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Mechanical Properties of Concrete Blocks Incorporating Recycled Waste Plastic

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Abstract

Concrete production with waste plastics as a replacement for aggregates has continued to lead discussions on the probable solutions to plastic waste threats. However, investigation on the direct application of concrete incorporating waste plastic for the production of walling units is yet to receive the desired considerations. This study aims to evaluate the effect of fine aggregate substitution with waste plastic aggregate on concrete blocks to determine appropriate material mixes that can satisfy the requirements for application as walling material. Samples of concrete blocks were prepared using natural sand, plastic waste, cement and water at a 1:4 binder-to-aggregate ratio with consistent workability. The composite materials were tested for compressive strength, flexural strength, splitting tensile strength, elastic modulus, water absorption and sorptivity. The study found that waste PA increases the compressive strength of plastic aggregate (PA) concrete blocks at 5% PA, reaching 23.92 N/mm2 in 28 days. The splitting tensile strength of PA composites and the flexural strength of PA concrete blocks are increased by the replacement of natural sand with PET aggregate, attaining 1.5 and 11.81 N/mm2, respectively. Beyond 5% PA content, the water absorption of PA concrete blocks increased, while the sorptivity decreased with an increase in the PA content. The study indicates that the use of 5% volume of PA in the production of concrete blocks can substantially enhance mechanical properties and water absorption. This production technique can help the construction industry safely use recycled waste PA in the production of masonry units with enhanced mechanical properties and improved resilience in wet environments.

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Data Availability

Data sets generated during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

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Acknowledgements

The authors thank the Nigeria Building and Road Research Institute for supporting this research project with lab facilities. Sincere appreciation to Oki Gbeyega and Engr. Bello for their great service in the lab.

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  1. Hosea Shamang Yohanna

    Present address: Department of Building Technology, Bells University of Technology, Ota, Nigeria

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Building Technology, Bells University of Technology, Ota, Nigeria

    Uche Emmanuel Edike & Innocent Chigozie Osuizugbo

  2. Department of Building, University of Lagos, Lagos, Nigeria

    Oko John Ameh

  3. Department of Building, Covenant University, Ota, Nigeria

    David Obinna Nduka

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  1. Uche Emmanuel Edike
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  2. Oko John Ameh
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  3. Hosea Shamang Yohanna
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Contributions

UEE: conceptualization, methodology, and formal analysis; OJA: supervision and project administration; HSY: data curation and writing review; ICO: writing review and editing; DON: data curation and editing.

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Correspondence to Uche Emmanuel Edike.

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Edike, U.E., Ameh, O.J., Yohanna, H.S. et al. Mechanical Properties of Concrete Blocks Incorporating Recycled Waste Plastic. Mater Circ Econ 6, 10 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s42824-024-00101-4

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