La Consolacion College Tanauan

A. Mabini Avenue, Tanauan City, Batangas

EFFICIENCY OF CONCRETE BRICKS MADE FROM PLASTIC WASTE AGGRAGATE

MATERIALS

A Research Presented
to
Mrs. Julimar B. Turingan

In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements

in Practical Research 2

Bragais, Larry Jr. T.

Garcia, Robert R.

Quilao, Rylan Briel Josef C.

Salenga, Charles Christian O.

Maynete, Nicole A.

Natividad, Maria Angelica M.

October 2017
 CHAPTER I

Background of the Study

A. Introduction

The crisis on plastic wastes has continued to worsen on a worldwide scale over
the span of 50 years. It is expected that by the first quarter of 2010 onwards, usage and
annual production of plastic, including a wide variety of polyethylene materials, is likely
to exceed 300 million tons (Plastics, the Environment and Human health: Current
Consensus and Future Trends, 2009). Apparently, according to the analysis on plastic
consumption and recycling of New Worldwatch Institute, in 2013, some 299 million tons
of plastics were produced, 4 percent higher than in 2012.

Dating back the 1950’s, the world has accumulated a total of 9 billion tons of
plastics. The alarming part here is that from this massive amount of plastic waste, only 9
percent are being recycled and 12 percent were being incinerated which leaves the
remaining amount dumped elsewhere in the environment (Ferris, 2017).

In Asia, due to rapid urbanization and industrialization, large deposition of plastic

wastes has continued to sprung across developing countries including China, Philippines,
Vietnam and even Thailand (Corben, 2017).

“China has been the regional leader in plastics production rising over the past six
decades,” Corben noted. The regional leader captured more than a 20 percent share of
the global plastic wastes equivalent to 27 million ton of plastic waste which were now
being solved by mean’s of the country’s banning system.

Meanwhile, Philippines was ranked as the “third-worst polluter into the world’s
oceans” as per the study conducted by Greenpeace, an environmental group.
Greenpeace had calculated that Philippines contributed 1.88 million tons of
mismanaged plastic waste each year affecting all nearby ocean bodies.

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 From a general view, countries all over the world had experienced the turmoil of
plastic pollution starting from predominant effects like clogging of water drainages and
manholes, water pollution and voluminous landfills upto a much more problematic
consequence like global warming due to habitat disruption, ocean and air toxicity and.
Plastic pollution and global environmental issues are linked in various ways affecting
people in numerous ways.

As much as the worldwide crisis on the plastic pollution arises, environmental

movements continue to raise the potential of eradicating a portion of this large amount
of plastic waste. One common way which is likely plausible is recycling.

Conceptually, recycling is the convertion of waste materials into new materials

and objects (McWiggins, 2010). In light of this, the research team adapted the idea of
using plastic aggregate materials as fillers for concrete bricks.

A lot of studies have been made posssible concerning the use of plastic aggregate
materials as coarse aggregate in concrete mixture but not much focused in the use of
high-density polyethylene (HDPE) type of plastic.

High-density polyethylene (HDPE) plastics are most widely used plastic type in
the world due to its versatility as a polymer material made possible from a simple basic
chemical structure (repeating units of CH2: one carbon and two hydrogen molecules)
which makes it very easy to manufacture and thus, extremely dominant in terms of
production and usage compared to other types of plastics (Mama Mundo Inc., 2014).

In addition, HDPE possesses the desirable properties for a numerous low-value

usage like packaging because it has stiffness, strength, resistance to moisture and
permeability to gas. Some of its typical uses include plastic bags, food containers,
cleaning agent tubs, PEX piping and even some medicine plastic bottles. Also, HDPE
products are most commonly recycled because it will not break under exposure to
extreme heat or cold. By all means, HDPE is relatively stable and highly available in the
environment

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 In response to this, the research team on the “Efficiency of Concrete Bricks made
from Plastic Waste Aggregate Materials” aims to come up with a prototype of a concrete
brick made from HDPE-type of plastic wastes as a coarse aggregate materials to a
concrete mixture. The research will test the concrete brick based on its mechanical,
physical and morphological property.

