai
Maharashtra
13
Terra Climate Tech Private Limited
Jaipur
Rajasthan
14
VR Petrochem India LLP
Vadodara
Gujarat
The likely impact of the adoption of bio-bitumen on cost reduction, import substitution, carbon emissions and rural/agricultural waste utilization is as under:
Indigenous Development of Bio-Bitumen from the stubble
This Information was submitted by Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) Science and Technology Dr. Jitendra Singh in Loksabha on 4th February 2026.
Disclaimer: Curated by HT Syndication.
