Use of recycled plastic bag waste in the concrete

Abstract

The aim of this study is to explore the possibility of re-cycling a plastic bag waste material (BBW) that is now produced in large quantities in the formulation of concrete as fine aggregate by substitution of a variable percentage of sand (10, 20, 30 and 40 %). The influence of the PBW on the fresh and hardened states properties of the concrete: workability, bulk density, ultrasonic pulse velocity testing, compressive and flexural strength of the different concretes, has been investigated and analyzed in comparison to the control concrete. The results showed that the use of PBW improves the workability and the density, reduces the compressive strength of concrete containing 10 and 20 % of waste by 10 to 24 % respectively, which have a mechanical strength acceptable for lightweight materials, remains always close to reference concrete (made without PBW). The results of this investigation consolidate the idea of the use of PBW in the field of construction, especially in the formulation of concrete