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Procedia Environmental Sciences 35 (2016) 731 – 739

International Conference on Solid Waste Management, 5IconSWM 2015

Partial replacement of E-plastic Waste as Coarse-aggregate in

Concrete
Ashwini Manjunath B T*
Department of Civil Engineering, Atria Institute of Technology, Bangalore, Karnataka, India

Abstract

The management and recycling of E plastic waste is rapidly growing as it is a valuable resource of IT industries and it is
very hazardous substances and with low recycling rate. The Utilization of e plastic waste materials is a partial solution to
environmental and ecological problems. As the use of E plastic waste will reduces the Aggregate cost and provides a good
strength for the structures and roads. It will reduces the landfill cost and it is energy saving. The e plastic waste consists of
discarded plastic waste from the old computers, TVs, refrigerators, radios; these plastics are non-biodegradable components of E
plastic waste as a partial replacement of the coarse or fine aggregates.

An experimental study is made on the utilization of E-waste particles as fine and coarse aggregates in concrete with a
percentage replacement ranging from 0 %, 20% to 30% i.e. (0%, 10%, 20% and 30%) on the strength criteria of M20 Concrete.
Compressive strength, Tensile strength and Flexural strength Concrete with and without E- waste plastic as aggregates was
observed which exhibits a good strength. The feasibility of utilizing E-waste plastic particles as partial replacement of coarse
aggregate has been presented. In the present study, compressive strength was investigated for Optimum Cement Content and 10%
E-plastic content in mix yielded stability and very good in compressive strength of 53 grade cement.
© 2016
© 2016TheTheAuthors.
Authors. Published
Published by Elsevier
by Elsevier B.V. B.V.
This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license
(http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).
Peer-review under responsibility of the organizing committee of 5IconSWM 2015.
Peer-review under responsibility of the organizing committee of 5IconSWM 2015
Keywords: E plastic waste, Concrete, Compressive strength;

Introduction

Electronic waste or e-waste describes discarded electrical or electronic devices. Used electronics which are

* Corresponding author.
E-mail address: ashbhari@gmail.com

1878-0296 © 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license
(http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).
Peer-review under responsibility of the organizing committee of 5IconSWM 2015
doi:10.1016/j.proenv.2016.07.079
732 B.T. Ashwini Manjunath / Procedia Environmental Sciences 35 (2016) 731 – 739

destined for reuse, resale, salvage, recycling or disposal are also considered as e-waste. Informal processing of
electronic waste in developing countries may cause serious health and pollution problems, as these countries have
limited regulatory oversight of e-waste processing (Subramanian et al 2000).

Electronic scrap components, such as CRT‘s (cathode Ray Tube), may contain contaminants such as lead,
cadmium, beryllium, or brominated flame retardants. Even in developed countries recycling and disposal of e-waste
may involve significant risk to workers and communities and great care must be taken to avoid unsafe exposure in
recycling operations and leaking of of materials such as heavy metals from landfills and incinerator ashes

One of the new waste materials used in the concrete industry is the recycled e plastic. For solving the disposal
of large amount of recycled plastic material, the reuse of plastic in concrete industry is considered as the most
feasible application. Recycled plastic can be used as coarse aggregate in concrete. However it is important to
underline that reusing of waste is not yet economical advantages, due to high cost of transport in these effect on the
total costs of production .Moreover, it is important not to neglect other costs, directly referable to the kind of waste,
due, in particular, to the need of measuring gas emission, during firing, and the presence of toxic and polluting
elements. (Alhozaitly et al 2009).

The environmental impact of the processing of different electronic waste components

E-Waste Component Process Used Potential Environmental Hazard

Cathode ray tubes (used in TVs, computer
monitors, ATM, video cameras, and more)
Printed circuit board (image behind table - a thin
plate on which chips and other electronic
components are placed)
Chips and other gold plated components
Plastics from printers, keyboards, monitors, etc.
Computer wires
Breaking and removal of yoke, then
dumping
De-soldering and removal of
computer chips; open burning and
acid baths to remove final metals
after chips are removed.
Chemical stripping using nitric and
hydrochloric acid and burning of
chips
Shredding and low temp melting to
be reused
Open burning and stripping to
remove copper
Lead, barium and other heavy metals leaching into
the ground water and release of toxic phosphor
Air emissions as well as discharge into rivers of
glass dust, tin, lead, brominated dioxin, beryllium
cadmium, and mercury
Hydrocarbons, heavy metals, brominated substances
discharged directly into rivers acidifying fish and
flora. Tin and lead contamination of surface and
groundwater. Air emissions of brominated dioxins,
heavy metals and hydrocarbons
Emissions of brominated dioxins, heavy metals and
hydrocarbons
Hydrocarbon ashes released into air, water and soil.

