Replacement of Quartz in Cementitious Composites Using PET Particles: A Statistical Analysis of the Physical and Mechanical Properties

Abstract

This work investigates the mechanical behavior of cementitious composites (mortar) when quartz inclusions are totally or partially replaced with polyethylene terephthalate (PET) particles. A full factorial design is performed to identify the effect of the water/cement ratio and the range of quartz particles size used in the replacement on the different mechanical and physical parameters (bulk density, apparent porosity, water absorption, oxygen permeability, compressive strength, and modulus of elasticity). The results show a general reduction of the mechanical properties when the replacement with quartz particles is put in place. The composites made by replacing the coarse quartz particles showed acceptable mechanical properties for nonstructural civil engineering applications, with a significant amount of PET recycling to be used as aggregates for some specific end-user cases.