Utilization of recycled PET plastic waste as replacement of coarse aggregate in pervious concrete

Abstract

This study aimed to determine the effects of using plastic waste as a natural coarse aggregate replacement in pervious concrete with different sizes of coarse aggregate. The plastic waste used in this experiment was of the Polyethylene Perephtalate (PET) type obtained from the mineral water bottles. The plastic waste was formed to be similar to the natural coarse aggregate sizes of 5–10 mm and 10–20 mm, replacing 5% of the coarse aggregate in pervious concrete. In order to obtain the appropriate proportions, three ratios of aggregate: cement (2:1, 3:1, and 4:1) were used in the preliminary experimental stage. The aggregate: cement ratio of 3:1 was then evaluated by including the addition of the recycled PET plastic aggregate in the compressive strength and void ratio tests. Based on the results, it was found that the pervious concrete containing 5% of recycled plastic aggregate improved on the 7th day in terms of compressive strength. However, on the 28th day, the compressive strength was observed to be comparable with the pervious concrete. The void ratio test showed that the use of plastic waste can increase the percentage of connected voids compared to the pervious concrete control. Furthermore, the use of recycled PET plastic waste, when properly proportioned and treated, can be used in pavement areas and other forms of construction where there are light loads.