Use of plastic waste as aggregate in cement mortar and concrete preparation: A review

A substantial growth in the consumption of plastic is observed all over the world in recent years, which has led to huge quantities of plastic-related waste. Recycling of plastic waste to produce new materials like concrete or mortar appears as one of the best solution for disposing of plastic waste, due to its economic and ecological advantages. Several works have been performed or are under way to evaluate the properties of cement-composites containing various types of plastic waste as aggregate, filler or fibre. This paper presents a review on the recycling plastic waste as aggregate in cement mortar and concrete productions. For better presentation, the paper is divided into four different sections along with introduction and conclusion sections. In the first section, types of plastics and types of methods used to prepare plastic aggregate as well as the methods of evaluation of various properties of aggregate and concrete were briefly discussed. In the next two sections, the properties of plastic aggregates and the various fresh and hardened concrete properties of cement mortar and concrete in presence of plastic aggregate are discussed. The fourth section focus on the practical implications of the use of plastic waste in concrete production and future research needs. (C) 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.