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Mechanical behavior of sustainable concrete; case study of low substitutions of fine plastic as aggregate
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A meta-analysis of concrete mixtures replacing fine aggregate with recycled PET plastic found that 5% substitution causes only a −2.6% average compressive strength reduction, while 10% substitution reduces strength by −11.9%, establishing 5% as a technically viable circular economy threshold. This is directly relevant to microplastic pollution research because incorporating plastic waste into construction materials diverts PET from the waste stream, reducing the volume available to fragment into environmental microplastics.
This study analyzes the mechanical behavior of sustainable concrete when incorporating recycled polyethylene terephthalate [PET] as a partial replacement for fine aggregate. Articles reporting mixtures with 5% and 10% replacements were reviewed. A total of thirteen mixtures and thyrty-five 28-day compressive strength data points were collected and compared with control mixtures. The statistical analysis included measures of central tendency, dispersion, and percentage variation, wich allowed for the normalization of result between different studies. The findings show that the 5% replacement has an average variation of -2.6%, indicating a minimal impact on strength, while the 10% replacement reports an average reduction of -11.9%. Although variability was observed, fine-grained PET favored compactness and mechanical performance. These results consolidate 5% as a viable technical alternative, with enviromental and circular economy benefits.
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Researchers tested waste PET plastic as a partial aggregate substitute in concrete, finding that up to 10% PET incorporation maintains acceptable compressive strength per ASTM standards, offering a potential pathway to divert non-biodegradable plastic waste into low-load-bearing construction materials.
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