Claims:We claim:

1. An environment-friendly method of making civil construction having non-structural elements by mixing the concrete with waste plastics, the method comprises the steps of:

• segregating (110) the plastic waste from other waste materials/products;

• cleaning and drying (120) of said segregated waste plastic;

• cutting and shredding (130) said cleaned and dry waste plastic into fine particles, granules and fibrous strands or threads in plastic shredder or plastic cutting machine;

• selecting (140) the concrete mix composition;

• preparing (150) the selected concrete mix composition by through wet-mixing of concrete with said plastic fine particles, granules and fibrous strands or threads;

• transporting (160) said prepared wet-concrete mix having plastic fine particles, granules and fibrous strands or threads to the construction site;

• placing (170) said wet concrete mix for casting the surface of targeted thickness in pre-fabricated casts of said non-structural elements;

• compacting (180) said concrete mix cast by using internal (needle) vibrator and/or surface vibrator to obtain targeted density thereof; and

• curing (190) said compacted cast non-structural elements by leaving still for at least 28 days after covering thereof by using hessian cloth or gunny bags or by using the conventional ponding method;
wherein said shredded fine particles, granules and fibrous strands or threads of waste plastic are of sizes between 2.36 to 4.75 mm to function as a replacement of fine aggregate.

2. The environment-friendly method as claimed in claim 1, wherein said method of making civil construction having non-structural elements comprises making a concrete road having a higher water-resistance and higher resistance to abrasion and wear/tear than the conventional asphalt or bitumen-based roads.

3. The environment-friendly method as claimed in claim 2, wherein said concrete road is made by replacing about 15% of fine aggregate (FA)/crushed sand by shredded fine particles, granules and fibrous strands or threads of waste plastic.

4. The environment-friendly method as claimed in claim 3, wherein said concrete road made of concrete mixed with shredded fine particles, granules and fibrous strands or threads of waste plastic shows a compressive strength of 25.15 Mpa, or about 9% higher than the conventional concrete (M30) road having a compressive strength of 23 Mpa after 7 days of curing.

5. The environment-friendly method as claimed in claim 4, wherein said concrete road made of concrete mixed with shredded fine particles, granules and fibrous strands or threads of waste plastic shows a compressive strength of 33.87 Mpa, or about 6% higher than the conventional concrete (M30) road having a compressive strength of 32 Mpa after 28 days of curing.

6. An environment-friendly method as claimed in claim 1, wherein said method involves making a concrete road by mixing the concrete with shredded waste plastics, said method comprising the steps of:
• segregating (110) the plastic waste from other waste materials/products;

• cleaning and drying (120) of said segregated waste plastic;

• cutting and shredding (130) said cleaned and dry waste plastic into fine particles, granules and fibrous strands or threads in plastic shredder or plastic cutting machine;

• selecting (140) the concrete mix composition;

• preparing (150) the selected concrete mix composition by through wet-mixing of concrete with said plastic fine particles, granules and fibrous strands or threads;

• transporting (160) said prepared wet-concrete mix having plastic fine particles, granules and fibrous strands or threads to the road construction site;

• placing (170) said wet concrete mix for casting the surface of targeted thickness in pre-fabricated casts of said concrete road;

• compacting (180) said concrete mix cast by using internal (needle) vibrator and/or surface vibrator to obtain targeted density thereof; and

• curing (190) said compacted cast concrete road by leaving still for at least 28 days after covering thereof by using hessian cloth or gunny bags or by using the conventional ponding method;

wherein said shredded fine particles, granules and fibrous strands or threads of waste plastic are of sizes between 2.36 to 4.75 mm to function as a replacement of fine aggregate.

7. The environment-friendly method as claimed in claim 2, wherein said concrete road is made by replacing about 15% of fine aggregate (FA)/crushed sand by shredded fine particles, granules and fibrous strands or threads of waste plastic.

8. The environment-friendly method as claimed in claim 3, wherein said concrete road made of concrete mixed with shredded fine particles, granules and fibrous strands or threads of waste plastic shows a compressive strength of 25.15 Mpa, or about 9% higher than the conventional concrete (M30) road having a compressive strength of 23 Mpa after 7 days of curing.

9. The environment-friendly method as claimed in claim 4, wherein said concrete road made of concrete mixed with shredded fine particles, granules and fibrous strands or threads of waste plastic shows a compressive strength of 33.87 Mpa, or about 6% higher than the conventional concrete (M30) road having a compressive strength of 32 Mpa after 28 days of curing.