B. Related Studies and Literature

According to Expert Skip Hire, plastic waste has many written articles. One of the
main reason is that plastic is the biggest culprit in waste production because we often
throw more plastic than any other material. Plastic is also accountable for the 90% of all
waste problems in our bodies of water such as lakes, seas, oceans. It also takes hundred
years to biodegrade, becoming a serious problem to our future generations.

But “plastic” is not all doom and gloom. People are having innovative ideas in the
use of recycling plastic waste. Finding new ways to deal with such issues are non-stop.

Based from the studies of the researchers in National Council of Scientific and
Technological Research (CONICET) in Argentina, they have come up in a way to turn
plastic drinking bottles into eco-friendly bricks. One great component that bottles and
bricks are made of is the PET (polyethylene terephthalate) which is as strong as
conventional house brick made from sand and cement.

Furthermore, bricks made out of plastic bottles have several significant

advantages over conventional bricks. They are thinner and lighter, having superb heat
insulating properties (5 times more than sta0ndard bricks) and are strong as their stony
counterparts, great at insulating noise and it only takes 20 bottles to make a one brick
making it more efficient as construction material, cheaper and more fuel efficient to
manufacture than conventional bricks are also an advantage of it, helps rid of the world
in discarding plastic, and less energy intensive in recycling plastic than into other forms.

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 Based on the data from the research of Ismail & A Al-Hashmi (2007), the
productive use of waste material may reduce the problems with regards to solid waste
management (Davis and Cornwell, 1998). Reusing wastes is important from different
points of view. It contributes in preserving natural resources that are not replenished, it
decreases the pollution of the environment and it also helps to save and recycle energy
production processes. Wastes and industrial by-products should be considered as
potentially valuable resources merely awaiting appropriate treatment and application.
Plastic wastes are among these wastes; their discarding has harmful effects on the
environment due to their long disintegration rate, and therefore one of the logical
methods for reduction of their negative effects is the use of these materials in other
industries (Hassani et al., 2005).

According to the experimental investigation about the performance of plastic

aggregate concrete by Ramesan, Lal and Babu (2015), plastic materials are light in
weight, unbreakable, odorless and can be easily molded. They have excellent finishing;
possess a quality shock absorption capacity, high strength and toughness. These have
low thermal expansion of co-efficient. Therefore, plastics possess good thermal and
electrical insulating property. They have water resistant property and possess good
adhesiveness. Plastics are also tough, sturdy, good and affordable to produce. It is
possible to recycle plastic; therefore, no decomposition required which is much more
expensive and hazardous than recycling. Plastic can be used in building, construction,
electronics, packing and transportation industries. But in contrast to all the above,
plastic is a soft, non-renewable resource which cannot be used for some critical
implementations. Recycling of plastic is a cost-effective process. The improper scrapper
of plastic can cause danger to wildlife as they are not readily decomposed. Plastic
materials like plastic bags are mostly ending up as harmful waste in landfills which
pollute the environment and threaten human health. The biodegradation of plastic takes
500 to 1,000 years but manufacturing takes only seconds. It is thus important to find
another method to recycle plastic.

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 Ramesan, Lal and Babu (2015) mentioned in their study that after a review of
various research studies, high density polyethylene (HDPE) was chosen for the study as
an alternate material for natural aggregate. HDPE is the largest of the three polyethylene
by volume of utilization. HDPE is prepared from ethylene by a catalytic process. It is also
harder, opaquer and can withstand higher temperature. They have very high elongation
before breaking when compared to other materials. They are resistant to chemical
actions and cost less. It has a very linear structure with only a few short side branches
and hence leading to higher density range as well as more crystalline structure. These
properties give HDPE its higher strength compared to the other PEs (polyethylene),
allowing a wider range of use. The properties of HDPE include having excellent
resistance to dilute and concentrated acids, alcohols and bases, 130 – 180 degrees
melting point, a 0.95 specific gravity, a water absorption of 0.001% - 0.010%, chemical
resistance, impact and wear resistance, and can withstand high temperature.

