Strategies for Waste Recycling: The Mechanical Performance of Concrete Based on Limestone and Plastic Waste

Abstract

Recycling is among the best management strategies to avoid dispersion of several types of wastes in the environment. Research in recycling strategies is gaining increased importance in view of Circular Economy principles. The exploitation of waste, or byproducts, as alternative aggregate in concrete, results in a reduction in the exploitation of scarce natural resources. On the other hand, a productive use of waste leads to a reduction in the landfilling of waste material through the transformation of waste into a resource. In this frame of reference, the paper discusses how to use concrete as a container of waste focusing on the waste produced in limestone quarries and taking the challenge of introducing plastic waste into ordinary concrete mixes. To prove the possibility of reaching this objective with acceptable loss of performance, the mechanical characteristics of concrete mixed with additional alternative aggregates classified as waste are investigated and discussed in this paper through the presentation of two experimental campaigns. The first experimental investigation refers to concrete made with fine limestone waste used as a replacement for fine aggregate (sand), while the second experimental program refers to the inclusion of three types of plastic wastes in the concrete. Different mixes with different percentages of wastes are investigated to identify possible fields of application. The experimental results indicate that use of limestone quarry waste and use of plastic waste are possible within significant percentage ranges, having recognized a limited reduction of concrete strength that makes concrete itself appropriate for different practical applications.

A Revision for the Different Reuses of Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET) Water Bottles

“…Simultaneously, as compared to concrete made with traditional aggregates, concrete containing flexible aggregates may display more ductile behavior, resulting in enhanced behavior in crack development and propagation. Recycled plastic may repair and overlay damaged cement-based concrete surfaces in pavements, bridges, floors, and dams [5].…”

Study on compressive strength and sulfate corrosion resistance of limestone powder and waste glass powder mixed concrete

“…At present, the reasonable dosage of limestone powder in concrete is generally no more than 15% [20], which greatly limits the utilization rate of limestone powder. As a result, several researchers [21,22] suggested creating ternary or multicomponent cementing materials by combining limestone powder with additional mineral admixtures, providing a great idea. Lima-Guerra et al [23] succeeded in producing concrete by mixing limestone powder with bentonite.…”

Artificial Intelligence-Based Uncertainty Qualification of the Mechanical Properties of Sustainable Concrete Specimens

“…Supplementary cementitious materials containing silica-rich components, for example, silica fume (SF) [10,11], fly ash (FA) [12,13], rice husk ash (RHA) [14] and blast furnace slag (BFS) [13,15,16], are by-product pozzolans. Other forms of SCs include recycled aggregate [17][18][19][20][21], waste foundry sand [22], tire rubber [23,24], ceramic [25], granite powder (GP) [26][27][28][29], glass sands [21], limestone powder (LP) [30][31][32], and red mud (RM) [33][34][35]. Furthermore, waste steel (WS) [36], plastic [37], cotton [38], and carpet fibers [39] have been added to concrete mixes to increase the resistance of concrete under tensile cracking.…”

“…The tests showed that including up to 15% FGWP into geopolymer concrete (GPC) improved mechanical strength and durability. Ferrotto et al [31] looked into ways to utilize concrete as a waste container, concentrating on waste from limestone quarries and taking on the difficulty of incorporating plastic waste into typical concrete mixtures. The mechanical properties of concrete combined using extra alternative aggregates categorized as waste were researched and addressed in this study to demonstrate the potential of achieving this goal with satisfactory performance loss.…”