An investigation of manufacturing technique and characterization of low-density polyethylene waste base bricks

Abstract

Plastic waste is accumulated in recent years, causing environmental problems, particularly in developing nations. Recycling this waste as building materials is considered as a feasible solution to the environmental issue, but it is also a feasible solution to the issue of building economic design. This research aims to study the possibility of using plastic waste in the manufacture of unconventional bricks that are light in weight, environmentally friendly, inexpensive, and as an alternative to traditional bricks made from fossilized clays for use in the construction industries. In this paper, we use the remnants of medical syringes made of low-density polyethylene and two types of additives were added sawdust and sand in different proportions. The melting and moulding process was used in manufacturing. Testing has been conducted to identify hardness, density, water absorption, compressive strength and also to determine morphology properties by FTIR and SEM. The results showed that bricks made of plastic and sawdust gave a high compressive strength of 66Ϻpa at 20% of sawdust higher than bricks made of plastic and sand with a value of 61Ϻpa at 60% of sand. In both cases, they gave a higher compressive strength than ordinary bricks, as well as a very low absorption rate. The density was very low, especially with sawdust, where the highest value was 0.8985 g/cm3of pure polymer, and for sand, it was 1.4321 g/cm3 at 60% of sand and it gave good hardness values. The FTIR results showed that there is no chemical reaction, but only a physical reaction between the polymer and the additives, and through SEM, it was observed that there is homogeneity between the polymer and the additives. As a result, the study presents a new line of investigation into the sustainable recycling of the circular economy of waste thermoplastics.