Shoubi et al. (2013) reported that being lighter, bricks made from plastics can be
better against earthquakes due to the compaction of filling material. They are 20 times
more load resistant than conventional bricks. The filling materials also make the bricks
bullet proof in which if it is used in creating walls they will have a great insulating
capability. These walls can absorb abrupt shock loads, being non-brittle, they produce
much less construction waste compared to conventional bricks.

A study conducted by Nigerian NGO ‘Development Association for Renewable

Energies’ showed that two-bedroom house was successfully built entirely out of bricks
made from aggregate plastic materials which is said to be “bullet and fireproof,
earthquake resistant, and maintains a comfortable interior temperature of 64° F year
round”. Raut et al.(2015) concluded that, in many ways such as time of execution, load
capacity, flexibility, waste and cost reduction and energy efficiency, bricks made from
plastic aggregate materials can be better compared to some conventional building
materials such as brick, concrete and ceramic blocks.

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 Given the wide range benefits of bricks made from plastic aggregate materials
over conventional construction materials, Ramaraj and Nagammal (2014) believe that
possibilities of using those bricks as structural members, foundation, retaining walls and
secondary elements like street furniture, road dividers, pavements and other landscape
elements should be explored.

Concrete plays an important role in the beneficial use of these materials in

construction. Although some of these materials can be beneficially incorporated in
concrete, both as part of the cementitious binder phase or as aggregates, it is important
to realize that not all waste materials are suitable for such use. (Anon, 2014)

Concrete contains numerous flaws and micro cracks. The rapid propagation of
micro cracks under an applied load is considered responsible for the low tensile strength
of concrete. It is reasonable to assume that the tensile strength as well as the flexural
strength of concrete can be substantially increased by introducing closely spaced fibers.
These fibers would arrest the propagation of micro cracks, thus delaying the onset of
tensile cracks and increasing the tensile strength of the material. (Yin and Hsu, 2010)

Marzouk et al. (2011) studied the use of consumed plastic bottle waste as sand-
substitution aggregate within composite materials for building applications. The study
demonstrates that plastic bottles shredded into small PET particles may be used
successfully as sand-substitution aggregates in cementitious concrete composites, which
appears to offer an attractive low-cost material with consistent properties and which
would help to resolve some of the solid waste problems created by plastics production.

Modhera & Parekh (2011) found that the use of recycle aggregate can be useful
in many aspects especially for the protection of the nature and economical terms. The
researchers also found out that there are big possibilities that the recycled aggregates
are one of the useful materials in the future. They have found also in a recent research
conducted by the group of Fredonia, has establish that there was a global demand for
construction aggregates that can exceed 26 billion tones by 2011.

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 The ideas presented about waste plastics as an effective additive to improve the
durability of bricks says that the plastic waste has a big possibility to be an aggregate for
a construction material especially bricks, concrete and cement. It also found out that the
waste plastics can be useful in environment, community and humans because of its
component based on the literatures that the researcher presented.

Although the literature described in this study does not attempt to manipulate
and test the factors that influence the effectiveness of pulverized glass as an additive to
improve the durability of cement mixture, it will be used to help understand the results
obtained and consider implications of the findings.

Synthesis

The review of related literature and studies has provided and presented some
insights on the efficiency of bricks made from plastic aggregate materials. The review
presented the insight regarding the increasing rate of plastic waste material, its
effectiveness as an aggregate and the demand of using eco-friendly materials for
construction supply such as brick.

As the population continues to grow faster in number, their wastes also increases
that result to pollution. Thus, people in this time are having innovative ideas in the use
of recycling plastic waste as one of the largest number of waste in the world. Finding
new ways to deal with such issues are non-stop and continues researches are still on
process.

