Affiliation:
1. Department of Building Materials Engineering, Faculty of Civil Engineering, Warsaw University of Technology, Armii Ludowej 16, 00-637 Warsaw, Poland
2. Instytut Techniki Budowlanej, Filtrowa 1, 00-611 Warsaw, Poland
Abstract
The objective of the research outlined in this paper is to propose an eco-friendly solution that simultaneously contributes to improving the characteristics of polymer composites. The analyzed solution entails the use of recycled aggregate from crushed concrete rubble. The authors conducted experiments to test the consistency, density, flexural strength, compressive strength, and microstructure of polymer concrete (PC) with different proportions of recycled aggregate (RA). It was found that PC with RA had a higher compressive strength, 96 MPa, than PC with natural aggregate, 89.1 MPa, owing to the formation of a double-layer shell of resin and calcium filler on the surface of porous RA grains. Using a resin with a lower viscosity could improve the performance of PC with RA by filling the cracks and penetrating deeper into the pores. RA is a valuable material for PC production, especially when it contains porous grains with poor mechanical properties, which are otherwise unsuitable for other applications. This article also highlights the environmental and economic benefits of using RA in PC, as it can reduce waste generation and natural resource consumption.
Reference46 articles.
1. The Emergence of Circular Economy: A New Framing Around Prolonging Resource Productivity;Blomsma;J. Ind. Ecol.,2017
2. Anwar, M.K., Shah, S.A., and Alhazmi, H. (2021). Recycling and Utilization of Polymers for Road Construction Projects: An Application of the Circular Economy Concept. Polymers, 13.
3. Comparative LCA of Concrete with Recycled Aggregates: A Circular Economy Mindset in Europe;Colangelo;Int. J. Life Cycle Assess.,2020
4. Kępniak, M., Załęgowski, K., Woyciechowski, P., Pawłowski, J., and Nurczyński, J. (2022). Feasibility of Using Biochar as an Eco-Friendly Microfiller in Polymer Concretes. Polymers, 14.
5. International Solid Waste Association (2024, May 01). The Future of the Waste Management Sector. Trends, Opportunities and Challenges for Decade. Available online: https://www.iswa.org/.