Utilization of Waste Materials for Making Plastic Bricks

Abstract

Currently, due to urbanization, there has been a notable rise in the use of plastic in our daily lives, owing to its widespread utility and popularity. However, its non-biodegradable nature presents a significant drawback. One potential solution for recycling plastic waste involves creating plastic bricks by blending plastic with sand, offering a substitute for conventional bricks. The primary challenge lies in managing plastic waste, particularly as continued reuse of PET bottles carries the risk of carcinogenic transformation, with only a small percentage currently being recycled. To address this issue, PET bottles are meticulously cleaned and combined with fine aggregate (sand) at various ratios (3:7, 2:3, 1:1) to produce high-quality brick blocks with excellent thermal and acoustic insulation properties. This environmentally friendly approach tackles the non-biodegradability problem of plastics while reducing the overall cost of construction and pollution. The resulting bricks exhibit high compressive strength, minimal water absorption, and thermal resistance, rendering them suitable for diverse applications. Increasing the sand-to-plastic ratio enhances the strength of the bricks, ensuring durability with minimal water absorption and no efflorescence. This method shows promise in recycling plastic waste and mitigating its environmental impact. Furthermore, various tests including split tensile strength test, penetration test, and specific gravity were conducted to validate the efficacy of the approach. Key Word: PET (polyethylene terephthalate), compressive strength, water absorption, split tensile strength test, efflorescence, specific gravity test