Development of extrusion based artificial lightweight aggregates from sand-plastic waste composite for sustainable concrete production: Performance evaluation and Life Cycle Assessment
Source abstract
Abstract
The growing global challenges of plastic waste management and the depletion of natural aggregates in construction necessitate innovative sustainable solutions. To address these, this study investigates a sustainable solution by introducing novel artificial lightweight aggregates developed by extruding a 1:1 mix of polypropylene plastic waste and sand. The developed aggregates were used to replace natural coarse aggregates (NCA) at 0 %, 30 %, 50 %, 70 %, and 100 %. At 30 % replacement, the concrete retained 84.5 % compressive strength (18.6 MPa), suitable for structural use, while 100 % replacement reduced strength by 52 % (10.5 MPa), suitable for non-structural applications. Tensile strength and flexural strength showed 34.17 % and 20 % reduction at full replacement, respectively. A comprehensive Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) demonstrated potential for reducing the overall environmental impact of concrete production such as a 54.83 % reduction in Global Warming Potential. This research demonstrates an innovative valorization of extrusion technology for effective plastic waste recycling for sustainable production and consumption in the construction industry.
Source: openalex_inverted_index · Quality: baseline
Research context
OpenAlex topics: Recycled Aggregate Concrete Performance · Innovations in Concrete and Construction Materials · Innovative concrete reinforcement materials
SciVX discovery tags are terminology-based. OpenAlex topics are source-provided classifications.
References (61)
Show source-provided references
1. Performance evaluation of plastic concrete modified with E-waste plastic as a partial replacement of coarse aggregate10.3390/ma15010175 ↗
2. Effect of waste electronic plastic and silica fume on mechanical properties and thermal performance of concrete10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2021.122952 ↗
3. Novel lightweight concrete containing manufactured plastic aggregate10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2017.05.011 ↗
4. Production of recycled plastic aggregates and its utilization in concrete10.1061/(ASCE)MT.1943-5533.0001765 ↗
5. Construction of green concrete incorporating fabricated plastic aggregate from waste processing10.3390/su15054114 ↗
6. ASTM C29/C29M-23, Test Method for Bulk Density (Unit Weight) and Voids in Aggregate, 2023. 〈https://doi.org/10.1520/C0029_C0029M-23〉.10.1520/C0029_C0029M-23 ↗
7. ASTM C39/C39M-21, Test Method for Compressive Strength of Cylindrical Concrete Specimens, 2021. 〈https://doi.org/10.1520/C0039_C0039M-21〉.10.1520/C0039_C0039M-21 ↗
8. ASTM C88-13, Test Method for Soundness of Aggregates by Use of Sodium Sulfate or Magnesium Sulfate, 2013. 〈https://doi.org/10.1520/C0088-13〉.10.1520/C0088-13 ↗
9. ASTM C127-24, Test Method for Relative Density (Specific Gravity) and Absorption of Coarse Aggregate, 2024. 〈https://doi.org/10.1520/C0127-24〉.10.1520/C0127-24 ↗
10. ASTM C131-06, Test Method for Resistance to Degradation of Small-Size Coarse Aggregate by Abrasion and Impact in the Los Angeles Machine, 2006. 〈https://doi.org/10.1520/C0131-06〉.10.1520/C0131-06 ↗
11. ASTM C136-06, Test Method for Sieve Analysis of Fine and Coarse Aggregates, 2006. 〈https://doi.org/10.1520/C0136-06〉.10.1520/C0136-06 ↗
12. ASTM C138/C138M-17a, Test Method for Density (Unit Weight), Yield, and Air Content (Gravimetric) of Concrete, 2017. 〈https://doi.org/10.1520/C0138_C0138M-17A〉.10.1520/C0138_C0138M-17A ↗
13. ASTM C143/C143M-12, Test Method for Slump of Hydraulic-Cement Concrete, 2012, 〈https://doi.org/10.1520/C0143_C0143M-12〉.10.1520/C0143_C0143M-12 ↗
14. ASTM C150-07, Specification for Portland Cement, 2007, 〈https://doi.org/10.1520/C0150-07〉.10.1520/C0150-07 ↗
15. ASTM C192/C192M-14, Practice for Making and Curing Concrete Test Specimens in the Laboratory, 2014, 〈https://doi.org/10.1520/C0192_C0192M-14〉.10.1520/C0192_C0192M-14 ↗
16. ASTM C293/C293M-16, C293/C293M Standard Test Method for Flexural Strength of Concrete (Using Simple Beam With Center-Point Loading) (Withdrawn )2025, n.d. Retrieved 29 March 2025〈https://store.astm.org/c0293_c0293m-16.html〉.
