A Study of Reinforced Cement Paste Properties with Woven Fabrics from Poly(ethylene Terephthalate) Bottle Yarn

Abstract

This study investigates the reinforcement of cement paste with woven fabrics made from recycled poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) bottle yarn, aiming to enhance its mechanical properties while addressing PET waste. PET bottles were transformed into yarn with a denier of 3,593.8, strength of 91.2 N, and 25.6% elongation before breaking. The yarns were woven into plain weave, twill weave, and basket weave fabrics, with the basket weave exhibiting the highest yarn density at 10 threads per inch and fabric weight of 277.08 g per square meter. Mechanical testing of cement paste samples, unreinforced, reinforced with PET fabrics, and reinforced with standard fiberglass fabric, demonstrated that the basket weave fabric reinforced samples exhibited superior compressive and flexural strengths of 31.99 and 1.53 N per square millimeter, respectively. This study highlights the potential of using PET bottle yarn woven fabrics, especially the basket weave pattern, as an effective and sustainable reinforcement material in cement paste. The findings offer a promising approach for PET waste valorization and the development of construction materials with improved performance. Environmental and economic assessments indicate that this approach can reduce CO2 emissions by approximately 11% and achieve cost savings of 6.4% compared to traditional glass fiber reinforcement. These results demonstrate the potential for sustainable engineering solutions that combine environmental benefits with economic viability.