Study on Aggregate Based Zero Cement Bricks Using Molten Plastic as Binder

BELGAUM, KARNATAKA

A TECHNICAL SEMINOR REPORT ON

“Study on Aggregate Based Zero Cement Bricks Using Molten

Plastic as Binder”
Submitted to Visvesvaraya Technological University in partial fulfillment
of the requirement for the award of Bachelor of Engineering degree in Civil
Engineering.

Submitted by:
MANJUNATH C K 4JN19CV031

Under the guidance of:

Mr. Sabareshwaran S B.E, M.TECH
Assistant Professor, Dept of Civil Engg,
JNNCE, Shivamogga

Department of Civil Engineering,

Jawaharlal Nehru New College of Engineering,
Shivamogga - 577204
March - 2023

Department of Civil Engineering, JNNCE Shivamogga

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 Study on Aggregate Based Zero Cement Bricks Using Molten Plastic as Binder

National Education Society ®

Department of Civil Engineering

CERTIFICATE
This is to certify that the technical seminar entitled

“Study on Aggregate Based Zero Cement Bricks Using Molten

Plastic as Binder”

Submitted by:
MANJUNATH C K 4JN19CV031

The student of 8th semester B.E. Civil Engineering under our supervision and
guidance towards the partial fulfillment of the requirements for the award of
degree of Bachelor of Engineering in Civil Engineering as per the university
regulations during the year 2023.

Mr. Sabareshwaran S Dr. Karthika B S

Asst. Professor, H.O.D,
Dept. Of Civil Engineering Dept. Of Civil Engineering,
JNNCE, Shivamogga. JNNCE, Shivamogga.

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ABSTRACT
Disposal of large quantity of plastic bottle has emerged as an important environmental
challenge, and its recycling is facing a big problem due to non-degradable nature. Due to
plastic does not decompose biologically, the amount of plastic waste in our surroundings is
steadily increasing. The proposed sand bricks which is made up by adding plastic bottle
waste in crush form in sand bricks may help to reuse the plastic bottle waste as one of the
additives material of bricks, and to help the disposal problem of plastic waste. The properties
of sand bricks which contain varying percentages of plastic were tested for compressive
strength, water absorption and efflorescence. It shows that an appreciable improvement in the
performance of bricks can be achieved by introducing crush type of plastic waste into sand
bricks. In view of utilization of plastic waste material for developing sustainable construction
material, the present paper reviews plastic waste materials in different compositions of 0% to
15% that were added to the raw material to develop plastic waste sand bricks. The
compression strength of the bricks is reviewed and recommendations are suggested as the
outcome of the study. It was found that the reduction in compressive strength, due to
replacement of sand by waste plastic bottle, is minimal and can be enhanced by addition of
super plasticizer. The water absorption and efflorescence however showed excellent
performance.

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

On presenting the Technical Seminar on “Study on Aggregate Based Zero Cement Bricks
Using Molten Plastic as Binder” I feel great to express my humble feelings of thanks to all
those who have helped me directly or indirectly in the successful completion of the technical
seminar.

I would like to thank my respected guide Mr.Sabareshwaran.S Assistant Professor, Dept. of

Civil Engineering, who has helped me a lot in completing this task, for continuous
encouragement and guidance throughout the technical seminar.

I would like to express my deep sense of gratitude to Technical Seminar coordinator

Mrs.Chaya. D Y, Professor, Dept. of Civil Engineering, who has helped me a lot in
completing this task, for their continuous encouragement and guidance throughout the
technical seminar.

I would like to thank Dr. Karthik B S, Professor and Head, Dept of Civil Engineering, JNN
College of Engineering, Shivamogga and Dr. K Nagendra Prasad, The Principal, JNN
College of Engineering, Shivamogga for all their support and encouragement.

I am thankful to and fortunate enough to get constant encouragement, support and guidance
from all Teaching staffs of the Department of Civil Engineering which helped me in
successfully completing my technical seminar.