Plastic recycling

Recycling is the practice of recovering used materials from the waste stream and then incorporating those same
materials into the manufacturing process. Recycling is one of the prominent is used in these environmentally
conscious era (Hai-Yong Kang et al 2005).

These are three main arguments for recycling:

x Firstly, it preserves the precious natural resources;
x Secondly it minimizes the transportation and its associated costs;
x Thirdly, it avoids the environmental load caused by waste materials, i.e. space requirements

Recycling methods and construction applications:

1. Chemical modification
2. Mechanical recycling
3. Thermal processing
4. Fillers

1) Chemical modifications - Plastics can be recycled by chemical modification or depolymerisation .the two
ways to achieve depolymerisation i.e. hydrolysis (chemical decomposition) and pyrolysis (thermal
 B.T. Ashwini Manjunath / Procedia Environmental Sciences 35 (2016) 731 – 739 733

decomposition). e.g.: PET (polyethylene terephthalate), MMA (methyl methacrylate).

2) Mechanical recycling - Mechanical recycling of plastics refers to processes which involve melting,
shredding or granulation of waste plastics. Plastics must be sorted prior mechanical recycling (HDPE) high
density polyethylene and thermoplastic polyolefin (TPO).
3) Thermal processing- It consists of heating a thermoplastic at very high temperatures, thus making the
plastic flow. The plastic is then converted into new product as it cools. This method doesn’t involve the
modification of the chemical composition of the plastic e.g. PET
4) Fillers - Plastic waste can also be used as fillers with virgin resins or other materials like concrete or as fill
materials in road construction.

Advantages of using the plastics in concrete:

x The growth in the use of plastic is due to its beneficial properties, which include:
x Extreme versatility and ability to be tailored to meet specific technical needs.
x Lighter weight than competing materials reducing fuel consumption during transportation.
x Durability and longevity.
x Resistance to chemicals, water and impact.
x Excellent thermal and electrical insulation properties.
x Comparatively lesser production cost.
x At melting point the bonding capacity increases as the temperature increases.

The following are the main disadvantages of using the plastics in concrete:

x Plastics are having low bonding properties so that the strength of concrete gets reduced such as compressive,
tensile and flexural strength.
x Its melting point is low so that it cannot be used in furnaces because it gets melt as its comes in contact with the
heat at high temperature.

Objectives
x To identify that e-waste can be disposed by using them as construction material.
x Replacement of e-waste as coarse aggregate.
x To limit the amount of toxic substances in certain electronic product.
x To develop and improve the technology for e-waste management.
x To reduce the pollution due to recycling of e-waste in the un-organized section.
x To determine the compressive and flexural strength of concrete containing e-plastic aggregate.

Experimental programme

The aim of the experimental programme is to compare the properties of concrete with and without plastics, used
as coarse aggregates. The basic tests and its properties carried out on materials like cement, sand and aggregates
used for casting concrete samples are discussed in Table 1, 2 and 3 given below:

Table 1: Summary of the various testes conducted on cement are as under given below in table

Sl. No Characteristics Values obtained Standard values

1. Normal consistency 33% -
2. Initial setting time 48 min Not be less than 30 min
3. Final setting time 240 min Not to be greater than 600 min
4. Fineness 4.8% <10
5. Specific gravity 3.09 -
Compressive strength:-Cement: sand(1:3)
1. 3 days 24.5 N/mm2 27 N/mm2
2. 7 days 35 N/mm2 41 N/mm2
3. 28 days 53.5 N/mm2 53 N/mm2
734 B.T. Ashwini Manjunath / Procedia Environmental Sciences 35 (2016) 731 – 739

Table 2: Properties of fine aggregates

Sl. No. Characteristics Value

1. Type Uncrushed (Natural)
2. Specific Gravity 2.68
3. Total Water Absorption 1.02%
4. Fineness Modulus 2.507
5. Grading zone III

Table 3: Properties of coarse aggregates

Sl. No. Characteristics Value

1. Type Crushed
2. Maximum Size 20 mm
3. Specific Gravity (20mm) 2.825
4. Total Water Absorption(20mm) 3.645%
5. Fineness Modulus(20mm) 7.68

E-Plastics aggregates:

The recycled e plastic was used to replace coarse aggregates for making concrete specimens, the basic tests are
conducted same as coarse aggregate to find the properties of e plastic waste as given in the table 4 mentioned below:

Table 4: Properties of e plastic aggregates

Sl.
Characteristics Value
No.
1. Type Crushed
2. Maximum Size 20 mm
3. Specific Gravity (20mm) 1.1
4. Total Water Absorption (20 mm) 0%
5. Fineness Modulus of bigger sized plastic aggregate ( above 20mm) 7.59

6. Fineness Modulus of medium sized plastic aggregate (20 mm) 8.2

7. Fineness Modulus of smaller sized plastic aggregates ( below 20 mm) 9.18

Methodology

The mix design for M20 grade concrete was done as per IS 10262-1982 and the following data was required for
concrete mix design.

