Compressive strength of concrete with partial replacement of Fine Aggregate with crushed Electronic waste plastic

Abstract

Electronic waste (E-waste) of about 53.6 MT is generated globally with 7.3 kg per capita, wherein India generates about 1.72 MT. Out of the total generated e-waste, only 17.4% is recycled properly. The e-waste constitutes both organic and inorganic compounds while handling. Plastic waste is one of the inorganic compounds of e-waste, which has majorly become a massive problem owing to its non-degradable property. Moreover, a very less percentage of this is being reused/recycled every year. This also has many negative impacts on the environment so there is a necessity to study its uses alternately. Therefore, it is preliminarily desired to attempt in replacing the fine aggregate to certain percentage viz 0%, 10%, 15%, 20% by using available plastic components of e-waste available from circuit boards, body cabinets of a computer after crushing. In this paper, an attempt has been made to observe the effects of partially replacing fine aggregate with e-waste (plastic). The impact of alternative material to fine aggregate in material compositions is determined by testing the physical (Density) & strength (Compressive and Flexural) properties of concrete. Testing for these impacts helps in understanding the extent up to which these wastes can be used in concrete. Thereby, the usage of natural materials in construction practices can be reduced. Finally, it is inferred that the usage of e-waste plastic particles as a part of the reuse mechanism helps in improving sustainability due to less usage of sand.