Thanking you all,

MANJUNATH C K
4JN19CV031

Department of Civil Engineering, JNNCE Shivamogga

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CONTENTS:
 INTRODUCTION
 LITERATURE REVIEW
 MATERIAL
 CONCLUSION
 REFERENCE

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Chapter-1

INTRODUCTION
Plastics are key resources in circular economy and recycling after the end of useful life with
economic value creation and minimal damage to environment is the key to their sustainable
management. Studies in a large stream of researches have explored impregnating waste
plastics in concrete and reported encouraging results with multiple benefits. Every year,
more than 380 million tons of plastic are produced worldwide. As of 2017, over 100 million
tons of polyethylene resins are produced annually, accounting for 34% of the total plastics
market. Every year, countries around the world discard millions of tons of plastic waste.

Plastic is a very common material that is now widely used by everybody in the world.
Plastic plays a predominant role in reusable in this era, as it is compact and light in weight.
Common plastic items that are used are covers, bottles, and food packages. The great
problem with plastic is its decomposition. Plastic is made of polymer chemicals and they are
non-biodegradable. This means that plastic will not decompose when it is placed in earth.
Though plastic is a very useful material that is flexible, robust and rigid they become waste
after their use and they pollute the air and land. Recycling is processing use waste materials
into new products to prevent waste of potentially useful materials. The increase in the
popularity of using eco-friendly, low cost and lightweight construction materials in building
industry has brought about the need to investigate how this can be achieved by benefiting to
the environment as well as maintaining the material requirements and their standards. From
the advantages of plastic recycling procedure is used. For the production of plastic bricks is
an optimal method for controlling the problem by decomposition of plastic waste and also it
costs economical for the production of building materials. In this study, plastic waste from
factories will be used to incorporate with cement and sand to produce sand bricks. The
bricks will then be tested to study the compressive strength, efflorescence and water
absorption. In the recent past research, the replacement and addition have been done with
the direct inclusion of polyethylene, polyethylene terephhalate (PET) bottles in shredded
form, chemically treated polyethylene-fibre, PET in small particles form by replacing
natural fine aggregate. Most of replacements have been done by volume calculation, and

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showed the decreased in compressive strength as the increased plastic waste. In this study,
recycled plastic waste have been introduced in the form of crushed plastic.[1]

However, since waste plastics are generally a threat to the global environment and the
production of plastics in its varied forms cannot be halted, recycling may be a solution to the
threat waste plastics pose to the environment. Recycling of waste plastic is sustainable and
can conserve natural resources. However, recovery and recycling of plastics remain
insufficient, and millions of tons end up in landfills and oceans every year. The percentage
of recycled plastic can be increased by transforming waste plastic into mortar, and concrete
products suitable for housing and construction, applying it in road construction and
pavement to improve strength and increase durability, using it as thermal and acoustic
insulator in building construction, using it as fibres in textile industry or using to produce
new plastic. Other uses of waste plastics include producing twist ties for bulk item tying,
manufacturing low strength plastic furniture, manufacturing automotive parts and home
appliances, producing mulches and making films. Plastic is derived from hydrocarbon-based
materials and as such it exerts high calorific value that could be used to fuel boilers.[2]

Sustainability is becoming a top priority for the construction industry worldwide. Different
types of waste materials and industrial by products (such as recycled concrete aggregate,
glass, ceramic, fly ash and slag) are being used with and without natural aggregates (sand
and gravels) and Portland cement to make concrete for traditional construction. It has been
shown that the properties of these materials are suitable to produce new concrete up to a of
these materials in concrete that does not negatively influence the engineering properties
certain limit. Therefore, numerous studies have been conducted to find the optimum content
of concrete. Waste materials such as plastics, which present environmental hazards and are
often landfilled, can be used in concrete for different applications.

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Chapter-2

LITERATURE REVIEW

2.1 Dinesh Sellakutty, et.al., (2016), They had researched on “Utilization of Waste Plastic
in Manufacturing of Bricks and Paver Blocks”. They used High-density polyethylene
(HDPE) and polyethylene (PE) bags are cleaned and added with sand and aggregate at
various percentages to obtain high strength bricks. That possess thermal and sound
insulation properties to control pollution and to reduce the overall cost of construction,

