Development of Ecofriendly Concrete Incorporating Recycled High-Impact Polystyrene from Hazardous Electronic Waste

Abstract

Electronic plastic waste from outdated computers and their accessories have been on an exponential growth in recent decades. In light of using such a nondegradable, hazardous waste effectively, this study was carried out using the recycled computer plastic waste as coarse aggregate in concrete. The computer plastic waste was collected and made into chips, which predominantly have high impact polystyrene (HIPS). The coarse aggregate was partially replaced with HIPS by volume percentages of 10, 20, 30, 40, and 50% for different water–cement ratios such as 0.53, 0.49, and 0.45. A total of 486 concrete specimens were cast to investigate the effect of HIPS and water–cement ratio on the fresh and hardened properties of concrete. The concrete specimens were tested under compression, tension, and flexure on the 7th and 28th day. The engineering properties such as workability, compressive strength, flexural strength, split tensile strength, and elastic modulus of concrete were obtained experimentally and were compared with the control concrete. From the experimental results, concrete specimens made using HIPS aggregate were found to be capable of retaining 50% strength under all of the test conditions, when 50% coarse aggregates are replaced by HIPS aggregate. Various volume percentages of HIPS aggregate replacement show a linear relation between the loss of strength and increase in HIPS content. Because the reduction in strength was observed, this type of concrete can be used in nonstructural elements such as partition walls and lightweight roofs. The addition of HIPS aggregate in concrete reduces the unit weight of concrete; it can be used in earthquake-prone areas where the reduction in mass is essential. Hence, the effective use of HIPS as a coarse aggregate substitute in concrete is one of the feasible solutions for the solid waste management problem and thereby reduces environmental pollution and conserves the natural resources from depletion.