Water assisted melt compounding of plasticized waste polypropylene-bentonite composites for the fabrication of concrete aggregates

Amran, Muhammad Arif Afif (2021) Water assisted melt compounding of plasticized waste polypropylene-bentonite composites for the fabrication of concrete aggregates. Project Report. Universiti Teknikal Malaysia Melaka, Melaka, Malaysia. (Submitted)

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Abstract

Depletion of natural aggregates regardless of the increase in structural construction demands is a rising issue globally. On the other hand, increasing plastic waste accumulation is another major issue human-faced worldwide. Transforming waste plastics into construction aggregates is seeming like a wise step to solve both of these issues. However, 1) the low interaction between plastic aggregates with organic cement lowers the strength of concretes and 2) the high temperature of conventional melt compounding process of plastic aggregates becomes the ultimate concern that needs to be addressed further. A water-assisted melt compounding process was investigated to directly compound PP thermoplastic waste materials with the incorporation of 0, 1, 3, 5, and 10 pph of bentonite clay to produce the plastic waste aggregates (PWA) using a pressure cooker (temperature and pressure of 119°C and 191.325 kPa for 45 minutes) and hot press machine (temperature and press force of 200°C and 140kgf/cm2 for 30 minutes with preheat and cooling for 15 minutes). Once the composites were formed, testing for density and hardness were performed in the lab according to ASTM D1895 and D2240, respectively. However, the compressive strength of the composite was postulated through a critical review of closely related previous research papers, and the data were then analyzed. These experimental and postulated data was then further supported by critical review on morphological, compositional, structural, and thermal properties of the composite through existing scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD), and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) analyses data. Increasing bentonite loading has been proven to increase the composite density but decrease its hardness experimentally. Based on experimental and postulated results, the optimum bentonite loading for PWA was expected to be 1pph with a density of 0.84 g/cm3, hardness of 63.67 (Shore D), and compressive strength of 33 MPa. This study’s findings are critical in contributing to the development of green and sustainable concrete and are highly beneficial to the current construction industry.

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