Studies on strength aspect and effectıve use of medical face mask to make a sustainable green fiber reinforced concrete

Year 2025, Volume: 43 Issue: 1, 260 - 268, 28.02.2025

Karthiga Shenbagam Natarajan Raja Priya P Kannan V

Abstract

In the current scenario, face masks (FMs) are widely employed for personal protection against diseases, and similar materials find applications in the medical industry. However, the non-biodegradable nature of face masks poses challenges in their disposal. This study primarily focuses on the effective utilization of face masks in concrete manufacturing as a supplementary material to enhance flexural properties. Two types of fibers, namely medical face mask fiber (FMF) and basalt fiber (BF), were incorporated into the casting of concrete specimens using reused aggregates. FMFs were utilized in varying proportions of 0%, 0.05%, 0.1%, 0.15%, 0.2%, and 0.25%, while BFs were employed in proportions of 0%, 0.25%, and 0.5%. To mitigate the environmental impact of CO2 emissions during cement production, the research involves partial replacement of cement with waste materials from industries. The test results revealed that the incorporation of these waste materials in concrete significantly increased compressive strength by approximately 14%, split tensile strength by 27%, and flexural strength by 63%. Microstructural analysis indicated an improvement in the quality of the inter-transition zone by using these waste materials.

Keywords

Blast Furnace, Compressive Strength, Eco-Friendly Fly Ash, Face Mask

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