Performance of Plastic Waste as a Sustainable Alternative to Fine Aggregate in Concrete

In this experimental study, discarded plastics serve as an interim replacement material for high-quality aggregates within cement mixtures. Our objective involves identifying the optimal proportion of recycled plastics incorporated into cement mixtures for enhancing their strength without compromising performance metrics. An inventive project to lessen the impact of plastic waste on the environment is the substitution of waste plastic granules for fine aggregate. In this experiment, we varied the amount of waste plastic 0%, 20%, 25%, 30%, and 35% to substitute the fine aggregate in M-25 grade concrete for the purpose of determine its effective content based on strength parameters. Our study examined both the fluidity of freshly poured concrete and its tensile strength after hardening. The findings demonstrated that the amount of waste granules aggregate in the concrete mix raised, degree of workability lower down. A gradual raises of waste plastic granules trigger a slight increase in flexural strength but a decline in compressive resistance as related to regular concrete with no waste plastic (0%). However, it was discovered that the concrete achieved notable strength properties at effective waste plastic contents of 20% and 25%. A 2% of silica fume mineral admixture is subsequently used in the replacement concrete based on the compressive strength result. As a result, the compressive strength was marginally higher than it would have been without the admixture.