Proof of concept: Green Grass in Novel Waste Plastics Concrete to Mitigate the Effects of Climate Change

Yıl 2024, Cilt: 3 Sayı: 1, 19 - 25, 28.05.2024

John Kinuthia

Öz

The growth in population and development in industry has led to enhanced construction technologies. As a result, the need for more buildings arises which is followed by more energy consumption and more waste. Concrete is one of the most used materials in construction. However, the production of Portland cement consumes a lot of energy and produces a large amount of carbon dioxide which is emitted into the atmosphere. This in turn impacts on the ozone layer and contributes enormously to climate change. Moreover, there are huge amounts of waste, especially plastic waste, which are produced and delivered to landfill which also impacts significantly on the environment. The utilisation of waste plastic in concrete would help to mitigate the problem of waste by developing a wide range of environmental-friendly special concretes which will ensure both environmental protection and the achievement of appropriate technology. This paper looks at an innovative way of utilising waste plastics for the manufacture of unique concrete types for use in the built environment. The paper is proof of concept, being mainly to show-case one example of the many possibilities of formulating concrete for a wide range of low to medium strength applications. The paper pursues a unique example of composite concrete made from both waste plastics and bio-waste. The preliminary research combines waste plastics and wood waste – saw dust. The aim was to produce a special concrete with special character such as concrete with grass growth, for aesthetical concrete and/or for applications in sports fields or playgrounds. The concrete was made with 100% waste plastics aggregates, with saw-dust waste incorporated to support the growth of grass.

Anahtar Kelimeler

Plastics, waste, climate, concrete, environment

Destekleyen Kurum

University of South Wales (UK),

Proje Numarası

Paper 1

Teşekkür

Thanks go to Masters student Tuan Do Minh, for helping the laboratory works related to this study.

Kaynakça

• L. Gu, T. Ozbakkaloglu, “Use of recycled plastics in concrete: A critical review,” Waste Management, vol. 51, pp. 19-42, May. 2016.
• M. A. A. Aldahdooh, A. Jamrah, A. Alnuaimi, M. I. Martini, M. S. R. Ahmed, A. S. R. Ahmed, “Influence of various plastics-waste aggregates on properties of normal concrete,” Journal of Building Engineering, vol. 17, pp. 13-22, May. 2018.
• Z. Z. Ismail, E. A. Al-Hashmi, “Use of waste plastics in concrete mixtures as aggregate replacement,” Waste Management, vol. 90, pp. 524-529, Nov. 2008.
• A. S. Agar-Ozbek, J. Weeheijim, E. Schlangen and K.V. Breugel, “Investigating porous concrete with improved strength: Testing at different scales,” Construction and Building Materials, vol. 41, pp. 480-490, Apr. 2013.
• M. A. R. Bhutta, K. Tsuruta, J. Mirza, “Evaluation of high-performance porous concrete properties,” Construction and Building Materials, vol. 31, pp. 67-73, Jun. 2012.
• A. Bonicelli, F. Giustozzi, M. Crispino, “Experimental study on the effects of fine sand addition on differentially compacted pervious concrete,” Construction and Building Materials, vol. 41, pp. 480-490, Aug. 2015.
• D. Minh-Tuan, “Development of Vegetation-Friendly High Porosity Concrete for Special Applications in Construction,” MSc dissertation, University of South Wales School of Engineering, 2017.
• P. Gorak, P. Postawa, L. N. Trusilewicz, Al. Kalwik, “Cementitious eco-composites and their physicochemical/mechanical properties in Portland cement-based mortars with a lightweight aggregate manufactured by upcycling waste by-products,” Journal of Cleaner Production, vol. 289, pp. 125156, Mar. 2021.
• P. Gorak, P. Postawa, L. N. Trusilewicz, A. Łagosz, “Lightweight PET based composite aggregates in Portland cement materials - Microstructure and physicochemical performance,” Journal of Cleaner Production, vol. 34, pp. 101882, Feb. 2021.
• A. A. Mohammed, A. A. F. Rahim, “Experimental behavior and analysis of high strength concrete beams reinforced with PET waste fiber,” Construction and Building Materials, vol. 244, pp. 118350, May. 2020.
• R. H. Faraj, A. F. H. Sherwani, A. Daraei, “Mechanical, fracture and durability properties of self-compacting high strength concrete containing recycled polypropylene plastic particles,” Journal of Building Engineering, vol. 25, pp. 100808, Sep. 2019.
• E. N. British Standard. 197-1 Cement-Part 1: Composition, Specifications and Conformity Criteria for Common Cements, 2019.
• E. N. British Standard. 12390-7: Testing Hardened Concrete: Density of Hardenned Concrete, 2019.
• E. N. British Standard. 12390-3:2019: Testing Hardened Concrete. Compressive Strength of Test Specimens, 2019.
• E. N. British Standard. 771-3:2011+A1:2015: Specification for Masonry Units. Part 3: Aggregate Concrete Masonry Units (Dense and lightweight aggragtes), 2015.
• E. N. British Standard. 771-1:2011+A1:2015: Specification for Masonry Units. Part 1: Clay Masonry Units, 2015.