SUSTAINABLE CONCRETE PATHWAY BY USING WASTE

CONCRETE AND SHREDDED PLASTIC

Mohd. Sahriman Bin Jokepli, Steafenie Ak. George, Aaron Nicholas Sammy
and Marcelia Naja Ak. Marcos
Department of Civil Engineering
Politeknik Kuching Sarawak

ABSTRACT

The disposal of waste concrete is not friendly to the environment because of the huge waste of
natural materials. The aim of this project is to investigate the suitability of Sustainable Concrete
Pathway (SCP) containing biomass aggregates that consists of waste concrete and chemical drum
which has been shredded into pieces and add with fly ash. The study was carried out to identify the
strength and workability of the Sustainable Concrete Pathway (SCP). A total of 4 cube samples
were casted and the test for slump test and compressive strength is tested at the age of 7, 14 and 28
days after curing in water. The overall results showed that the workability and compressive strength
is almost achieved as the controlled results. The results obtained and observation made in this study
suggest that biomass aggregate and fly ash can be successfully used as partial replacement in
producing SCP hence reducing the disposal of waste concrete and chemical drum. The SCP can be
used to make pathway to beautify the housing area.

Key words: Sustainable Concrete Pathway (SCP), Waste Concrete (WC), Fly Ash (FA), Workability, Compressive
strength.

1.0 INTRODUCTION

The development of green and sustainable features in building systems has established
tremendous growths all around the globe for almost a decade now. This growth includes rapid
adoption of sustainable practices across the construction industry and more ambitious long-term
sustainable development planning. In Malaysia, the government, professional bodies and private
companies are beginning to take heed in the necessity to implement and promoting sustainable
practices in construction particularly. As stated by Zuhairi Abd Hamid (2012), Malaysian
Construction Industry Master Plan (2005-2015) has been highlighting the sustainable construction
and green buildings as the construction industry in Malaysia plays an important role in generating
revenue to the country. It has also been widely recognized that the construction industry is a major
consumer of non-renewable resources and a massive producer of waste in which has increased the
demand and needs of green construction.
The United Nations Brundtland Commission Report (1987) defined sustainable
development and urged the world to take note: "Sustainable development is that which meets the
needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own
needs." A growing global population is straining the finite resources available on the planet.
Sustainability seeks to balance the economic, social, and environmental impacts, recognizing that
population growth will continue. Sustainable development brings this evaluation to the design and
construction industries, which have significant potential to reduce the negative impact of the human
activities on the environment.
This project is mainly constructed by solid wastage and other additives. This project is
called "Sustainable Concrete Pathway by Using Waste Concrete and Shredded Plastic". This project
is also safe to be used and give benefits not only to the human kinds but also to the mother nature.
This project is highly suitable for landscaping park.

2.0 METHODOLOGY

Concrete is one of the most widely used material in construction world nowadays. It is
made by mixing small pieces of natural stone together with a mortar of sand, water, Portland
cement and possibly other cementations materials.
Properly designed and constructed, concrete structures compare favourably with regard to
economy, durability and functionality with structures made from other structural materials, such as
steel and timber. Concrete is the preferred construction material for a wide range of buildings,
bridges and civil engineering structures (Frank, 1980).
In the conventional concrete mixing ratio, the ratio is 1: 2: 4. As shown in Figure 2.1, 70%
of waste concrete that passed 14 mm sieving and 30% of biomass aggregate which consists of
chemical drum to replace aggregate. To replace cement, 94% of cement, added with 6% fly ash as
Figure 2.2. The water ratio that used in this study is 0.6% and also used the same ratio as the
conventional concrete mixing ratio for the sand.
This mixture is then mixed together to form concrete mixture as shown in Figure 2.3.
Figure 2.4 show the workability of the SCPs concrete mixture is tested in terms of slump (slump
test). A total of 4 cube samples were casted in Figure 2.5 and the test for compressive strength in
Figure 2.6 is tested at the age of 7, 14 and 28 days after curing in water. The data obtained are then
compared with the conventional concrete mixture that act as a control in this study.
 3

4
1 2

Figure 2.1
1. 70% Waste Concrete (passed 14mm sieving)
2. 30% Biomass Aggregate (Chemical drum)
3. 100% Sand
4. 94% Cement

5
Figure 2.2
5. 6% Fly Ash

Figure 2.3
SCPs concrete mixture
 Figure 2.4
Slump Test

Figure 2.5
Cube Test

Figure 2.6
Compression Test
3.0 DATA ANALYSIS

Part A: Sustainable Concrete Pathway Workability Test.

