Recycling of Polyethylene and Polypropylene Waste to Produce Plastic Bricks

The article highlights producing plastic-reinforced bricks by incorporating recycled plastic pellets into cement mixtures to study the possibility of using recycled plastic waste as a sustainable alternative to traditional construction materials. The results showed that the production method effectively created durable and sturdy bricks without scattering or fragmentation in the recycled plastic reinforced bricks. Moreover, the plastic reinforced bricks gave a good possibility of paving together, similar to the traditional bricks. Employing plastic waste as a substitute for conventional concrete materials creates a sustainable and cost-effective construction material. The resulting weight of plastic-reinforced bricks with polypropylene pellets ranges from 2.74-2.89 kg, while the weight of plastic-reinforced bricks with polyethylene ranges from 2.75-2.91 kg, which is about 20% less than conventional cement bricks, offering potential advantages such as decreasing transportation costs, making the bricks easier to handle and install, and needing lower manufacturing power. However, compared to conventional cement bricks, the compression strength of the plastic-reinforced bricks is still lower, with the maximum compression strength ranging from 711-754 N/cm2 for polypropylene bricks and 521-655 N/cm2 for polyethylene bricks. The study also specified the length and shape of the plastic pellets as crucial factors influencing the strength and stability of the constructed bricks, suggesting that optimizing these aspects could lead to even stronger and more durable composite bricks.