Lightweight concrete containing recycled plastic aggregates

The concrete industry needs millions of tons of aggregate, comprising natural sands and gravels, each year. In recent years there has been an increasing trend towards use of recycled aggregate to save natural resources and to produce lightweight concrete. In this investigation, an attempt was undertaken to produce recycled plastic aggregate (RPA) using waste plastic and red sand as filler. The physical properties of RPA are reported and an experimental investigation of concrete incorporating RPA as coarse aggregates is presented. It was observed that 100% replacement of conventional lightweight aggregate (LWA) with recycled plastic aggregate (RPA) showed about 13% reduction in chloride penetration. Compressive strength was reduced; however, the achieved strength was between 12 and 15 MPa which is useful for non-structural elements such as low side building, cementitious backfill, pavements and others.