12 - Production of sustainable concrete composites comprising waste metalized plastic fibers and palm oil fuel ash

Abstract

Among the potential solutions to a cleaner environment is to minimize the consumption of nonbiodegradable materials and to reduce wastes. The generation and disposal of waste plastics cause severe impacts on the environment. The utilization of solid waste in sustainable constructions has gathered increasing attention due to the lower cost of wastes along with a reduced requirement for landfills. This chapter investigates the feasibility of utilizing waste metalized plastic (WMP) fibers used for food packaging and palm oil fuel ash (POFA) in concrete in terms of physical and mechanical properties. Six fiber volume fractions of 0%–1.25% were used for ordinary Portland cement (OPC) mixtures. In addition, same dosages of fibers were used in mixes with 20% POFA. The results showed that WMP fibers together with POFA reduced the workability of concretes. It has also been found that by adding WMP fibers to the concrete mixtures that the compressive strength decreased for both OPC and POFA mixes at an early stage. Despite having a longer curing time, the mixes contain POFA attained compressive strength greater than those of OPC mixes. The mixture of WMP fibers and POFA subsequently enhanced the tensile and flexural strengths, thereby increasing the ductility as well as the higher impact resistance of concrete. In addition, water absorption, sorptivity, and chloride penetration depth were reduced for concrete mixes incorporating WMP fibers and POFA. The study revealed that the WMP fibers have potential to be used in sustainable concrete by improving the mechanical properties.