Experimental investigation on the utilization of e-waste, plastic waste, and crushed coconut shell as partial replacements for natural aggregates in concrete

Abstract

In a rapidly urbanizing world, achieving sustainable and ethical development requires the close integration of buildings with the surrounding environment. This research explores the findings from experiments investigating the impacts of substituting a portion of the coarse aggregate (CA) with e-waste, plastic waste, and crushed coconut shell (CCS) within the concrete mix. The experimental results in this research show that including 5-10% by weight of plastic, e-waste, and CCS as partial replacements for CA in concrete mix brings significant and considerable compressive and flexural strength on the 3rd, 7th, 14th, and 28th days. Specifically, the compressive strength reaches 21.8 MPa after 5% replacement of CA and 19.4 MPa after 10% substitution of CA on the 28th day. However, it is noted that increasing the amount of this waste material beyond 10% results in a decline in the compressive and flexural strength of concrete. Therefore, as per experimental outcomes, the compressive strength is higher at 5% replacement; however, for 10% replacement, the compressive strength is at a satisfactory and acceptable level, so 10% is the considerable proportion found for partial replacement of CA with CCS, e-waste and plastic waste in the concrete mix. The combination of these wastes in suitable ratios can be applied as possible and workable alternative substitutes for ordinary construction materials while maintaining environmental friendliness and affordability.