Using waste from paint manufacturing in concrete

Abstract

Cement is the main binder material of the most used construction material known as concrete. However, to produce cement, a large amount of CO2 is produced, which drives the search for alternative fillers and binders in concrete. This has led to the investigation into the possibility of using waste from the paint industry in concrete. The waste was used as both cement and sand replacement in concrete to increase the possibility of finding an application for the waste material. The paint waste material used in this study is referred to as “filter cake” and can be collected from the settlement of the wash water after cleaning the mixing tanks used for a production run of a certain paint. Experiments were conducted to determine the influence of the paint waste material on the fresh and hardened properties of a conventional concrete. A process of milling was used to control particle size. Compressive, tensile and oxygen permeability tests were implemented to determine the influence on hardened state properties; slump and setting time test for influence on fresh state properties. The results show a negative influence on the fresh properties as well as hardened state properties of concrete, especially at high replacement percentages. An exception was the permeability, which decreased with the addition of the paint waste, indicating a possible improvement in durability. At low replacement percentages of up to 5%, the results show that the paint waste can be used in concrete without any significant negative influence on the fresh and hardened properties of the concrete.