Using Zym-Tec™ reduces the carbon footprint of road projects significantly and more importantly it can be used with any existing onsite soil that requires stabilisationAlon Globus, Director, i-Tec-India
The world is increasingly adopting sustainable technologies and encouraging the use of eco-friendly building materials in the construction and maintenance of roads and highways in its bid to fight the growing threat of global warming by reducing the carbon footprints of infrastructure development projects.  Ironically in India, which boasts of the second largest road network in the world after the US, sustainable road construction technologies (many of them tried-and-tested the world over) are yet to find broad-based acceptance in the domestic market, while many others are still under testing in various laboratories and sites, to prove their efficacy and suitability for use in Indian conditions.  While there is no dearth of road & highway development projects given the government’s ongoing thrust on infrastructure development, does this situation point to a general lack of sensitivity and awareness among road construction companies and government agencies on the pressing need to adopt eco-friendly construction technologies and build sustainable projects? Sample Savings using ZYM-TEC™– Road per 1 Km road – 8,000 M2• 7,600 fewer m3 material transport – 95 per cent• 13,680 tons fewer to transport – 95 per cent• 900 Truckloads saved (20 km. each) – 95 per cent• 22 days shorter project span – 75per cent shorter “There is awareness but also a lot of apprehension about using new eco-friendly technologies in road construction in India,” feels Alon Globus, Director, i-Tec-India, a fast upcoming player in the sustainable road construction segment with its flagship product, Zym-Tec™, a unique non-toxic, environment-friendly, enzyme-based soil stabilisation technology that delivers sustainable roads at a fraction of the usual construction cost.        Asked about his views on the possible reasons behind this hesitation, given the fact that many of these technologies have been around for a while now, Globus states, “A majority of the decision-making agencies involved in road construction projects here ranging from public sector companies to BOT firms are apprehensive because there is no clear-cut directive/policy from the government on the use of such technologies. Secondly, the government itself has been unable to achieve significant carbon credits in this domain that could be converted into hard currency”. A group company of INR 800-crore Sunil Hi-Tech Engineers Ltd, i-Tec India is also the sole agent of Israel-based i-Tec-W Ltd., a global company that holds the patent in 96 countries for its state-of-the-art soil stabilization technology and is a leading player in the manufacture of eco-friendly building materials including bricks, roof tiles and paved blocks among other products.   So how does the company’s flagship product, Zym-Tec™, compare with the existing eco-friendly technologies and products being used in the domestic market to reduce the carbon footprints of road development projects?  “Using Zym-Tec™ reduces the carbon footprint of road projects significantly and more importantly it can be used with any existing onsite soil that requires stabilisation,” stresses Globus.”Unlike the traditional/existing technology, we don’t do excavation and material replacement. The main reduction of (Carbon dioxide) CO2 is contributed by burning less diesel during excavation, removing the material to other side, digging for new material and bringing it to the site and laying it down. “Zym-Tec™ is a green product made primarily from fermented vegetable extracts and sugar molasses and is ready for use once it’s diluted with water onsite,” he adds. “We use less diesel while transporting the material to the site unlike other stabilisers which are used in huge amounts and require trucks for transportation. The increased use of readily available onsite materials translates to about 9,000 fewer tons to transport resulting in saving about 600 truckloads of transporting materials to and from the site, or about 80,000 k of CO2”. Zym-Tec™ other major contribution to reducing carbon footprints of projects is by way of its unique application method. “The use of Zym-Tec™ reduces the need for construction by up to 50 per cent,” informs Globus. “For example, a Zym-Tec™ road requires far fewer layers as compared to the multiple layers required for constructing a road using conventional techniques. “We also get significant additional reduction in the carbon footprint of the heavy machinery onsite, since the application of this technology requires no specialised machinery or construction procedure and the standard method for the construction of a gravel layer is followed using a water truck, motor grader and a compactor/grader. Further Zym-Tec™ allows the recycling and utilisation of a wide variety of waste materials generated by ongoing projects which also helps in the reduction of carbon footprint in a scientific manner.”        By effectively reducing the need for construction, the use of heavy machinery and the dependence on external raw materials, Zym-Tec™ also offers a significant cost advantage which is yet another appealing characteristic of this technology. “The use of Zym-Tec™ ensures an overall project cost reduction of anywhere between 15-20 per cent in the total cost of construction, while the maintenance cost would be reduced by another 75-85 per cent,” explains Globus. According to him, given that there is an achievement in superior strength parameters at the base level of a Zym-Tec™ road, a further reduction in the bitumen layer is also possible, allowing for a further saving in surfacing costs.          With so much to offer in terms of its inherent environment-friendly attributes and reduced cost & maintenance benefits that are a major advantage in a price-sensitive market like India, how has the domestic market responded in terms of adopting this IRC approved, enzyme-based soil stabilisation technology in their projects?  “The  Indian market is still conservative in its approach to new technologies and therefore the adoption process is taking a long time,” avers Globus. Adding, “Thus far we have done small projects (sample/ test) in India and are in the process of finalising new projects for about 3 and half lakh sq mtrs over the next 6 months. We plan to triple this figure in 2013.” Having said that what is going to be the company’s strategy going forward to ensure that Zym-Tec™ becomes an integral part of sustainable road development projects in India? “Our strategy is based on ‘Seeing is Believing’, since Zym-Tec™ is a new technology. Quite clearly we still have a long way to go since India is a traditional market,” admits Globus. “Most road contractors here have plenty of projects but are either unaware or unwilling to use new technology in the absence of proper guidelines and recommendations from the authorities.   “However we believe in and trust our product completely,” adds Globus. “We are confident in our ability to make better quality roads and in much lesser time which will allow the government to meet its promise of constructing 20 kms of new roads daily. From the technical point of view, the method of constructing roads hasn’t changed much over the last 2000 years, since the Romans built the first roads. Our real challenge here is to introduce a greener and cleaner way of building roads and ensure that the market accepts it.”