Papers

61,005 results
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Article Tier 2

Assessment of Plastic-Infused Concrete Bricks and Their Suitability for Interlocking: Mechanical, Durability, and Environmental Perspectives

Researchers tested plastic-infused concrete bricks as a way to repurpose plastic waste in construction materials, evaluating their mechanical strength and suitability for different building applications. The study explores whether incorporating plastic waste into durable materials can reduce the plastic entering the environment as microplastics.

2025 European Journal of Innovative Studies and Sustainability 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Eco-Bricks from Plastic Waste: Toward Ensuring a Sustainable Circular Green Economy

This study proposes ecobricks — plastic bottles densely packed with used plastic waste — as a low-cost circular economy approach for plastic waste management that reduces microplastic generation by preventing plastic from degrading in the open environment.

2024 Apple Academic Press eBooks
Article Tier 2

Recycling of Polyethylene and Polypropylene Waste to Produce Plastic Bricks

This paper is not primarily about microplastics — it tests whether recycled PE and PP plastic pellets can replace conventional materials in construction bricks, with a focus on mechanical performance rather than pollution impacts.

2023 Journal of Sustainable Development of Energy Water and Environment Systems 9 citations
Article Tier 2

Recycling/reuse of plastic waste as construction material for sustainable development: a review

Researchers reviewed how waste plastic can be incorporated into construction materials — as binders, aggregates, or cement substitutes in bricks, tiles, concrete, and roads — finding that plastic-modified materials often show competitive strength properties while simultaneously diverting plastic waste from landfills.

2021 Environmental Science and Pollution Research 264 citations
Article Tier 2

Utilization of Plastic Waste in Road Paver Blocks as a Construction Material

Researchers evaluated the use of recycled plastic waste in road paver blocks in India, finding that incorporating recycled plastic improved block strength and weather resistance compared to conventional materials, offering a construction application for plastic waste.

2023 CivilEng 18 citations
Article Tier 2

Lego-like Bricks Manufacturing Using Recycled Polyethylene (PE) and Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET) Waste in Egypt

Researchers tested the use of recycled polyethylene and PET plastic waste as raw materials for manufacturing Lego-like construction bricks in Egypt, addressing plastic waste accumulation and its degradation into microplastics. The recycled bricks showed adequate structural properties, demonstrating a viable pathway for diverting plastic waste from the environment into durable construction materials.

2024 Sustainability 7 citations
Article Tier 2

Feasibility Study of the Use of Concrete Blocks Produced From Plastic Marine Garbage for Use in Civil Construction

Researchers investigated the feasibility of producing concrete blocks incorporating plastic waste collected from marine and coastal environments, testing blocks with varying proportions of recycled plastic as a partial aggregate replacement in civil construction applications. The study assessed the mechanical and physical properties of the resulting composite blocks, evaluating whether marine plastic garbage could be valorized as a construction material while reducing environmental plastic loads.

2022
Article Tier 2

The Holistic Approach of Plastic Waste Recycling for Sustainable Development

This review examines how plastic waste can be incorporated into construction materials including bricks, tiles, concrete, and roads as a binder, aggregate, or modifier. The authors find that using plastic waste in construction reduces landfill burden and dependence on mined resources, though performance effects vary by application.

2023 International Journal of Energy and Environmental Science
Article Tier 2

Evaluating the structural performance of waste PET-infused interlocking units versus traditional stone masonry

This study is not directly about microplastics — it evaluates the compressive strength and water absorption of interlocking bricks made from waste PET plastic as a partial cement replacement in construction.

2024 Engineering and Technology Journal 2 citations
Article Tier 2

Dataset for the review article "From plastic use in the construction and built environment to state-of-the-art circular economy solutions to combat microplastic pollution"

This is a supporting dataset (not a primary research paper) for a review article examining plastic use in the construction sector and circular economy solutions to reduce microplastic pollution from buildings and built infrastructure.

2026 DiRROS repository (University of Maribor)
Systematic Review Tier 1

Systematic Review of Plastic Waste as Eco-Friendly Aggregate for Sustainable Construction

This systematic review examines how recycled plastic waste can be used as a substitute for traditional aggregates in concrete and construction materials. Using plastic waste in construction could divert it from landfills and waterways where it breaks down into microplastics. The review evaluates the structural performance and environmental benefits of incorporating plastic into building materials.

2022 International Journal of Sustainable Construction Engineering Technology 18 citations
Systematic Review Tier 1

Marine Plastic Waste in Construction: A Systematic Review of Applications in the Built Environment

This systematic review evaluates how recycled marine plastic waste can be used in construction materials like concrete, asphalt, bricks, and insulation. Reusing ocean plastics in buildings could help reduce the amount of plastic pollution in the environment. While performance varies, this approach offers a promising way to address marine plastic waste while creating useful building materials.

