Technological Characterization of PET—Polyethylene Terephthalate—Added Soil-Cement Bricks

Abstract

The ever-growing consumption and improper disposal of non-biodegradable plastic wastes is bringing worrisome perspectives on the lack of suitable environmentally correct solutions. Consequently, an increasing interest in the circular economy and sustainable techniques is being raised regarding the management of these wastes. The present work proposes an eco-friendly solution for the huge amount of discarded polyethylene terephthalate (PET) wastes by addition into soil-cement bricks. Room temperature molded 300 × 150 × 70 mm bricks were fabricated with mixtures of clay soil and ordinary Portland cement added with up to 30 wt.% of PET waste particles. Granulometric analysis of soil indicated it as sandy and adequate for brick fabrication. As for the PET particles, they can be considered non-plastic and sandy. The Atterberg consistency limits indicated that addition of 20 wt.% PET waste gives the highest plasticity limit of 17.3%; moreover, with PET waste addition there was an increase in the optimum moisture content for the compaction and decrease in specific weight. Standard tests showed an increase in compressive strength from 0.83 MPa for the plain soil-cement to 1.80 MPa for the 20 wt.% PET-added bricks. As for water absorption, all bricks displayed values between 15% and 16% that attended the standards and might be considered an alternative for non-structural applications, such as wall closures in building construction.

Evaluation of the Technological Properties of Soil–Cement Bricks with Incorporation of Coconut Fiber Powder

“…The low results obtained may be associated with the fact that the water did not react properly with the cement grains due to the reduced amount of water needed during the curing process [36,38].…”

“…None of the samples reached the average value determined by NBR 8492 [30], which recommends an average value of 2.0 MPa or an individual value of at least 1.7 MPa for compressive strength. This may have been due to the curing process used, that is, ambient curing [36], which hampered the cement hydration process, since it is directly linked to the type of curing used in the production of soil-cement bricks [37].…”

Recycled Aggregate: A Viable Solution for Sustainable Concrete Production

“…This makes it difficult to use the material at high levels. Campanhão et al [ 8 ] and Silva et al [ 80 ] evaluated the use of PET waste as RA replacing NA in cementitious materials. The authors evaluated the substitution of up to 30% and observed that the use of the residue causes a reduction in the workability and a decrease in the mechanical strength of the material.…”

Assessing the Effect of Seawater and Magnesium Sulfate on the Durability and Strength Properties of Cement-Stabilized Full-Scale Soilcrete Column Constructed in Clayey Soil

“…The soil's soaked California bearing capacity (CBR) was also enhanced by utilizing the CKD in clay soil to utilize it as a flexible pavement subgrade [13]. Another application of using soil as a construction material, Tulane et al [14] determined that sandy clay soil is ideal for making soil-cement bricks due to its particle dispersion and sand properties. After modifying the physical properties of the soil by combining it with sand to stabilize its contents, enabling its pressing process [15].…”