this is one of the best ways to avoid the accumulation of plastic waste which is an
undegradable pollutant. This alternatively saves the quanta of sand/clay that has to be taken
away from the precious river beds/mines. The Plastic sand bricks possess more advantages
which include Cost efficiency, Removal of waste products thus abolishing the land
requirement problem for dumping plastic, Reduction in the emission of greenhouse gases by
the conversion of flue gases into synthetic oil etc., to imply the bricks or blocks were hard.
This shows the This method is suitable for the countries which has the difficult to dispose
/recycle the plastic waste. The natural resources consumed for the manufacturing of Plastic
sand bricks and Paver blocks are very much less when compared to its counterparts. The
manufacturing cost could be reduced further by replacing the river sand with fly ash/quarry
dust or other waste products. Owing to the numerous advantages further research would
improve the quality and durability of plastic sand bricks and paver blocks.[9]

2.2 Aishah Wahid, et.al., (2015), They have studied on “Utilization Plastic Bottle Waste in
Sand Bricks”. Then they proposed sand bricks which is made up by adding plastic bottle
waste in crush form in sand bricks may help to reuse the plastic bottle waste as one of the
additives material of bricks, and to help the disposal problem of plastic waste. They
followed the methods of Plastic waste preparation, sand brick preparation, sand brick
testing. The properties of sand bricks which contain varying percentages of plastic were

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tested for compressive strength, water absorption, The comprehensive strength decreases
with increasing waste plastic ratios. The virgin (0% plastic waste) sand brick showed the
highest value of compressive strength of 252.67kN. This followed by 5%, 10% and 15%
plastic waste which are 236.67kN, 121.33kN and 60.67kN. This may be attributed to the
decrease in the adhesive strength between the waste plastic and the cement paste. It seems
that the bonding between the plastic particles and the cement paste is weak. However, the
mixes of sand bricks and plastics waste seems possible because water absorption less than
15% for all ratios. Furthermore, there are only slight salt/alkalis presence in the sand bricks
mixes with plastic waste. The reduced compressive strength values of waste plastic bricks
mixes show that it can be used only in situations that required low-degree workability. Such
situations are numerous in civil engineering applications, namely, precast bricks, partition
wall panels, canal linings, and so forth. Recommendation for further study, it will emphasize
on grind the waste into fine powder and mix into such proportion to achieve maximum
packing density. It may result to increase in compressive strength and binder, or plasticizer
should be added to the mixture to increase the bind between plastic surface and cement
particle.[8]

2.3Rathish Chandra Gatti, et.al., (2018), They have proposed, “Useful Application of
Plastic Waste in Composite Brick Manufacturing”. The objective of their research was to
develop a solution for the use of plastic waste in composite brick manufacturing. This is
achieved by experimenting samples of bricks made of different grain sizes of Polyethylene
Terephthalate (PET) plastic waste that replace the weight of natural soil in order to achieve
the strength of bricks. The optimum mixing proportion is then determined for the maximum
compressive strength of the brick. We also developed a solution for reduction of the disposal
of plastic waste by replacing 20% plastic waste in order have maximum load at crushing of
97kN. The percentage of different grain sizes of plastic waste is replaced by the weight of
natural soil in order to achieve the strength of bricks. This results in reducing the harmful
effects of the waste plastics in the environment. We also developed a solution for reduction
of the disposal of plastic waste by replacing 20% plastic waste in order have maximum load
at crushing of 97 Kn.[13]

2.4Rajarapu Bhushaiah, et.al., (2019), They have researched on “Study of Plastic Bricks
Made from Waste Plastic”. The plastic waste from factories will be used to incorporate with
cement and sand to produce sand bricks. The bricks will then be tested to study the

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compressive strength-19.8Mpa, efflorescence and water absorption-0.05%. For the

production of plastic bricks is an optimal method for controlling the problem by
decomposition of Waste plastic, which is available everywhere, may be put to an effective
use in brick. Plastic bricks can help reduce the environmental pollution, thereby making the
environment clean and healthy. Plastic sand bricks reduce the usage of clay in making of
bricks. Plastic sand bricks give an alternative option of bricks to the customers on affordable
rates. on of plastic waste and also it costs economical for the production of building
materials. Water absorption of plastic sand brick is zero percent. Compressive strength of
plastic sand brick is 5.6 N/mm2 at the compressive load of 96KN. We conclude that the
plastic sand bricks are useful for the construction industry when we compare with Fly Ash
bricks and 3rd class clay bricks.[17]