10. The environment-friendly method as claimed in claim 7, wherein said concrete road is made at a cost reduced by about 2.8% with respect to the conventional concrete (M30) road.

Digitally Signed.

Dated: this 24th day of July 2020. (SANJAY KESHARWANI)
APPLICANTS’ PATENT AGENT
REGN. No. IN/PA-2043. , Description:FIELD OF INVENTION

The present invention relates to an environment-friendly method of civil construction by partially using plastic waste. In particular, the present invention relates to a method of civil constructions having non-structural elements by mixing concrete with waste plastics. More particularly, the present invention relates to an environment-friendly method of making concrete roads by mixing the concrete with waste plastics.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Generation of plastic waste in abundance which are impossible to degrade in the natural environment. Carbon dioxide emissions from concreting activity acts as an addition on to the existing pollution. Recycling waste plastic has become a crucial issue to a developing country like India. Melting the plastic releases highly toxic fumes, using it as a constituent in making roads will prove to be a major boon for the Construction Industry.

Nowadays concrete is predominantly used in civil constructions due to its quick setting and moulding properties. The conventional methodology using concrete for road construction is also well-known.

For road making, concrete mix is prepared as per Indian Standard IS 10262 (2009). The concrete mix is prepared by mixing ordinary Portland cement 53 grade conforming to IS 12269 (1987) with fly-ash conforming to IS 3812:2003, coarse stone aggregates (4.75 mm to 40 mm) and fine stone aggregates (sand below 4.75 mm), e.g. for 160 mm thick concrete road. These constituents are thoroughly mixed, and finally appropriate amount of water is added for preparing concrete mix to be casted into a casting box sections of road surface of: e.g. about 160 mm thickness and this cast concrete is allowed to remain standstill for a predetermined time to enable setting thereof.
Accordingly, huge quantities of stone aggregates and sand aggregates are required for civil construction works, such as for making roads/highways etc. These stone aggregates cause tremendous environmental degradation by stone quarrying therefor, which defaces hillocks and hills all around construction sites and elsewhere.

Similarly, there is abundant plastic waste available all around us, which poses great problem of disposal thereof due to its non-biodegradability. This waste plastic also needs huge recycling thereof to be reused in different forms and ways. Therefore, using this waste plastic in all possible areas in various applications is the need of the hour for stopping, or at least minimizing this environmental degradation, e.g. by using waste plastic in civil construction works.

One of the most promising use of recycled waste plastic in civil construction works was found to be for replacing find sand aggregates used in road construction works. Even a small proportion of sand aggregates used in road construction replaced by waste plastic would lead to a substantial amount of use of this otherwise environment degrading waste material.

Therefore, there is an existing need for incorporating waste plastic into civil construction industry in a big way. This will not only recycle waste plastic but also save huge amounts of fine aggregates (sand) required for such works.

PRIOR ART

Conventional methodology for making concrete roads (Fig. 1) is briefly described below:

1) Concrete mix (dry) is prepared as per IS 10262 (2009).

2) Product is wet mixed in a concrete mixer machine.
3) Prepared concrete mix is placed in casts/application site by using a concrete pump.

4) Cast concrete mix is compacted by using an internal (needle) vibrator as well a surface vibrator.

5) Curing is done by covering the concreted surface by hessian cloth and gunny bags and by sprinkling water thereon or by ponding method.

6) The minimum period of curing is 28 days from the time of initial concrete casting.

The inventors have spent quite an effort and time in looking for technologies available in road construction industry, in which waste plastic is used. This led to the surprising conclusion that there is very little patent and non-patent literature available on this topic. However, some of the prior art documents, which disclose use of waste plastic materials in civil construction are briefly described below:

US2018086671A1 titled: “ARTIFICIAL STONE COMPRISES OF WASTE PLASTIC MATERIALS” discloses an artificial stone comprised of a first waste plastic material and a second waste plastic material, wherein the first and/or second waste plastic material is a non-recyclable or a recyclable plastic material. A method of manufacturing the artificial stone is also disclosed. The artificial stone may be used, for example, as an aggregate in a concrete mix or as a filler on a road laying base or sub-base.

However, this publication discloses an artificial stone made of constituents including products of waste plastics and moreover, these waste plastics are not directly mixed in concrete for road laying work.

