Abstract
The growth in population and development in industry has led to enhanced construction technologies. As a result, the need for more buildings arises which is followed by more energy consumption and more waste. Concrete is one of the most used materials in construction. However, the production of Portland cement consumes a lot of energy and produces a large amount of carbon dioxide which is emitted into the atmosphere. This in turn impacts on the ozone layer and contributes enormously to climate change. Moreover, there are huge amounts of waste, especially plastic waste, which are produced and delivered to landfill which also impacts significantly on the environment. The utilisation of waste plastic in concrete would help to mitigate the problem of waste by developing a wide range of environmental-friendly special concretes which will ensure both environmental protection and the achievement of appropriate engineering properties of special concrete. This paper looks at an innovative way of utilising waste plastics for the manufacture of unique concrete types for use in the built environment. The paper is proof of concept, suggesting that it is possible to formulate concrete for a wide range of low to medium strength concrete applications. The paper pursues a unique example of such applications, in the investigation into the potential for composite concrete made from both waste plastics and bio-waste. The preliminary research attempts to combine waste plastics and wood waste – saw duct. The aim was to produce a special concrete that not only performs in a structural sense and has special applications such as in sports. As an extra benefit, the special green concrete also performs in the aesthetical sense.
Keywords: Plastics, waste, polypropylene, climate change; UNFCCC, Kyoto, concrete.
Keywords: Plastics, waste, polypropylene, climate change; UNFCCC, Kyoto, concrete.
Original language | English |
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Publication status | Accepted/In press - 2023 |
Keywords
- Plastics, waste, polypropylene, climate change; UNFCCC, Kyoto, concrete.