Modhera & Parekh (2011) found that the use of recycle aggregate can be useful
in many aspects especially for the protection of the nature and economical terms. The
researchers also found out that there are big possibilities that the recycled aggregates
are one of the useful materials in the future. They have found also in a recent research
conducted by the group of Fredonia, has establish that there was a global demand for
construction aggregates that can exceed 26 billion tones by 2011.

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 According to Expert Skip Hire, plastic waste has many written articles. One of the
main reason is that plastic is the biggest culprit in waste production because we often
throw more plastic than any other material. Plastic is also accountable for the 90% of all
waste problems in our bodies of water such as lakes, seas, oceans. It also takes hundred
years to biodegrade, becoming a serious problem to our future generations.

Based on the experimental investigation about the performance of plastic

aggregate concrete by Ramesan, Lal and Babu (2015), plastic materials like plastic bags
are mostly ending up as harmful waste in landfills which pollute the environment and
threaten human health. The biodegradation of plastic takes 500 to 1,000 years but
manufacturing takes only seconds. It is thus important to find another method to recycle
plastic.

Relative to the assertion, it is possible to recycle plastic; therefore, no

decomposition required which is much more expensive and hazardous than recycling.
Plastic can be used in building, construction, electronics, packing, and transportation
industries. But in contrast, plastic is a soft, non-renewable resource which cannot be
used for some critical implementations.

Likewise, the studies of the CONICE in Australia have come up in a way to turn
plastic drinking bottles into bricks. One great component that bottles and bricks are
made of is the PET (polyethylene terephthalate) which is as strong as conventional
house brick made from sand and cement.

Furthermore, bricks made out of plastics have significant advantages over

conventional bricks. They are thinner and lighter, having superb heat insulating
properties (5 times more than standard bricks) and are strong as their stony
counterparts, great at insulating noise and it only takes 20 bottles to make a one brick
making it more efficient as construction material, cheaper and more fuel efficient to
manufacture than conventional bricks are also an advantage of it, helps rid of the world
in discarding plastic, and less energy intensive in recycling plastic than into other forms.

8|Page
 Ramesan, Lal and Babu (2015) mentioned in their study that after a review of
various research studies, high density polyethylene (HDPE) was chosen for the study as
an alternate material for natural aggregate. HDPE is the largest of the three polyethylene
by volume of utilization. One of the advantage of using HDPE is that they are resistant to
chemical actions and cost less. It has a very linear structure with only a few short side
branches and hence leading to higher density range as well as more crystalline structure.
These properties give HDPE its higher strength compared to the other PEs
(polyethylene), allowing a wider range of use.

Meanwhile, Shoubi et al. (2013) reported that being lighter, bricks made from
plastics can be better against earthquakes due to the compaction of filling material.

Also, Marzouk et al. (2011) studied the use of consumed plastic bottle waste as sand-
substitution aggregate within composite materials for building applications. The study
demonstrates that plastic bottles shredded into small PET particles may be used
successfully as sand-substitution aggregates in cementitious concrete composites, which
appears to offer an attractive low-cost material with consistent properties and which
would help to resolve some of the solid waste problems created by plastics production.

In addition, a study conducted by Nigerian NGO ‘Development Association for

Renewable Energies’ showed that two-bedroom house was successfully built entirely out
of bricks made from aggregate plastic materials which is said to be “bullet and fireproof,
earthquake resistant, and maintains a comfortable interior temperature of 64° F year
round”.

Raut et al.(2015) concluded that, in many ways such as time of execution, load
capacity, flexibility, waste and cost reduction and energy efficiency, bricks made from
plastic aggregate materials can be better compared to some conventional building
materials such as brick, concrete and ceramic blocks.

The ideas presented about waste plastics as an effective additive to improve the
durability of bricks says that the plastic waste has a big possibility to be an aggregate for
a construction material especially bricks, concrete and cement. It also found out that the
9|Page
waste plastics can be useful in environment, community and humans because of its
component based on the literatures that the researcher presented.

