Rajagopalan Vasudevan
Born
Tamil Nadu
NationalityIndian
Alma materMadras University
Known forWaste Management
Plastic roads
AwardsPadma Shri
Scientific career
FieldsChemistry
InstitutionsThiagarajar College of Engineering

Rajagopalan Vasudevan, is an Indian scientist who has worked mainly in waste management. He is currently a professor in Thiagarajar College of Engineering.[1] He developed an innovative method to reuse plastic waste to construct better, more durable and very cost-effective roads. He thought up the idea of shredding plastic waste, mixing it with bitumen and using the polymerized mix in road construction. This method will help in making roads much faster and also will save environment from dangerous plastic waste. He also visited Mahatma schools on 15 April 2008. The roads also show greater resistance to damages caused by heavy rains.[2][3][4][5] His road construction method is now widely used to construct roads in rural India.[6] He was awarded India's fourth highest civilian honour Padma Shri in 2018.[7]

Career

He obtained his Bachelor of Science degree and M.Sc degree from the Madras University in 1965 and 1967 respectively. He also earned his Ph.D from the same university in 1974. Later in 1975, he joined Thiagarajar College of Engineering as Lecturer and became Professor in 1998.[8]

Research

His research mainly deals with waste management specifically use of waste plastics for road and building constructions.[9][10][11]

References

  1. ^ Akash Kapur. "India's 'Plastic Man' Chemist Turns Litter Into Paved Roads – Businessweek". Businessweek.com.
  2. ^ "Solution to plastic pollution". The Hindu. 10 March 2011. Retrieved 29 September 2015.
  3. ^ "India's 'Plastic Man' and His Incredible Innovation". Logical Indian. 17 July 2015. Retrieved 29 September 2015.
  4. ^ "Why India forgot its 'plastic man' and his incredible innovation?". Planet Custodian. 14 July 2015. Retrieved 29 September 2015.
  5. ^ "Chennai professor R Vasudevan invents plastic monoblock technology?". The Economic Times. 3 January 2012. Retrieved 29 September 2015.
  6. ^ "Plastic Waste in Rural Roads Construction". PMGSY. Retrieved 29 September 2015.
  7. ^ "6 Padma awardees are pride and joy of Tamil Nadu". The Times of India. 26 January 2018. Retrieved 26 January 2018.
  8. ^ "R Vasudevan". Thiagarajar College of Engineering. Retrieved 29 September 2015.
  9. ^ Subramanian, Sribala (30 June 2016). "Plastic roads: India's radical plan to bury its garbage beneath the streets". the Guardian. Retrieved 21 August 2018.
  10. ^ Thiagarajan, Kamala (9 July 2018). "The man who paves India's roads with old plastic". the Guardian. Retrieved 21 August 2018.
  11. ^ Annamalai, S. (4 February 2012). "'Plastone' blocks have many advantages". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 21 August 2018.

External links

Recipients of Padma Shri in Science & Engineering
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