Recycling Waste Plastics into Plastic-Bonded Sand Interlocking Blocks for Wall Construction in Developing Countries

Alexander Kumi-Larbi Jnr (), Latifatu Mohammed, Trinity Ama Tagbor, Samuel Kofi Tulashie and Christopher Cheeseman
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Alexander Kumi-Larbi Jnr: UKCRIC Advanced Infrastructure Materials Laboratory, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Imperial College London, London SW7 2BU, UK
Latifatu Mohammed: Council for Scientific and Industrial Research, Institute of Industrial Research, Accra P.O. Box LG 587, Ghana
Trinity Ama Tagbor: Council for Scientific and Industrial Research, Institute of Industrial Research, Accra P.O. Box LG 587, Ghana
Samuel Kofi Tulashie: Industrial Chemistry Section, Department of Chemistry, School of Physical Sciences, College of Agriculture and Natural Sciences, University of Cape Coast, Cape Coast PMB TF0494, Ghana
Christopher Cheeseman: UKCRIC Advanced Infrastructure Materials Laboratory, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Imperial College London, London SW7 2BU, UK

Sustainability, 2023, vol. 15, issue 24, 1-21

Abstract: This paper reports on using waste polyethylene to form plastic-bonded sand interlocking blocks for wall construction. The production process, mechanical properties, and failure mechanisms of three different interlocking block wall systems are reported. Plastic-bonded composite blocks were formed by mixing sand into waste polyethylene in a high-temperature extruder. The blocks formed had densities between 1.5 and 1.6 g cm −3 and compressive strengths of approximately 15.0 MPa. This is significantly higher than the conventional sandcrete wall blocks that are widely used in developing countries. The blocks were used to construct walls with dimensions of 1.0 m × 1.0 m × 0.15 m, and these were subjected to in-plane compressive loads. The compressive strengths of the walls ranged from 4.2 to 5.7 MPa. Variations in the block composition did not affect the failure mechanism, but the extent of the block damage after failure varied significantly. The potential for using waste plastics to form interlocking construction blocks for use in low-cost construction is discussed.

Keywords: waste plastics; circular economy; sustainable development; interlocking blocks; sustainable infrastructure (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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