The idea of using old plastic bottles to create building materials sounds like a good idea - fewer tree cut down, fewer bottles in landfill, Burt that is only part of the picture.
What about the processing of those materials - chemicals used, waste produced, pollution created, etc. - does reusing/re-purposing create a harmful impact on the environment? Do those materials leech harmful chemicals into the soil/ground water over time? Do they off-gas in a way that's harmful to people, animals or the air we breathe?
I'm preparing an article about this topic and would appreciate any thoughts form those who study these composite materials used in the construction of buildings. All benefits/disadvantages welcome.
Any recommendations for research papers on this topic are also appreciated.
Thank you!
Hi Margo.
Use of plastic waste is very popular in recent years. So you can look at the studies https://scholar.google.com.tr/scholar?as_ylo=2017&q=use+of+plastic+waste+in+concrete&hl=en&as_sdt=0,5
additionally, you can search the similar studies with "plastic recycling aggregate, use of plastic waste in concrete/construction materials etc." in google scholar.
Moreover, some enery saving applications are used in developing countries. You can look at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aXdM8wJ0Hm0
good luck
Hi Margo
The use of waste materials is increasingly becoming a hot topic. The key parameter is the life-cycle cost of using such material, from retrieval of the material, its use, and end-of-life recycling. Plastic are very harmful to the environment as they are no biodegradable.
Best wishes
What I have learned so far tells me that there is more qualitative and quantitative research and data coming out of Europe than the U.S., mostly because the cost of tracking LCA is so high. Companies/industries here seem to be picking portions of the life cycle to study, not doing "cradle-to-grave" evaluations. Comparing three or four parts of a 12 part process is hardly going to provide an accurate picture.That's leaves a lot "unkown."
On top of that, the willingness to move from familiar materials that are relatively plentiful (e.g. concrete) and choose the unfamiliar requires people (institutions) and processes to change "business as usual." And if there is any industry more stuck in the past than the construction industry, I don't know what it could be - in the United States that is.
I have my work cut out for me!
additionally, the plastic bottles are thermo-plastic material that is, the wastes can be used again as a new plastic material after heating, injection into mold and cooling, in lower quailty than first product. so, there is a monetary value as a raw material
Margo
I agree with you said. The other problem in the construction industry for example is that of complacency.... since they are making a profit and what they know works, then why bother investing in recovering and reusing waste materials. As you rightly said, the cost of tracking LCA is very high. The only way to change the culture is through legislation and taxation, which is the way things are heading to.
I just learned about an interesting development in this area - Sandy Springs, Georgia banned wood "construction more than three stories high and larger than 100,000 square feet as of Aug. 16" and "that curve ball took the industry by surprise."
It seems that complacency is going to be knocked around by municipalities who aren't a stuck in a business-as-usual mindset. Gotta love those rebels ;-)
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