2025 Polymers 4 citations
Article Tier 2

Valorization of post-consumer plastic packaging into a composite material

This study developed a composite building material from post-consumer mixed plastic packaging waste, providing a higher-value end use that diverts plastic from landfill. Using plastic waste in durable construction products reduces the amount available to degrade into microplastics in the environment.

2023 Proceedings of International Exchange and Innovation Conference on Engineering & Sciences (IEICES)
Article Tier 2

Utilization of Plastic Waste for Developing Composite Bricks and Enhancing Mechanical Properties: A Review on Challenges and Opportunities

This review of research on plastic waste composite bricks found that PET has the highest recycling efficiency among plastics used for brick production and highlights the need for standardized specifications, contamination assessments, and policy frameworks to promote wider adoption.

2023 Advances in Polymer Technology 21 citations
Article Tier 2

A critical review of the current progress of plastic waste recycling technology in structural materials

Researchers reviewed technologies for recycling plastic waste into construction materials such as concrete and asphalt, finding this approach can meaningfully reduce the environmental burden of plastic pollution. Incorporating plastic waste into building materials offers a practical path toward both waste reduction and more sustainable construction.

2023 Current Opinion in Green and Sustainable Chemistry 210 citations
Article Tier 2

Valorization of Plastic Waste through Incorporation into Construction Materials

This review of 60 studies examines how plastic waste is being incorporated into construction materials — including concrete, asphalt, and bricks — as a sustainable valorization strategy, finding that recycled plastics can improve certain material properties while diverting waste from landfills.

2022 Civil and Sustainable Urban Engineering 21 citations
Article Tier 2

Research on Properties of Ecobricks and its Possible Applications

This study examined the properties of ecobricks — plastic bottles stuffed with non-recyclable waste — as a building material, finding they can partially substitute for conventional bricks while diverting plastic waste from landfills.

2022 Highlights in Science Engineering and Technology 5 citations
Article Tier 2

From plastic use in the construction and built environment to state-of-the-art circular economy solutions to combat microplastic pollution

Researchers reviewed how plastics used throughout the construction industry — in paints, pipes, insulation, flooring, and adhesives — degrade over time and release microplastics into the environment, with building paints alone contributing up to 863,000 tonnes per year in the EU. Despite construction accounting for nearly a quarter of plastic use in Europe, less than 0.6% of microplastic research focuses on this sector, leaving a major pollution source largely unexamined.

2025 Environmental Sciences Europe 1 citations
Review Tier 2

A Decade Review of Research Trends Using Waste Materials in the Building and Construction Industry: A Pathway towards a Circular Economy

This decade-long review of construction industry research trends found growing adoption of waste materials including plastics, rubber, and industrial by-products as alternative construction materials, supporting a more circular production and consumption model.

2023 Waste 29 citations
Article Tier 2

Polyethylene Terephthalate Waste Utilisation for Production of Low Thermal Conductivity Cement Sand Bricks

This engineering study tested whether shredded PET plastic waste could partially replace sand in cement bricks, finding it reduced the bricks' thermal conductivity while maintaining acceptable strength. Incorporating plastic waste into construction materials could divert it from landfills while reducing building energy costs. This paper focuses on construction materials and is not directly related to microplastic health risks.

2021 ARTS Bulletin : 22 citations
Article Tier 2

An Analysis of the State-of-the-art in Plastic Scrap Recycling Strategies for Construction Components

This review examines strategies for recycling plastic waste in construction applications, covering methods to convert plastic scraps into building components and discussing barriers including contamination, mixed polymer streams, and regulatory restrictions on plastic use in structural applications.

2025
Article Tier 2

A Comprehensive Review of Plastic Recycling in the Construction Industry: Challenges and Opportunities in the U.S.

Despite its title referencing plastic recycling in the construction industry, this paper reviews the barriers and opportunities for incorporating recycled plastics into building materials in the United States — not microplastic pollution itself. It examines economic, technical, and regulatory challenges for construction-sector plastic recycling and is only indirectly relevant to microplastics through the lens of reducing plastic waste at source.

2025 CIB Conferences 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Recycling of Plastic Waste in the Construction Industry

This review examines the use of recycled plastic waste in construction applications including concrete, asphalt, insulation, and structural composites, assessing the performance, durability, and environmental benefits of incorporating waste plastics into building materials to reduce landfill disposal.

2025 Polymers 4 citations
Article Tier 2

A Survey on Use of Non-Recyclable Waste in Construction

This survey reviews strategies for incorporating non-recyclable plastic waste into construction materials, documenting the environmental threat posed by plastic waste in marine ecosystems and its effects on wildlife and human health. The authors conclude that using plastic waste as a component in cementitious composites offers the most promising avenue for improving environmental sustainability while providing a practical construction material.

2022 International Journal for Research in Applied Science and Engineering Technology