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Feasibility study of the use of concrete blocks produced from plastic marine garbage for use in civil construction

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Abstract

The pursuit of development in an economically sustainable and ecologically sound manner is a goal of modern society. It has been investing in products that minimize their environmental impact, particularly concerning the use of plastic. This material is highly detrimental to nature due to its toxicity and long decomposition period. The present study aims to analyze the feasibility of producing blocks made of concrete with different amounts of waste plastic taken from coastal and estuarine areas. After laboratory analysis, it was found that blocks containing 5% plastic exhibit good compressive strength and are lighter. Additionally, there was an increase in the acidity of the sample, a decrease in the density of the block, and reductions in both flexural and compressive strength. The prototype, composed of 5% plastic by mass, proves to be efficient for constructing single-story houses. It meets the minimum requirements for normative resistance, effectively encapsulating the plastic within the block and thereby reducing its environmental impact.

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Acknowledgements

The authors thank Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior, Brasil (CAPES) for granting a master’s scholarship to Herbert Luis Cintra Soares. Paloma Gusso-Choueri (304855/2022-7) would like to thank the Brazilian National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq) for the productivity fellowship. The results obtained were the result of research and experimental analysis in the laboratories of Universidade Santa Cecília in Santos, São Paulo, Brazil, whose author is a student of the master’s course in Ecology at the same University.

Funding

This work was supported by (CAPES) Higher Education Personnel Improvement Coordination, code—001.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratório de Ecotoxicologia, Universidade Santa Cecília (Unisanta), R. Oswaldo Cruz, 277, Boqueirão, Santos, São Paulo, 11045-907, Brazil

    Herbert Luis Cintra Soares, Paloma Kachel Gusso Choueri & Aldo Ramos Santos

Authors
  1. Herbert Luis Cintra Soares
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  2. Paloma Kachel Gusso Choueri
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  3. Aldo Ramos Santos
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Contributions

All authors contributed to the study conception and design. Material preparation, data collection, and analysis were performed by Herbert Luis Cintra Soares, Paloma Kachel Gusso-Choueri, and Aldo Ramos Santos. The first draft of the manuscript was written by Herbert Luis Cintra Soares, and all authors commented on previous versions of the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

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Correspondence to Herbert Luis Cintra Soares.

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Soares, H.L.C., Choueri, P.K.G. & Santos, A.R. Feasibility study of the use of concrete blocks produced from plastic marine garbage for use in civil construction. Environ Sci Pollut Res (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-024-32989-5

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