Mechanical strength of cement-binded thermoplastic waste

The mechanical strength of cement-binded thermoplastic waste (CBTW) was ascertained. The CBTW were prepared using the ratio of water-cements and (0.5: 1: 2) but amount of sand were substituted with 5wt%, 10wt%, and 15wt% of thermoplastic waste granules 1 cm in diameter. The CBTW with 70.7 x 70.7 x 70.7mm dimensions were prepared and cured by soaking them in water for 3 days. 3 replications for each sample were tested to find the mechanical strength via mortar test using Compress Machine (ADR-Auto). The porosity were also determined from the weight difference of the samples before and after soaking. The result indicated that the CBTW with 5% thermoplastic waste showed the highest engineering stress while CBTW with 15% thermoplastic waste showed the lowest water absorption which means the lowest porosity. Thus, thermoplastic waste have potential to be recycled into CBTW