Producing sustainable concrete with plastic waste: A review

Abstract

Plastics are cheap, lightweight, versatile, and readily accessible material. The utilization of plastic has become a necessary facet of our day-to-day lives, and its production has risen exponentially in the last 50 years. As a result, there is an increase in the generation of waste related to plastic that leads to undermining the environment. This encourages researchers to use this waste in concrete manufacturing as a sustainable material. However, this paper reviews recent research on how the utilization of recycled plastic in concrete is an effective solution to enhance sound and thermal insulation. The aggregate comprises the largest and heaviest portion of concrete, which accounts for 85% of its weight. Besides, the plastic has a low density compared to the aggregate. As a result, the use of plastic waste as a partial replacement (50% to 75%) for the total aggregate significantly boosts the efficiency of thermal and sound lightweight concrete insulation. In addition, the cost of its manufacturing is drastically diminishing in comparison to that of ordinary concrete, and plastic can be installed and utilized quickly with less labor due to its lightweight nature. Plastic waste may be considered a typical material for the production of lightweight green concrete that can be used as a non-structural component in building construction.

Keywords

• Concrete
• Economic
• Plastic waste
• Sustainability
• Lightweight concrete
• Insulation