Online Reporter
The Midlands State University (MSU), working jointly with the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructural Development and the Research Council of Zimbabwe (RCZ), has produced a coal tar for road construction, which is a substitute for bitumen, which the country is importing.
The tar, which is made of crude oil from Hwange coking ovens and recycled chrysotile from Shabanie-Mashava mines costs U$0,70 per litre compared to US2,50 per litre for imported bitumen. This is definitely a game changer for the country’s road construction as it will drastically reduce costs.
The new product is expected to be used for the first time on the ongoing resealing of the Kwekwe-Gokwe Road, to test its effectiveness. The coal tar is an environmentally friendly road binder, which is expected to substitute the costly imported bitumen once the country starts producing enough quantities to meet demand.
Speaking at the just ended Zimbabwe International Trade Fair (ZITF), Ministry of Transport chief research and testing officer, Mr Actor Zonde said the MSU innovation was a game changer in road construction. He said the new product, which is a combination of coal tar and recycled chrysotile fibres, outperforms traditional road construction materials.
He said the road binder addresses environmental and health concerns associated with existing coal tar variations. “Through silicate catalysis, we have slashed toxic polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) emissions,” said Mr Zonde.
Preliminary results show that the new product is highly resistant to bleeding and cracking and the Department of Roads plans to expand its use to pothole patching.
The MSU like other institutions of higher learning across the country, has responded to President Mnangagwa’s call for graduates to produce tangible goods and services. President Mnangagwa has said on many fora that students from universities and colleges should no longer pride themselves in having paper qualifications, but should be able to produce something tangible, which demonstrates knowledge acquired.
He has said the education system should adequately empower graduates to be self-sustaining, to enable them to contribute to national development.
According to President Mnangagwa, paper qualification can be futile if graduates cannot produce something tangible and as such the nation should not celebrate paper qualification but goods and services produced by graduates.
It is therefore pleasing to note that since the adoption of Education 5.0, the country’s universities and colleges are now leading the nation’s industrialisation programme. The institutions of higher learning are not only churning out graduates that meet societal demands but are also establishing innovation hubs and constructing industrial parks.
The National University of Science and Technology (Nust) for example is driving Bulawayo’s re-industrialisation, Chinhoyi University of Technology (CUT) is doing the same in Mashonaland West province while MSU is also playing a leading role in the Midlands province. The other universities and colleges across the country are also playing their role in accelerating the country’s industrialisation and this is as it should be.
