Experimental Investigation of Plastic Waste Effect on Concrete Mechanical and Durability Properties

Abstract

Waste plastic is one of the materials that cause pollution and damage to the environment, since it is considered a non-biodegradable material because it does not decompose and is not subject to dissolution, whether in soil or water, even after the passage of time. The problems caused by burning plastic materials are the release of toxic gases, which lead to the emergence of many health problems. There is a method that can be considered economical and healthy, in order to get rid of plastic waste, which is to add plastic to concrete, either as a replacement for fine aggregate materials such as sand or coarse aggregate materials such as gravel, or adding plastic in the form of fiber. In this paper, plastic is added to concrete in the form of sand. The object of this investigation is to examine the influences of waste plastics as a fine aggregate replacement with the percentage of 0, 2, 4, 6, 8, and 10% on concrete mechanical characteristics (slump, compressive, splitting, flexural strength, and water absorption) at 28 days. The results have indicated that plastic waste lower concrete characteristics. The highest percentage of decrease obtained from the tests is for 10% of plastic waste, as 16.9, 19.1, and 17.6% respectively for compressive, splitting, and flexural strength.