17. ASTM C496-96, Test Method for Splitting Tensile Strength of Cylindrical Concrete Specimens1996, 〈https://doi.org/10.1520/C0496-96〉.10.1520/C0496-96 ↗
18. ASTM C597-22, Test Method for Pulse Velocity Through Concrete2022, 〈https://doi.org/10.1520/C0597-22〉.10.1520/C0597-22 ↗
19. ASTM C1585-20, Test Method for Measurement of Rate of Absorption of Water by Hydraulic-Cement Concretes2020, 〈https://doi.org/10.1520/C1585-20〉.10.1520/C1585-20 ↗
20. ASTM D3398-00, Test Method for Index of Aggregate Particle Shape and Texture, 2000, 〈https://doi.org/10.1520/D3398-00〉.10.1520/D3398-00 ↗
21. ASTM D4791-19, Test Method for Flat Particles, Elongated Particles, or Flat and Elongated Particles in Coarse Aggregate, 2019, 〈https://doi.org/10.1520/D4791-19〉.10.1520/D4791-19 ↗
22. ASTM D5821-13, Test Method for Determining the Percentage of Fractured Particles in Coarse Aggregate, 2017〈https://doi.org/10.1520/D5821-13R17〉.10.1520/D5821-13R17 ↗
23. Examining polyethylene terephthalate (PET) as artificial coarse aggregates in concrete10.28991/cej-2020-03091626 ↗
24. Recycled aggregate from C&D waste & its use in concrete – a breakthrough towards sustainability in construction sector: a review10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2014.07.003 ↗
25. Mechanical and physical properties and morphology of concrete containing plastic waste as aggregate10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2020.119559 ↗
26. Use of recycled aggregates for low carbon and cost effective concrete construction10.1016/j.jclepro.2018.04.090 ↗
27. Compared environmental and economic impact from cradle to gate of concrete with natural and recycled coarse aggregates10.1016/j.jclepro.2017.06.057 ↗
28. Light-weight concrete with artificial aggregate manufactured from plastic waste
29. Effects of waste electronic plastic and marble dust on hardened properties of high strength concrete10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2020.120928 ↗
30. A review on the influence of recycled plastic aggregate on the engineering properties of concrete
31. Behavior of concrete incorporating waste plastic as fine aggregate subjected to compression, impact load and bond resistance10.1080/19648189.2020.1798287 ↗
32. Evaluation of cement paste cylinder preparation methods for mechanical property measurements10.1520/JTE20180798 ↗
33. Effect of polypropylene plastic on concrete properties as a partial replacement of stone and brick aggregate
34. Studying sustainable concrete block efficiency production: a review10.31026/j.eng.2023.09.10 ↗
35. Recycled plastic as an aggregate in concrete
36. High strength rubberized porous concrete for sustainable pavements: engineering properties and life cycle assessment10.1016/j.jclepro.2024.142012 ↗
37. Effect of recycled plastic aggregates on concrete10.21275/v5i6.NOV164227 ↗
38. Effect of incorporation of high volume of recycled concrete aggregates and fly ash on the strength and global warming potential of concrete10.1016/j.jclepro.2017.07.236 ↗
39. Plastic waste in the marine environment: a review of sources, occurrence and effects10.1016/j.scitotenv.2016.05.084 ↗
40. Evalutions of strengths, impact and energy capacity of two-way concrete slabs incorprating waste plastic10.1016/j.jksues.2020.09.007 ↗
41. Compressive strength-ultrasonic pulse velocity relationship of concrete containing plastic waste10.1088/1757-899X/978/1/012010 ↗
42. Some properties of concrete with plastic aggregate derived from shredded PVC sheets10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2018.12.145 ↗
43. Drop weight impact test on prepacked aggregate fibrous concrete—an experimental study10.3390/ma15093096 ↗
44. Environmental life cycle assessment of lightweight concrete to support recycled materials selection for sustainable design10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2016.05.042 ↗
45. Engineering properties of different fiber-reinforced metakaolin-red mud based geopolymer mortars10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2023.131496 ↗
46. Plastics Europe, The Circular Economy for Plastics – A European Analysis 2024, 2024.
47. Surface modified synthetic plastic aggregate for concrete – experimental and analytical studies
48. Non-destructive density-corrected estimation of the elastic modulus of slag-cement self-compacting concrete containing recycled aggregate
49. Comparative carbon emission assessments of recycled and natural aggregate concrete: environmental influence of cement content10.1016/j.gsf.2021.101235 ↗
50. Structural applicability of plastic incorporated concrete
51. Irradiated recycled plastic as a concrete additive for improved chemo-mechanical properties and lower carbon footprint10.1016/j.wasman.2017.09.033 ↗
52. Developing a sustainable concrete using waste glass and rubber for application in precast pedestrian slabs10.28991/cej-2021-03091690 ↗
53. Solanki · 2023
54. An experimental study and sustainability assessment of plastic waste as a binding material for producing economical cement-less paver blocks
55. Feasibility study on real-scale, self-healing concrete slab by developing a smart capsules network and assessed by a plethora of advanced monitoring techniques10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2019.116780 ↗
56. Mechanical properties and life cycle assessment of sugarcane bagasse and corn cob ashes-based geopolymer concrete to promote circular economy10.1002/suco.202300119 ↗
57. Innovative valorization of biomass waste-derived sodium silicate for geopolymer concrete synthesis: Sustainability assessment and circular economy potential10.1016/j.jclepro.2024.142181 ↗
58. United Nations Environment Programme, Global Resources Outlook 2024 - Bend the trend: Pathways to a Liveable Planet as Resource Use Spikes. United Nations Environment Programme, 2024. 〈https://wedocs.unep.org/xmlui/handle/20.500.11822/44901〉.
59. Life cycle assessment (LCA) applied to the manufacturing of common and ecological concrete: a review10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2016.07.125 ↗
60. Investigating the ultrasonic pulse velocity of concrete containing waste marble dust and its estimation using artificial intelligence10.3390/ma15124311 ↗
61. Exploration of fiber-reinforced geopolymer mortars containing recycled aggregates and marble powder10.1007/s13369-023-08357-9 ↗