1) Characteristic compressive strength at 28 days is 20 N/mm2

2) Cement used is OPC (According to IS 1489: 1991(part 1) Table 1 as given the properties of Cement mentioned
above.
3) Coarse Aggregate - Crushed coconut shell aggregate of size between 12.5 mm to 20 mm in length and 2-8 mm
thickness and Specific gravity- 2.825 and Free Water absorption=3.645% Table 3 as given the properties of
Cement mentioned above.
4) Fine aggregate River sand was used as the fine aggregate conforming to grading zone II as per IS 383:1970
[159] and Specific gravity- 2.68 and Free Water absorption= 1.02% Table 2 as given the properties of Cement
mentioned above.

Workability corresponding to compaction factor 75mm slump.

 B.T. Ashwini Manjunath / Procedia Environmental Sciences 35 (2016) 731 – 739 735

Admixture No admixture added.

The technique adopted for this study was Hand mixing and by using concrete mixer for the mix proportion of
1:1.4:2.4:0.5 with w/c ratio 0.5. The E-plastic aggregates are added in amount of 0%, 10%, 20% and 30% by the
weight of cement in mixed The mould was assembled prior to mixing and properly lubricated for easy removal of
hardened concrete. The cubes of standard mould size of 150x150x150 mm, 150 X 300 mm cylinders and beams of
150 X 150 X 300 mm are used to prepare the specimen. The mixture was properly turned with shovel until it
reached a plastic state and slump test was carried to find the W/C ratio of mix and then it was fed into the lubricated
cast iron mould, water curing method was adopted. The moulded concrete cubes were given 24 hrs to set before de-
moulding. They were then immerse into a curing tank in order to increase the strength of the concrete, promote
hydration, eliminate shrinkage, and absorb heat of hydration until the age of test. The cubes and cylinders were
cured for 7, 28 and 56 days. The cubes and cylinders were then weighted before testing, while densities of the cubes
at different times of testing were measured. Prior to testing, the specimen were brought out of the curing tank, left
outside in an open air for about 3hrs before crushing. The compressive strength of the cubes were tested in
accordance with BS 1881, using universal crushing machine Mix Design (IS 10292:1982)

Results and Discussions

A concrete mix grade of M20 is aimed; the design mix proportion is obtained by Indian Standard method of
mix design. The mix proportion obtained is 1:1.4:2.4:0.5 with w/c ratio 0.5. E-plastic was added in amount of 0%,
10%, 20% and 30% by the weight of cement in mix.

Workability test results:

Slump Cone Test was conducted on fresh concrete with varying percentage of E-plastic to know the workability
of concrete as the amount of E-plastic waste increases. where 0% is S1 is Conventional Mix or normal concrete mix,
S2 with E plastic of 0% of, S3 with 20% of E plastic and S4 with 30% of E plastic and Graph 1 shows the graphical
representations of Slump values of S1, S2, S3 and S4 and the test results are tabulated below in Table 5.

Graph 1: showing slump values

Table 5: Result of slump of concrete for various % of E plastic waste

% of E-plastic
Slump in mm Workability
in mix
0 128 High
10 114 High
20 90 Medium
30 75 Medium
736 B.T. Ashwini Manjunath / Procedia Environmental Sciences 35 (2016) 731 – 739

Compressive strength test results:

Table 6 presents the Compressive strength of concrete mixes with and without E plastic aggregates, where 0%
is S1 is Conventional Mix, S2 with E plastic of 0% of, S3 with 20% of E plastic and S4 with 30% of E plastic and
Graph 2 shows the graphical representations of compressive strength of all mixes S1, S2, S3 And S4 for 7, 14 and
28 days.

Table 6: Compressive Strength test results at varying % of E plastic waste after curing of 7, 14 and 28 Days of curing

Conventional
Mix Specification S2 S3 S4
Mix S1

Proportion of E-plastic
0% 10% 20% 30%
Waste

7 Days 36 33.18 19.9 16.39

14 Days 44.81 41.25 17.95 19.03

28 Days 47.18 44.07 24.69 22.15

Graph 2: Compressive strength gained in number of days

Split tensile strength tests results:

Table 6 presents split tensile strength of all concrete mixes where the test for determining split tensile strength
of concrete employs a cylinder specimen of size 300 mm length and 150mm diameter which is subjected to
compression in compression testing machine and Graph 3 shows the graphical representations of split tensile
strength of all mixes S1, S2, S3 And S4 for 7, 14 and 28 days as given below.

