Recycle Plastic Beads Utilized in Concrete Mix Design

Felipe Mota Ruiz*, Paulo Ignacio* and Horng-Jyh Yang, Civil Engineering, WVU Tech, Beckley, WV 25801

Field (Broad Category): Engineering (Oral-Science & Technology)

Student’s Major: Civil Engineering 

Concrete is one of the most used construction materials in the civil engineering industry throughout the world. Columns, beams, slabs, walls, and pavements are just a few examples of structures that are basically made from concrete. A concrete mix is basically a proportion of cement, water, coarse aggregate (gravel) and fine aggregate (sand). While these materials are vastly available in the world, the overutilization of the fine aggregate (sand) has led to the extraction restrictions in some countries due to environmental concern. Finding a substitute for sand in the concrete mix became a challenge imposed on material scientists and civil engineers. The alternative solution in this research is the “recycle plastic” material that has similar physical properties to substitute the fine aggregate in concrete mixes. The consequences of the single-use plastics and the lack of a recycling consciousness in many societies turned used plastic waste into the biggest environmental threat of the modern world. In addition to reducing the use of sand, the recycle plastic materials applied in the concrete mix can also solve the biggest challenge in waste management. The purpose of this research is to evaluate the feasibility and its economic, social and environmental impacts of recycling plastics, as a substitute for fine aggregates in concrete mixes. The aspects of concrete mixes analyzed are the compressive strength, tensile strength and workability, which are the quality requirements that will determine the marketability of this effort. 

Funding: 

Program/mechanism supporting research/creative efforts: Capstone Course Within my Department