Abstract
Polypropylene (PP) is one of the most widely produced types of plastic worldwide, but its recycling is limited. This work presents a study of the utilization of expanded polypropylene (EPP) waste in a magnesium oxychloride cement (MOC) composite usable in the building industry. MOC is formed by mixing magnesium oxide powder and a concentrated solution of magnesium chloride and is characterized by excellent bonding ability to large quantities of different types of aggregates. A developed air-cured MOC composite, where an EPP-based aggregate was used for the full replacement of natural aggregate, was investigated in terms of its basic physical, mechanical, thermal and water resistance properties. The results demonstrate that incorporation of EPP waste greatly improved the thermal insulation properties, while the mechanical resistance was reduced to an acceptable level. The developed MOC composite containing EPP waste can be considered as an alternative thermal insulation material applicable for the construction of floor or envelope construction systems.
Highlights
As a result of the use of plastics in a wide range of products, a huge amount of plastic waste is being generated every year
Expanded polypropylene is generally characterized by low weight, high strength-to-weight ratio, thermal and sound insulation properties, good chemical resistance, and burning with the absence of non-toxic gas release compared to polystyrene foam [28]
Waste plastic-based aggregate was employed for full replacement of natural silica aggregate and expressed in vol %, i.e., expanded polypropylene (EPP) was applied in an amount equivalent to 150% by volume of silica sand
Summary
As a result of the use of plastics in a wide range of products, a huge amount of plastic waste is being generated every year. In terms of plastic demand by polymer type (Figure 1), Europe was the leader in 2016 with respect to polypropylene (PP), with 19.3% [2,3]. If polymer waste cannot be recycled, energy recovery is the preferred option. The least preferred option, should be avoided at all cost [3]. In Europe, in ten years (2006–2016), plastic waste recycling has increased by almost 80%, and for the first time, in 2016, more plastic waste was recycled (31.1%) than landfilled (27.3%). Due to the ban on landfilling of plastic waste in some European countries, recycling is unevenly distributed among the states of Europe [2].
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