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Life Cycle Carbon Emissions Savings of Replacing Concrete with Recycled Polycarbonate and Sand Composite
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Researchers conducted a life cycle assessment comparing recycled polycarbonate-sand composites to conventional concrete, finding significant reductions in carbon emissions. The recycled composite achieved compressive strength of 71 megapascals, far exceeding typical concrete performance. The study suggests that replacing concrete with recycled plastic composites in construction could simultaneously address plastic waste and reduce the carbon footprint of the built environment.
Recent work demonstrated that 50:50 sand-recycled polycarbonate (rPC) composites have an average compressive strength of 71 MPa, which dramatically exceeds the average offered by commercial concrete (23.3–30.2 MPa). Due to the promising technical viability of replacing carbon-intensive concrete with recycled sand plastic composites, this study analyzes the cradle-to-gate environmental impacts with a life cycle assessment (LCA). Sand-to-plastic composites (50:50) in different sample sizes were fabricated and the electricity consumption monitored. Cumulative energy demand and IPCC global warming potential 100a were evaluated to quantify energy consumption and greenhouse gas emission associated with sand–plastic brick and two types of concrete, spanning the life cycle from raw material extraction to use phase. The results showed that at small sizes using Ontario grid electricity, the composites were more carbon-intensive than concrete, but as samples increased to standard brick–scale rPC composite bricks, they demonstrated significantly lower environmental impact, emitting 96% less CO2/cm3 than sand–virgin PC (vPC) composite, 45% less than ordinary concrete, and 54% less than frost-resistant concrete. Energy sourcing has a significant influence on emissions. Sand–rPC composite achieves a 67–98% lower carbon footprint compared to sand–vPC composite and a 3–98% reduction compared to both types of concrete. Recycling global polycarbonate production for use in sand–rPC composites, though small compared to the total market, could annually displace approximately 26 Mt of concrete, saving 4.5–5.4 Mt of CO2 emissions. The results showed that the twin problems of carbon emissions from concrete and poor plastic recycling could be partially solved with sand–rPC building material composites to replace concrete.
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Researchers incorporated ground polypropylene plastic waste and pulverized printed circuit board powder as partial replacements for sand and cement in concrete, finding roughly 11% reductions in compressive strength and beam load capacity, with life cycle assessment showing cement replacement yielded far greater environmental benefit than aggregate substitution.
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Researchers tested concrete made with recycled polyethylene and PET plastic aggregates substituted for natural sand and gravel, finding that while plastic additions reduced compressive strength and increased water permeability, they improved impact resistance and chloride resistance, with PET concrete showing no microplastic leaching.
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Researchers investigated the reuse of waste polyethylene terephthalate plastic as aggregate material in cement mortars and concretes. They found that incorporating PET waste into cementitious mixtures can be a viable strategy for recycling plastic while also reducing CO2 emissions from traditional aggregate mining. The study suggests that closing the life cycle of PET through construction materials could help address both plastic pollution and the environmental footprint of the building industry.
Sustainability Performance of Voided Concrete Slab Using Waste Plastic Bottles
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Researchers investigated the sustainability performance of voided concrete slabs incorporating waste plastic bottles as void formers, assessing cost reduction, embodied energy, and CO2 emissions relative to conventional solid slabs. They found that using waste plastic bottles reduced material costs and embodied energy while also lowering CO2 emissions, supporting their use as an environmentally beneficial construction approach.
Potential use of PET and PP as partial replacement of sand in structural concrete
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Researchers tested whether PET and polypropylene plastic waste could partially replace sand in structural concrete, evaluating the physical and mechanical properties of the resulting material. Using post-consumer plastic in construction is one strategy for diverting plastic from the waste stream and preventing it from breaking down into environmental microplastics.
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