Abstract:
The climate crisis is brewing up worldwide and there is an urgent need to develop and adopt
products with low carbon footprint. Although the drivers of pollution are numerous, the lack
of solid waste management is a key contributor. To tackle this menace of increasing solid waste
in the environment three R’s of waste management are proposed which includes reduce,
recycle, and reuse. In this research, an attempt has been made to reuse solid waste from
different sources to fabricate a brick that conforms to the standards laid by international and
local building codes. Plastic waste comprising of Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET), High
Density Polyethylene (HDPE) and Low Density Polyethylene (LDPE) were utilized along with
waste foundry sand from steel industry. Waste plastic brick with different dosages of PET,
HDPE, and LDPE as well as waste foundry sand were manufactured. Its properties were later
investigated and compared with control clay fired brick samples. Test results revealed that
waste plastic brick formulation 50:50 i.e. (waste plastic: foundry sand) exhibited the optimal
mechanical performance. Its compressive strength was 8.23 MPa which was comparable to
second class clay fired brick. Its splitting tensile strength was 1.35 times and flexural strength
was twice compared to second class clay fired brick. From durability perspective, waste plastic
brick does not show any sign of efflorescence and has water absorption ten times less than
conventional clay fired bricks. Waste plastic brick is a better thermal and electrical insulator
than second class clay fired brick and also possesses adequate bond strength with mortar. From
the test results it is evident that waste plastic brick formulation 50:50 has adequate structural
performance and can serve as replacement of conventional clay fired bricks in masonry
structures. Utilizing waste plastic brick in masonry structures would be a giant leap forward
towards a sustainable construction sector while addressing environmental concerns
simultaneously.