Table 7: Split tensile strength results at varying % of E plastic waste after curing of 7, 14 and 28 Days of curing

Mix Specification Conventional Mix S1 S2 S3 S4

Proportion of E-plastic waste 0% 10% 20% 30%
7 Days 4.3 4.3 3.15 2.4
14 Days 4.66 4.4 4.4 5 3.1
28 Days 4.9 4.8 4.8 5.4 3.8
 B.T. Ashwini Manjunath / Procedia Environmental Sciences 35 (2016) 731 – 739 737

Graph 3: Split tensile strength gained in number of days

Flexural Strength Test Results:

Table.8 presents flexural strength of all concrete mixes where the flexural strength of the specimen is expressed
as the modulus of rupture fb, and for testing purpose beams of size 150 × 150 × 700 mm were casted in cured in
clean water for 28 days and tested in Universal testing machine and Graph 4 shows the graphical representations of
split tensile strength of all mixes S1, S2, S3 And S4 for 7, 14 and 28 days as given below.

Table 8: Flexural strength results at varying % of E plastic waste after curing of 7, 14 and 28 Days of curing

Conventional
Mix Specification S2 S3 S4
Mix S1

Proportion of E-plastic Waste 0% 10% 20% 30%

7 Days 1.5 1.2 1.0 0.75

14 Days 3 2.9 2 1.25

28 Days 4.35 4.4 4.3 2.5

738 B.T. Ashwini Manjunath / Procedia Environmental Sciences 35 (2016) 731 – 739

Graph 4: Flexural strength gained in number of days

Discussions

x By comparing above results with conventional concrete at 28 days the compressive strength, split tensile
strength and flexure strength of concrete is reduced by 52.98% when coarse aggregate is replaced by 20%
of E-waste. This provides that the strength of concrete gets reduced when fine aggregate are replaced by E-
waste. Above graph shows the strengths of E-waste plastic concrete with mixing ratio of E-waste plastic
aggregate.
x The compressive strength values of all waste plastics concrete mix tend to decrease below the values for the
reference concrete mixtures with increasing the waste plastic ratio at all curing stages. This may attribute to the
decrease in the adhesive strength between the materials. In addition waste plastic is hydrophobic materials
which may restrict the hydration of cement.
x The flexural strength values and split tensile test of waste plastic concrete mixtures tends to decrease below the
values for the reference concrete mixture made of 20 % waste plastic has the lowest flexural strength and tensile
strength at 28 days of curing ages.

Conclusion

Following are the conclusions can be made based upon the studies made by various researches:

1) Plastics can be used to replace some of the aggregates in a concrete mixture. This contributes to reducing the
unit weight of the concrete. This is useful in applications requiring non-bearing lightweight concrete, such as
concrete panels used in facades.
2) For a given w/c, the use of plastics in the mix lowers the density, compressive strength and tensile strength of
concrete.
3) The effect of water –cement ratio of strength development is not prominent in the case of plastic concrete. It is
because of the fact that the plastic aggregates reduce the bond strength of concrete. Therefore, the failure of
concrete occurs due to failure of bond between the cement paste and plastic aggregates.
4) Introduction of plastics in concrete tends to make concrete ductile, hence increasing the ability of concrete to
significantly deform before failure. This characteristic makes the concrete useful in situations where it will be
subjected to harsh weather such as expansion and contraction, or freeze and thaw.
5) The inclusion of recycled aggregates in the concrete of the buildings under investigation has been shown to be
advantages from an energy point of view.
 B.T. Ashwini Manjunath / Procedia Environmental Sciences 35 (2016) 731 – 739 739

References

1) Ahamed Shayan, Aimin Xu, “Val added utilization of waste glass in concrete”, Cement and Concrete Research vol. 34 (2004) pp 8189.
2) Code of Indian standard specifications IS: 383-1970.
3) Electronics Recycling’, Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries Inc. (ISRI)
4) Hai yong kings, “Electronic waste recycling: A review of U.S. Infrastructure and technology Options, Resources, Conservation and
Recycling vol. 45 (2005) pp 368400. Code book IS 456-2000 for concrete structure.
5) IS 10262-2009 Code Book.
6) P.M. Subramanian, “Plastic recycling and waste Management in the US” Resources, Conservation and Recycling vol. (28) pp 253263 on
net.
7) Verma S S (2008), “Roads from Waste Plastic”, The Indian concrete journal.