The workability of fresh concrete was measured in terms of slump, which there are 2
batches/series concrete mixes was studied. It is shown that the slump value of both batches/series
obtained the same results which is 20mm. The results obtained is shown in Table 1 below.

Table 1: Sustainable Concrete Pathway Workability

Batches/Series Concrete Mixes Slump Result

A Controlled mixes 20mm

B SCPs mixture 20mm
Part B: Sustainable Concrete Pathway Compressive Strength Test.

Based on the strength development obtained in Table 2, partial replacement of SCP with fly
ash performed lower compressive strength which is 31.5N/mm2 compared with controlled
specimens which obtained 35.1N/mm2 (Chow, 2015). This shown that the replacement of cement
using fly ash can be used in the concrete mixes as it almost achieved with the compressive strength
of the controlled mixes.

Table 2: Sustainable Concrete Pathway Compressive Strength

Batches/Series Average Compressive Strength, N/mm2 7days 14days 28days

A Controlled Mixes 25.2 32.0 35.1

B SCPs Mixtures 21.0 24.0 31.5

 SCPs Mixtures

Figure 3.1
Average Compressive Strength

4.0 CONCLUSION

Based on the findings of this study, all the experimental data shows that the replacement of
biomass aggregate will decrease concrete strength but the replacement of the fly ash will improve
the concrete properties.
In SCP development, we had successfully made a pathway that is made from waste
concrete and chemical drum as the biomass aggregate added with 6% fly ash. It is showed that it
gives an excellent result in strength and quality aspect. We had also use the concept of 3R (Reuse,
Recycle, Reduce) in our project research which we reuse the waste concrete and chemical drum as
the replacement of biomass aggregate. From our SCP development, SCP is safe to be used and it
gives benefit not only to the human kind but also to the mother nature. This project also highly
suitable for landscaping park.
From the study above, it is concluded that the biomass aggregate which consist of waste
concrete and chemical drum and fly ash can be used as a replacement material for coarse aggregate
and cement in the concrete mixes.
5.0 REFERENCES

[1] Frank Robert Altobelli (1989). An Innovative Technology in Concrete Construction.

[2] P. Kumar Mehta. High Performance, High-Volume Fly Ash Concrete for Sustainable
Development. International Workshop on Sustainable Development and Concrete Technology.
University of California, Berkeley, USA Owen, P.L. Fly Ash and Its Usage in Concrete, Journal
of Concrete Society 13(7), 1979, pp 21-26.

[3] Jiang, L.H., and V.M. Malhotra. Reduction in Water Demand of Non Air-Entrained Concrete
Incorporating Large Volume of Fly Ash. Cement and Concrete Research 30, 2000, pp. 1785-1789.

[4] BS 5328: Part 2: Section 5 Designated Concrete Mixes

[5] de Larrard, F and Malier, Y (1994). Engineering Properties of Very High Performance
Concretes. High-Performance Concrete. Material to Stucture, (Editor - Malier), E & FN Spon,
London, 85-114.

[6] Karthik H. Obla (2009). What is Green Concrete? The Indian Concrete Journal. 26-28

[7] Zuhairi Abd Hamid (2012), Malaysian Construction Industry Master Plan (2005-2015). Views
on how Malaysia is creating Sustainable Standardized Green Construction.

[8] The United Nation Brundtland Commission Report (1987). Sustainable Development and The
Importance for Future Generations.

[9] Chow Tio Kiong and Tang Hing Kwong (2015). Sustainable Green Technology.