Cementless building materials made from recycled plastic and sand/glass: a review and road map for the future

Abstract

Plastic and glass can be sorted using machines and recycled into new plastic and glass as opposed to producing them from raw materials. However, contaminated plastic and glass, as well as certain types of plastic and glass, cannot be recycled using traditional methods and must be disposed of in a landfill. Researchers have been looking into these and have tried a variety of solutions to convert this waste into functional products. The development of composite construction materials based on these two materials was identified as a worthy solution. On the other hand, carbon dioxide is emitted during the cement manufacturing process and the use of that cement in the production of construction materials contributes 7% of total global greenhouse gas emissions. Hence, plastic sand/glass composite is environmentally friendly in two ways. It reduces landfill while also replacing the equivalent concrete product, lowering CO2 emissions. This paper examines the literature on the development of such materials, including technology, challenges, quality, and properties. The development of a glass/sand composite to use as a material in the commercial scale production of building materials such as roof and pavement tiles is described based on studies that are available.