The booming construction sector in India is being constrained by a shortage of sand as an essential component of structural cement. Rising cost of and demand for sand has spurred an increase in environmentally damaging and unregulated sand extraction from riverbeds. A possible solution to this problem may also alleviate another Replacing 10% of sand in concrete with waste plastic may reduce the vast amounts of plastic waste on India’s streets, and deal with a national sand shortage. Source: University of Bathenvironmental issue. Replace some of the sand used in concrete with waste plastic, which is rarely recycled in India.

Researchers from the University of Bath, UK, and Goa Engineering College, India, tested 11 concrete mixes with plastic as a partial replacement for sand. Plastic particles, including those from recycled plastic bottles and recycled plastic bags, were evaluated in the mixes. The best performers were recycled plastic bottles, ground and graded to match the sand being replaced, which achieved the target compressive strength of 54 MPa.

Use of PET fragments graded as sand at a replacement ratio of 10% in concrete mixes could save 820 million tons of sand a year, help reduce levels of plastic waste and bolster sustainable construction technology.