Potential Use of COVID-19 Surgical Masks and Polyethylene Plastics in Developing Sustainable Concrete
Managing disposable waste surgical face masks and plastic made from polyethylene (PE) resin is a real challenge. Thus, these are considered a great threat to the environment. Generally, surgical face masks are made of microplastic made of polypropylene materials. Both polypropylene and PE are not ea...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2023-09-01
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| Series: | Journal of Composites Science |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2504-477X/7/9/402 |
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| author | Suvash Chandra Paul Md. Ahosun Habib Santo Sowmik Ahmed Nahid Asifur Rahman Majumder Md. Fahim Al Mamun Md Abdul Basit Adewumi John Babafemi |
| author_facet | Suvash Chandra Paul Md. Ahosun Habib Santo Sowmik Ahmed Nahid Asifur Rahman Majumder Md. Fahim Al Mamun Md Abdul Basit Adewumi John Babafemi |
| author_sort | Suvash Chandra Paul |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Managing disposable waste surgical face masks and plastic made from polyethylene (PE) resin is a real challenge. Thus, these are considered a great threat to the environment. Generally, surgical face masks are made of microplastic made of polypropylene materials. Both polypropylene and PE are not easily decomposable in the soil. Consequently, the presence of these waste materials can have detrimental effects on terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems, exacerbating the ongoing crisis faced by the animal kingdom and the broader biosphere. Hence, it is imperative to identify alternate and efficient methods for waste management. Given its significant economic importance, the construction industry holds a prominent position among many industries globally. Consequently, waste masks within the construction sector might assume a crucial role in mitigating plastic pollution. Concrete, one of the most widely used construction materials, is being adapted with various waste materials as the partial or complete substitutes for natural constituents, such as cement and aggregates. This study focused on using different percentages of used COVID-19 surgical masks in fiber form and PE as partial replacements of natural coarse aggregates in producing sustainable concrete. Mask fibers were used in concrete production at percentages of 0%, 0.5%, 1%, 1.5%, and 2% of the total volume of concrete. Similarly, PE aggregates replaced the coarse aggregates by volume at 0%, 5%, 10%, and 15% in concrete. The results showed that the strength of concrete reduced as the percentages of mask fiber and PE aggregates increased. However, the strength and crack-bridging capability of mask concrete are still acceptable for some structural and non-structural applications. The results obtained from this research could also help engineers to design sustainable concrete materials with mask fibers. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T22:36:11Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-599ef25d62144b4ea4bfd1f71a33c7a8 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2504-477X |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T22:36:11Z |
| publishDate | 2023-09-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Journal of Composites Science |
| spelling | doaj.art-599ef25d62144b4ea4bfd1f71a33c7a82023-11-19T11:22:54ZengMDPI AGJournal of Composites Science2504-477X2023-09-017940210.3390/jcs7090402Potential Use of COVID-19 Surgical Masks and Polyethylene Plastics in Developing Sustainable ConcreteSuvash Chandra Paul0Md. Ahosun Habib Santo1Sowmik Ahmed Nahid2Asifur Rahman Majumder3Md. Fahim Al Mamun4Md Abdul Basit5Adewumi John Babafemi6Department of Civil Engineering, International University of Business Agriculture and Technology, Dhaka 1230, BangladeshDepartment of Civil Engineering, International University of Business Agriculture and Technology, Dhaka 1230, BangladeshDepartment of Civil Engineering, International University of Business Agriculture and Technology, Dhaka 1230, BangladeshDepartment of Civil Engineering, International University of Business Agriculture and Technology, Dhaka 1230, BangladeshDepartment of Civil Engineering, International University of Business Agriculture and Technology, Dhaka 1230, BangladeshDepartment of Civil Engineering, International University of Business Agriculture and Technology, Dhaka 1230, BangladeshDepartment of Civil Engineering, Stellenbosch University, Stellenbosch 7602, South AfricaManaging disposable waste surgical face masks and plastic made from polyethylene (PE) resin is a real challenge. Thus, these are considered a great threat to the environment. Generally, surgical face masks are made of microplastic made of polypropylene materials. Both polypropylene and PE are not easily decomposable in the soil. Consequently, the presence of these waste materials can have detrimental effects on terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems, exacerbating the ongoing crisis faced by the animal kingdom and the broader biosphere. Hence, it is imperative to identify alternate and efficient methods for waste management. Given its significant economic importance, the construction industry holds a prominent position among many industries globally. Consequently, waste masks within the construction sector might assume a crucial role in mitigating plastic pollution. Concrete, one of the most widely used construction materials, is being adapted with various waste materials as the partial or complete substitutes for natural constituents, such as cement and aggregates. This study focused on using different percentages of used COVID-19 surgical masks in fiber form and PE as partial replacements of natural coarse aggregates in producing sustainable concrete. Mask fibers were used in concrete production at percentages of 0%, 0.5%, 1%, 1.5%, and 2% of the total volume of concrete. Similarly, PE aggregates replaced the coarse aggregates by volume at 0%, 5%, 10%, and 15% in concrete. The results showed that the strength of concrete reduced as the percentages of mask fiber and PE aggregates increased. However, the strength and crack-bridging capability of mask concrete are still acceptable for some structural and non-structural applications. The results obtained from this research could also help engineers to design sustainable concrete materials with mask fibers.https://www.mdpi.com/2504-477X/7/9/402facial maskswaste plastic aggregatessustainable concretemechanical propertieselectrical resistivitywater absorption |
| spellingShingle | Suvash Chandra Paul Md. Ahosun Habib Santo Sowmik Ahmed Nahid Asifur Rahman Majumder Md. Fahim Al Mamun Md Abdul Basit Adewumi John Babafemi Potential Use of COVID-19 Surgical Masks and Polyethylene Plastics in Developing Sustainable Concrete Journal of Composites Science facial masks waste plastic aggregates sustainable concrete mechanical properties electrical resistivity water absorption |
| title | Potential Use of COVID-19 Surgical Masks and Polyethylene Plastics in Developing Sustainable Concrete |
| title_full | Potential Use of COVID-19 Surgical Masks and Polyethylene Plastics in Developing Sustainable Concrete |
| title_fullStr | Potential Use of COVID-19 Surgical Masks and Polyethylene Plastics in Developing Sustainable Concrete |
| title_full_unstemmed | Potential Use of COVID-19 Surgical Masks and Polyethylene Plastics in Developing Sustainable Concrete |
| title_short | Potential Use of COVID-19 Surgical Masks and Polyethylene Plastics in Developing Sustainable Concrete |
| title_sort | potential use of covid 19 surgical masks and polyethylene plastics in developing sustainable concrete |
| topic | facial masks waste plastic aggregates sustainable concrete mechanical properties electrical resistivity water absorption |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2504-477X/7/9/402 |
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