I am wondering about the state or the aftermath of using plastic waste aggregate in construction materials. Is the brick/concrete containing plastic waste do not have environmental impacts and safe to be used?
Chemical additives in the plastic, such as phthalates, BPA, flame retardants, heavy metal and etc. Because from my reading, these chemical additives able to leach out to the environment, however, I am not sure about the leachability potential of these chemical substances after incorporating it in concrete or brick.
Ammad Hassan Khan
Dear Hanis,
The majority of the plastics contain toxic organic and inorganic chemical constituents such as lead, cadmium, chromium, mercury, bromine, tin, antimony, bisphenol A, and chloro-ethane monomer. when added into concrete, most types of plastics (i.e. polypropylene, polyethylene) remains stable in high alkaline concrete environment and hence their leaching from concrete would not be a concern.
Check this paper: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wasman.2016.03.005
Here you will find the tests of concretes containing plastic waste aggregates
PET in polymer-cement concrete: Article Ultrasonic Quality Assessment of Polymer-Cement Concrete wit...
HDPP in polymer concrete and polymer-cement concrete: Article Effect of Introducing Recycled Polymer Aggregate on the Prop...
If you need the full text, please contact me.
Article Effect of Steel Fibers and GFRP Sheet on the Behavior of Lig...
Leaching (carrying portlandite to surface generating efflorescence) in concrete is a phenomenon that should be mitigated because it is highly unfavorable, considering chemical (pH reduction) and physical aspects (capillaries that facilitates the entry of deleterious agents). Therefore, from the dosage one should seek the best possible packaging of the mixture to produce parts with the lowest possible void index.
Dear
If the mentioned chemicals are soluble in Water, then the leaching is possible through cyclic wetting and drying processs.
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