Although the literature described in this study does not attempt to manipulate
and test the factors that influence the effectiveness of pulverized glass as an additive to
improve the durability of cement mixture, it will be used to help understand the results
obtained and consider implications of the findings.

C. Theoretical Framework/Conceptual Framework

Theoretical Framework

thinner and lighter

superb heat insulating properties

strong as their stony counterparts

insulating noise
Properties and Charactersitics Efficiency
cheaper and more fuel efficient to
manufacture

less energy intensive

resistant to chemical reactions

bullet and fireproof, earthquake

resistant

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 Ramesan, Lal and Babu (2015) mentioned in their study that after a
review of various research studies, one of the advantage of using polyethylene is
that they are resistant to chemical actions and cost less.
Likewise, the studies of the CONICE in Australia states that bricks made
out of plastics have significant advantages over conventional bricks. They are
thinner and lighter, superb heat insulating properties, strong as their stony
counterparts, great at insulating noise, cheaper and more fuel efficient to
manufacture than conventional bricks and less energy intensive in recycling
plastic than into other forms.
In addition, a study conducted by Nigerian NGO ‘Development
Association for Renewable Energies’ showed that two-bedroom house was
successfully built entirely out of bricks made from aggregate plastic materials
which is said to be “bullet and fireproof, earthquake resistant, and maintains a
comfortable interior temperature of 64° F year round”.

Conceptual Framework

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 INPUT PROCESS OUTPUT
 Effects of adding HDPE  Evaluation of concrete  Provide new ideas on how
plastic aggregate materials bricks made from HDPE to enhance the efficiency
in bricks. plastic aggregate materials of bricks made from HDPE
based on: plastic aggregate
materials.
 Mechanical Property

 Physical Property

 Morphological Property

D. Statement of the Problem

This study entitled “Efficiency of Concrete Bricks made from Plastic Waste
Aggregate Materials” aims to give light to and answer the following problems:

1. What is the efficiency of the concrete brick made from HDPE plastic
aggregate materials based on the following properties:

a. Mechanical property

b. Physical property

c. Morphological property

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E. Significance of the Study

This research paper which addresses the “Efficiency of Bricks Made from Plastic
Aggregate Materials” is significant for the following beneficiaries:

Civil Engineers. The study will be the source of information for the engineers to have a
deeper understanding about the bricks made from plastic aggregate materials. By this,
the engineers can adapt and apply this invention to their projects.

Architects. The research will serve as a guide for the architects to have an idea in
utilizing and using the bricks in their designs and blueprints.

School Administration. The result of the study will give the school background
knowledge about the benefits of bricks made from plastic aggregate materials as the
foundation of the structures. With this, the school will have an option regarding the
constructions of buildings and facilities.

Researchers. The outcome of the study is beneficial to the present and future
researcher. It can be their guide and basis for a new theory in learning to arise.

F. Scope and Delimitation

This paper focuses on the “Efficiency of Bricks Made from Plastic Aggregate
Materials, Year 2017 - 2018”. The parameters of the study were the data gathered from
books, articles, journals and electronic references that support the product’s validity and
efficiency. The research will not question the traditional way of making bricks but rather
simply provide new ideas on how to enhance the product in which it is analyzed and
tested by the researchers.

G. Definition of Terms

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 The following terms are defined in order to provide clarity towards the readers
and future researchers in regards to the study.

 Concrete brick: refers to the concrete masonry unit made from Portland cement,
water, and suitable aggregates, with or without the inclusion of other materials
(Sanders, 2010)
 High-density polyethylene plastic: refers to the type of polyethylene with the
highest rigidity and least flexibility making it highly suitable for a broad range of
applications (Ceresana, 2008)
 Plastic waste: refers to the accumulation in the environment of man-made
plastic products to the point where they create problems for wildlife and their
habitats as well as for human populations (Moore, 2013)
 Recycling: refers to the process of recovering scrap or waste plastic and
reprocessing the material into useful products in order to reduce plastic waste or
pollution (Hardesty et al., 2015)

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