In the Union Budget 2011-12, a full exemption from the basic customs duty was extended to the biobased asphalt (Bioasphalt). What is the importance of this material? 1) Unlike traditional asphalt, bio-asphalt is not based on fossil fuels. 2) Bioasphalt can be made from non- renewable resources. 3) Bioasphalt can be made from organic waste materials. 4) It is eco-friendly to use Bioasphalt for surfacing of the roads. Which of the statements given above are correct?

Bioasphalt is a binder made from renewable biomass, such as vegetable oils, lignin, and bio-oils from organic or agricultural waste, in place of crude-oil bitumen. The 2011-12 Budget exempted it from basic customs duty to encourage its domestic use. Work through the statements.

• Statement 1 is correct. Conventional asphalt is a residue of petroleum refining, so it is fossil-based. Bioasphalt is not.
• Statement 2 is wrong. Bioasphalt is made from renewable feedstock, not non-renewable resources. That is the whole point of the product.
• Statement 3 is correct. Organic waste can be converted into bio-oil and then into bioasphalt, which also helps with waste management.
• Statement 4 is correct. It lowers the carbon footprint of road building and reduces dependence on imported bitumen, which is a Mains point on sustainable infrastructure.

The correct combination is 1, 3 and 4, so the answer is B.

Trap: Aspirants often accept "bio" as automatically meaning renewable and then mark statement 2 as correct by reflex. Read each statement against the actual feedstock, not the prefix.