The use of plastics when it comes to construction has gone on to become quite a major environmental concern. Decreasing the reliance on plastics and, at the same time, replacing them along with the sustainable construction materials can thereby lead to a future that’s greener. Let us explore the usage of plastics in construction and the transition towards alternative eco-friendly materials.
Plastic When It Comes To Construction
The growing amount of plastic waste within ecosystems can go on to get effectively addressed by way of recycling as well as reuse. It is well to be noted that one approach that has gone on to gain significant attention is the use of plastic waste as one of the components of construction materials.
Plastics that are commonly used in construction go on to include polyvinyl chloride- PVC, expanded polystyrene- EPS as well as high-density polyethylene- HDPE, that happen to be made to be used so as to rebuild seals, windows, pipes, doors, floor coverings, insulation, cables, as well as packaging.
Concrete happens to be a generically used material of construction that goes on to offer better fire resistance than any other building material. Traditionally, concrete is composed of fine aggregates, cement, and water. Though concrete can very well withstand higher compression, the absence of an apt preconditioner can very well lead to many weaknesses as well as flaws owing to its low tensile strength.
Therefore, concrete gets mixed with 65–85% aggregates so as to impart strength. Due to this, partially replacing aggregates having plastic waste in concrete mix preparation will go on to provide a parallel solution for making use of plastics in construction.
The two elements of plastic waste that are used in building materials are plastic aggregates as well as fibers. Plastic aggregates get employed so as to replace coarse along with fine aggregates due to their lower bulk density, which goes on to make them preferable to granite, limestone, as well as basalt.
Steel fibers are used to enhance the mechanical as well as strength and durability of concrete and are vulnerable to corrosion as and when exposed to marine or saline water. Therefore, reinforcing concrete along with plastic fibers can go on to help combat such issues.
Three-Dimensional: 3D Printing of Plastics in Construction
3D printing technology provides designers with a greater amount of flexibility when it comes to creating intricate frameworks. A novel approach for using plastic waste in the construction industry has gone on to emerge by having plastic waste into 3D concrete printing.
3D printing happens to be a rapid, safe, as well as a cost-effective construction process. The devices operate sans any kind of interruptions, therefore making sure of high efficiency. Embracing 3D printing within residential buildings happens to be more cost-effective as compared to traditional methods, which can go on to significantly decrease the cost of apartments.
It is well to be noted that 3D printing technology may not go on to completely replace conventional building methods, but it can provide major support, especially for creating elements with intricate as well as complex geometries. So as to achieve high-quality printing, it is critical to make use of appropriate building materials along with the required technical properties.
3D printing of plastic-based construction elements goes on to offer a promising solution to the worldwide challenge of repurposing plastics into construction. In spite of their potential, 3D printing applications in civil engineering are at present undervalued. If well-adopted within the industry, 3D-printed plastic elements happen to have the potential to revolutionize the construction process and can even be used to create inventive frameworks or unconventional reinforcements.
Bioplastic as a Substitute for Plastics in the Construction Industry
Bioplastics happen to be used within the concrete blends as well as dry premixed mortars as additives within the construction industry. Bio-based aggregates happen to have more benefits as compared to their synthetic equivalents. Bio-based additives are mainly used in concrete mixtures, mortars, paints, exterior and interior coatings, gypsum boards, stucco, and joint mortars.
Organic admixtures like protein hydrolysates, lignosulfonates, as well as welan rubber are generically added to concrete mixtures for numerous reasons. Lignosulfonates happen to be widely used as admixtures so as to enhance the fluidity and workability of concrete, thereby resulting in elevated plasticity and decreased water content. All this leads to elevated mechanical properties along with durability.
Precast concrete goes on to employ lignosulfonates in order to enhance its mechanical strength, while protein hydrolysates happen to be used to significantly reduce the surface tension of water at the time of production of expanded concrete.
Protein hydrolysates go on to create spherical foam bubbles that give out almost 20% higher compressive strength vis-Ã -vis synthetic foam-generated hexagonal bubbles. Protein hydrolysates happen to be preferred in situations wherein low-specific-gravity foam concrete must be developed while at the same time maintaining its compressive robustness.
A biopolymer gets used as an additive in a hydraulic lime mortar in order to achieve positive effects on its mechanical properties due to the adhesive nature of the material. Among natural polymers, cactus extract is indeed quite an interesting alternative to plastic due to its ability to enhance both the mechanical strength along with the durability of hydraulic lime mortar in an eco-friendly manner.
Recent Studies
A study published in Civil and Environmental Engineering examined the impact of plastic and/ or glass powder on the physical as well as mechanical properties of fired clay bricks. It made use of the fired clay bricks, which are made with different plastic/glass content ratios ranging from 00/20, 05/15, 10/10, and 15/05, as well as 20/00 by weight, as a substitute for clay while at the same time keeping the soil-to-water ratio constant.
Accordingly, the bricks were subjected to three firing phases, having maximum temperatures of 300, 600, as well as 900°C for the first, second, and third phases, respectively. The results went on to reveal that the water absorption as well as efflorescence of the clay brick samples were elevated, but the density as well as firing shrinkage were reduced with a surge in plastic quantity.
In contrast, enhancing the glass powder content within clay brick samples went on to a decrease in water absorption as well as efflorescence. The clay brick samples having a higher plastic powder content overall went on to show better mechanical properties as compared to those having glass powder.
One more study published in Sustainability went on to examine the noise-reducing properties when it comes to resonators created due to synthetic cord fiber as well as plastic by way of using 3D printing technology. The absorption as well as insulation properties of fabricated structures were tested with an interferometer.
The inference showed that a 100-mm-long resonator, both with an X- or O-shaped design with a 2.0-mm perforation and a 20-mm-thick plate, went on to have a good sound absorption peak at 315 Hz of 0.94. In comparison, the 50-mm-long resonator, X- or O-shaped, having the same perforation size as well as plate thickness, went on to show a better sound absorption peak at 500 Hz of 0.95.
The results that came out showed that the combined plastic and rubber structures can be integrated into building structures so as to enhance the building acoustics and, at the same time, lessen noise and reverberation.
Conclusion
Plastics have gone on to become a ubiquitous part of the construction sector due to their many advantages, but their ecological effects happen to be quite significant, thereby leading to pollution along with a long-lasting damage to the ecology. To decrease these negative consequences, it is necessary to explore alternative materials, advanced technologies that are advanced, and sustainable practices for recycling, along with reusing plastic waste and even replacing it with materials that are environmentally friendly altogether. This will help pave the path for a more sustainable time for the construction sector.
