Experimental Investigation into the Use of E-Waste Plastic as a Partial Replacement for Coarse Aggregate

Abstract

The aim is to reduce the cost of construction and enhance the properties of the concrete. Also, E-Waste is a global problem for both developing and developed nations. The reason is, there is no method of disposal of E-Waste other than some traditional ones. Landfill and incineration are commonly used for disposal of E-Waste but, landfill needs a wide landmass and also pollute the groundwater by leaching. In the present thesis coarse aggregate is replaced by E-Waste plastic with various percentages which are 0%, 5%, 10%, 15%, 20%, 25%, 30%, 35% and 40%. Concrete structures have a lifespan of about 50-100 years. But, deterioration of structure starts in 10 years and sometimes within a year of the construction. Small cracks are generated into the structure after certain years which are either structural cracks or superficial cracks. Thus, the study deals with economical aspect not only for construction but also for maintenance purposes.

Introduction

Concrete is a widely used construction material composed of cement, water, fine aggregates (sand), and coarse aggregates (gravel). Historically, materials like clay, lime, and gypsum were used as binders before the development of Portland cement by Joseph Aspdin in 1824. Aggregates play a crucial role in concrete, where particles smaller than 4.75 mm are fine aggregates and larger particles are coarse aggregates.

This study investigates the use of E-waste plastic as a partial replacement for coarse aggregate in concrete. E-waste, generated from discarded electronic devices such as computers, mobile phones, and washing machines, contains materials like plastic, metal, and glass. In this research, only non-hazardous e-plastic components are used to promote sustainable waste management and reduce environmental impact.

The materials used include OPC 43 grade cement, sand, natural coarse aggregates, e-waste plastic, admixtures, and water. Previous studies show that small percentages of e-waste (around 10% replacement) can produce compressive strength similar to conventional concrete, while higher percentages reduce strength and workability.

Concrete specimens were tested for workability, compressive strength, flexural strength, and split tensile strength at 7 and 28 days. Results show that workability slightly increased with e-waste content up to 20%, while compressive and tensile strength improved slightly at 10% replacement but gradually decreased as the percentage of e-waste increased beyond this level.

Overall, the study indicates that limited use of e-waste plastic (around 10%) as a coarse aggregate replacement can maintain acceptable strength while promoting recycling and sustainable construction practices.

Conclusion

From the above research work the conclusion are as follows: The slump test results show the workability of concrete with different percentages of E-waste used as a replacement for coarse aggregate. The slump value of the control mix (C) is 78 mm. As the percentage of E-waste increases from 5% to 20%, the slump value gradually increases from 80 mm to 88 mm, indicating an improvement in the workability of the concrete mix. The maximum slump value is observed at 20% replacement (R4). A. Conclusion on Compressive Strength 1) 7-Days Compressive Strength The 7-day compressive strength of the control mix (0% E-waste) was 28.41 MPa. With the incorporation of E-waste, the compressive strength increased and reached a maximum value of 29.41 MPa at 10% replacement. • At higher replacement levels (25%–40%), a noticeable reduction in early compressive strength was observed. • Hence, 10% E-waste replacement is optimum for 7-day compressive strength. • Thus, the optimum 7-day compressive strength of 29.41 MPa was achieved at 10% E-waste replacement. 2) 28-Days Compressive Strength • The 28-day compressive strength of conventional concrete was 41.19 MPa. • The strength increased with E-waste replacement and attained a maximum value of 42.96 MPa at 10% replacement. B. Conclusion on Split Tensile Strength 1) 7- Days Split Tensile Strength • The 7-day split tensile strength of the control mix was 3.77 MPa. • The strength increased with E-waste content and reached a maximum value of 3.96 MPa at 10% replacement. 2) 28- Days Split Tensile Strength • The 28-day split tensile strength of conventional concrete was 4.29 MPa. • The incorporation of E-waste improved tensile strength up to 10%, where the maximum value of 4.44 MPa was recorded. C. Conclusion on Flexural Strength 1) 7- Days Flexural Strength The 7-day flexural strength results show that the strength of concrete initially increases with the increase in E-waste content. The control mix (C) shows a flexural strength of 3.09 MPa. When E-waste is used as a partial replacement of coarse aggregate, the strength gradually increases and reaches the maximum value of 3.57 MPa at 15% replacement (R3). 2) 28 -Days Flexural Strength The 28-day flexural strength results indicate a similar trend. The control mix shows a strength of 4.44 MPa, while the strength increases with the increase in E-waste content up to 15% replacement (R3), where the maximum value of 5.44 MPa is obtained.

References

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Copyright

Copyright © 2026 Vijay Dixit , Kavita Golghate. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.