Review of the Properties of Lightweight Aggregate Concrete Produced from Recycled Plastic Waste and Periwinkle Shells

Abstract

As the world population continues to increase, so does the demand for raw materials to produce basic needs of the human race. One of the areas where this pressing demand for means of production is evident is in the production of concrete materials for building construction and infrastructure. The source of constitutive materials for concrete production, such as cement and aggregates are fast shrinking across the nations of the earth, and there is an urgent need for substitutes that will guarantee the availability of this essential material to the built environment sector of the economy. One of the trending approaches is the adoption of waste materials as a replacement for some of the constitutive materials of concrete. This research reviews past works on the use of recycled plastic waste and periwinkle shells for the production of lightweight aggregate concrete. The results of this review showed that the adoption of a reduced percentage of waste plastic in concrete leads to acceptable strengths for lightweight concrete, economy, efficient energy and excellent crack resistance. The use of periwinkle shell is beneficial for satisfactory strengths for normal aggregate concrete and for lightweight aggregate concrete, excellent resistance to heat and economy. This approach is sustainable as a means of recycling and will facilitate the actualization of the sustainable development goal “Responsible Production and Consumption”, (SDGs 12). There is a perspective that combining these two waste materials will lead to improvement towards achieving sustainable concrete.