Comparative Analysis of Tiles Made from Recyclable LDPE Plastic Waste

Abstract

There is a need for use of materials made from recyclable plastics taking into considerations the adverse effects of plastic waste. There have been numerous procedures carried out for processing and recycling of plastic waste, but the use of LDPE plastic for making of internal partitions, tiles and plastic products with antimicrobial properties has not been well explored. Till date, largely research has been done using plastic as reinforcement but very less research has been done for exploring the use of plastic as a parent material with sawdust or fiber reinforcement. This research illustrates the manufacturing of tiles and bricks from LDPE, Low-Density Polyethylene, plastic waste. The LDPE was procured mainly from the Amazon delivery bags and other daily used plastic waste. Hot-ramming was carried out on the semi-solid plastic achieved by heating till Glass Point Temperature was achieved followed by tests included compression test, flammability test, friction test, etc. These test results were compared with that of traditional Ceramic tiles, in which, for the plastic tiles a weight reduction of 57.7322% was observed as compared to the conventional bathroom tile having the same dimension and flexural strength.