Fresh and hardened properties of concrete containing different forms of plastic waste - A review

Abstract

It is a fact that plastic packages are widely used over the world. This large-scale consumption has resulted in a decrease of the initial resources used to manufacture the packages and has made it more of a challenge to dispose the increased amount of solid plastic wastes. Plastic waste is one of the most significant types of waste materials in the world, owing to its non-degradation and low biodegradability. The presence of large quantities of plastic waste has led to a number of environmental problems. Various researches have already been conducted to find a safe and environmentally friendly solution for the disposal of plastic wastes. Recently, different types of plastic have been incorporated into concrete mixtures because of its long service life and lower weight in order to eliminate or reduce environmental problems. This paper presents an overview of previously published research papers, which is investigating the use of different types of plastic wastes in concrete mixtures. In addition, a global view is summarized regarding the effects of plastic waste on fresh, mechanical, thermal, and acoustical properties of concrete.

Keywords: Mechanical properties; Modified concrete; Solid waste plastic; Thermal conductivity; Workability.