2.5 Owolabi Wahab, et.al., (2020), They had aimed to study on “Production of Pavement
Blocks”. They studied about the application of plastic waste in the production of paver block
is an innovative way of disposing plastic waste littered all over the place, thereby cleaning
the environment. The cost of plastic waste paver block when compared with concrete paver
block is stronger, tougher, economical and more resistant to heat and corrosion. useful
constructional materials as well as reducing its menace in our surrounding. The plastic
wastes littered all over the environment can be converted to useful constructional materials
more economical than cement. Based on the outcome of the results of the various tests
carried out, the study has clearly established that the plastic derived paver blocks are more
rugged, tougher, durable, heat-, and corrosion resistant compared to the paver blocks
produced from conventional cement.[19]

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Chapter-3
MATERIALS
In our project the necessary materials are to be collect and materials we are going to use are
follows.

3.1 MATERIALS
Following materials are intended to be used in the proposed study

1. Fine Aggregate.
2. Coarse Aggregate.
3. Epoxy.
4. Binder.

3.1.1 Fine Aggregate

In this study we are using Natural River sand passing 4.75 mm sieve and retained on 0.15mm
sieve are classified as fine aggregate. Fine aggregate are essentially any natural river sand
particles won from the land through the mining process. Fine aggregate consists of natural
sand. Natural sands are formed from weathering of rocks (mainly quartzite) and are of
various size or grades depending on the intensity of weathering. The sand grains may be of
sharp, angular or round,

 As a load bearing material.

 As a filling material.

 As an infiltrating material.

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Fig 3.1 Natural River Sand

3.1.2 Coarse Aggregate

In this study we are using 12mm downsize coarse aggregate. The materials used for
manufacture of mortar and concrete such as sand, gravel etc. Are called coarse aggregate.
The combination of different size and shapes normally of stone. Maximum size is 75mm.
Coarse aggregate can be used in a number of ways in construction. in roads and railway
ballast the aggregate are used to resist the overall load, in concrete the aggregate is used for
economy, reduce shrinkage and cracks and to strengthen the structure. They are also used in
water filtration and sewage treatment processes. The uses of aggregate can be summarized in
the following three categories:

 As a load bearing material.

 As a filling material

 As an infiltrating material.

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Fig 3.2 Coarse Aggregate

3.1.3 Epoxy

Epoxy resin-based adhesives have many uses in industrial applications. They generally
consist of resin and hardening agents. Curing epoxy adhesives can take place either at room
or elevated temperature, or through photo initiators and UV light. Modern photo initiators
also react to the special UV spectrum of LED light sources, so that newly developed epoxide
resin adhesives can be cured with both UV and UV LED light.

The benefits of epoxy adhesives are:

 Good resilience against environmental and media influences.

 Epoxies can be used at higher temperatures.
 Epoxy adhesives feature high glass transition temperatures.
 Cured epoxy adhesives usually have dry, non-tacky surfaces, making them suitable also
as one-sided protective coating.

Fig. 3.3 Epoxy

3.1.4 Binder

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A) Low Density Polyethylene (LDPE)

 Due to its low costs, it contributes to reduction in the price of the final product.

 It can be recycled (mostly) and hence, reused.

 It is splinter proof. Therefore, very ideal for slippery bathrooms.

 It can be processed easily by most of the thermoplastic processing methods (injection molding,
extrusion, pressing and forming to list a few).

 Packaging films or plastic wraps are made from LDPE. This is one of the largest markets for
LDPE. It is used to make containers, trays, shampoo bottles, squeezable bottles, and aerated
drink bottles. It is used to make carrier bags for carrying purchases, dry cleaner bags, and tote
bags. It is used to make garden slides and toys.

Fig 3.4(A) Low Density Polyethylene

B) High Density Polyethylene (HDPE)

One of the biggest selling points of HDPE plastic partitions and lockers is that they are
sustainable. Not only can they be made from recycled material, but they are easily recycled
and reused. Facility managers understand the need for sustainable building products, as well

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as the benefits of choosing such products for their facility. What makes HDPE plastic a
sustainable material is that it’s made from post-consumer materials. Roughly 25-100% of
HDPE as been recycled and refurbished into the plastic that you can use for your facilities
locker room lockers., so being able to get as many uses out of it as possible is important for
paving the way towards a greener future. It helps keep waste at a minimum, and can boost
business’s sustainability rating by using a material like HDPE plastic.

Fig 3.4(B) High Density Polyethylene

Casting

1. Collection of Plastic Materials.

The plastic material should be collected from the factories waste and hospital waste and
industries waste and also food packages and plastic bottles this will come under the LDPE
plastic type.

2. Batching of Collected Plastic.

Measurement of materials for making bricks is called batching. After collection of materials,
we separate the types of plastic and remove any other waste presented in the collected
material and check that any water content in sample collected ten proceed for burning.

3. Melting of Waste Plastic.

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After completion batching the plastic waste were taken for burning in which the plastic bags
are drop one by one into the container and allowed to melt. These would be done in closed
vessel because to prevent the toxic gases released into atmosphere. These will be at the
temperature of 90-110 degrees centigrade.

4. Mixing of Plastic.
Mixing of materials is essential for the production of uniform and strength for brick. The
mixing has to be ensured that the mass becomes homogeneous, uniform in colour and
consistency. Generally, there are two types of mixing, Hand mixing and mechanical mixing.
In this project, we adopted hand mixing. until the entire plastic content required for making
plastic brick of one mix proportion is added into it. then these plastic liquids thoroughly
mixed by using trowel before it hardens. The mixture has very short setting bags are turned to
molten state; the fine aggregate, coarse aggregate and epoxy is added to it. The sand added is
mixed time. Hence mixing process should not consume more time.

5. Moulding.
After completion of proper mixing, we place mix into required mould. In these projects we
use the normal brick sizes (230*115*75mm) after 24 hours remove the brick from the mould.

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Chapter-5

CONCLUSION

The study on Aggregate Based Zero Cement Bricks Using Molten Plastic as Binder aimed to
develop a sustainable alternative to traditional cement bricks, which are known to have a
significant environmental impact. The researchers explored the use of waste plastics as a
binder for aggregate-based bricks and evaluated the mechanical and thermal properties of the
resulting bricks.

The study found that the use of molten plastic as a binder for aggregate-based bricks resulted
in bricks with satisfactory mechanical and thermal properties. The bricks showed good
compressive strength and thermal conductivity, and they exhibited low water absorption and
good resistance to weathering. The study also found that the use of waste plastic as a binder
for bricks could reduce plastic waste and provide a sustainable alternative to cement-based
bricks.

The findings of this study suggest that the use of molten plastic as a binder for aggregate-
based bricks can be a viable alternative to cement-based bricks. The use of waste plastic as a
binder can help reduce plastic waste and provide a sustainable building material. Further
research is needed to explore the long-term durability of these bricks and to optimize their
manufacturing process. However, the results of this study are promising and provide a
foundation for future research in this area.

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Chapter-4

REFERENCES

1) Aeslina Abdul Kadir and Noor Amira Sarani, “An Overview of Wastes Recycling
in Fired Clay Bricks”. International Journal of Integrated Engineering, Vol 4 No. 2
(2012) pp 53-69.

2) Dinesh Sellakutty, Dinesh A and Kirubakaran.K, “Utilization of Waste Plastic in

Manufacturing of Bricks and Paver bricks, Coimbatore, India”, SSN 0973-4562 Vol.
11 No.3 (2016), pp 364-368.

3) Rathish Chandra R Gatti, Shwetha L G and Pooja K, “Useful Application of

Plastic Waste in Composite Brick Manufacturing”, Vol 4, 2018, pp 12-14.

4) Rajarapu Bhushaiah, Shaik Mohammad and D. Srinivasa Rao, “Study of Plastic

Bricks Made from Waste Plastic.” e-ISSN: 2395-0056, p-ISSN: 2395-0072, Vol 6
Issue: 04 | Apr 2019, pp 1122-1127.

5) Owolabi Wahab and Amadi Akobundu Nwanosike, “Production of Pavement

Blocks.” Vol 21, November 2020, pp 36-43.

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