JP2001240441A titled: “Method for manufacturing light-weight aggregate utilizing waste materials of PVC resins and others, and cementitious composition for solidification of light-weight, high-strength concrete using the aggregate” discloses to provide a method for manufacturing light weight aggregate having physical properties exceeding those of river sand utilizing waste materials from PVC resins and others, thus converting inflammable wastes into refractories. In this method, waste PVC resins 1 are pulverized by using a pulverizer 3 as component A, other waste materials 5 are pulverized by using a pulverizer 7 as component B, and additives for the PVC such as lubricant and stabilizer are mixed with Fujibeton (registered trade mark) as component C; and these components are mixed at the ratio of A:B:C=(60-40):(0-40):(20-40); the mixture is kneaded with heated extruder 16 to melt the component A mixed with other components; the molten mixture is extruded and pelletized with a pelletizer 18 to obtain the objective light weight and strong aggregate. However, compositions A, B and C are respectively mixed and introduced into a hot kneading extruder and heated in the range of temperatures maintained at 160°C. ? 150°C. Further, it discloses that the softened polyvinyl chloride is kneaded by a rotating propeller blade, and the kneaded material is pressed and crushed by a screw in a small space existing at the tip of the kneading extruder, sandwiched between the extruding pressure of the screw and the jetting resistance of the tip hole. Thus, the discharged composition becomes a homogeneous and dense composition. The cooling kneaded material kneaded material falls into the pan of a pelletizer and formed into a pellet. Therefore, the aggregate of this invention used in concrete makes a lightweight concrete.

However, none of above documents disclose concrete road making predominantly involving waste materials such as polyethylene (PE), polypropylene (PP), polystyrene (PS) and polyvinylchloride (PVC) mixed with concrete.
OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION

Some of the objects of the present invention - satisfied by at least one embodiment of the present invention - are as follows:

The object of the present invention is an environment-friendly method to make non-structural elements by mixing concrete with waste plastics therein.

Another object of the present invention is an environment-friendly method for making concrete roads by using waste plastics to reduce the consumption of stone aggregate and thus to reduce environmental degradation thereby.

Yet another object of the present invention is an environment-friendly method for making concrete roads by using waste plastics having substantially higher water resistance than conventional asphalt or bitumen-based roads.

Still another object of the present invention is an environment-friendly method for making concrete roads by using waste plastics having substantially higher abrasion resistance and resistance to wear/tear than conventional asphalt or bitumen-based roads.

A further object of the present invention is an environment-friendly method for making concrete roads by using waste plastics having substantially higher water resistance than conventional asphalt or bitumen-based roads.

A still further object of the present invention is a concrete roads which serves as a landfill for certain types of waste plastics

These and other objects and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following description when read with the accompanying figures of drawing, which are, however, not intended to limit the scope of the present invention in any way.
DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The idea underlying this invention is to find a practical way to make use of waste plastics in road making activities. Accordingly, the most promising sector for using waste plastic in concrete in civil constructions was found to use such waste plastics in non-structural elements, such as road making.

In the current high-paced infrastructure development in India, there is tremendous opportunity of using waste plastics in concrete road constructions. Making of concrete road by using waste plastic also presents a very promising solution to the problems of waste plastic disposal as well as for saving the ever-depleting natural resource, i.e. stone, the main source of fine aggregates or sand used in road constructions.

Since waste plastic has good moisture and abrasion resistance, high strength as well as substantially low environmental degradation, it makes an ideal constituent to be mixed in concrete mix normally used for road construction.

Type of waste plastic Origin of waste plastic Suitability for concrete roads
Polyethylene (PE) Bags, bottles of pharmaceuticals, milk, fruit juices, bottle caps, etc. YES
Polypropylene (PP) Film wrapping for biscuits, microwave trays/bowl for readymade meals, etc. YES
Polystyrene (PS) Yoghurt pots, clear egg packs, bottle caps etc. YES
Polyvinylchloride (PVC) Credit cards, toys, PVC pipes, electrical fittings, furniture, pens etc. NO

This invention also promotes the cleanliness drive of “Swachh Bharat” mission. For example, PET bottles are abundantly available as empty packaged drinking water, carbonated drinks etc. and the present invention is based on using these waste PET bottles for replacing a certain percentage of fine aggregate required for concrete mix used for road making process. This is a much better use of plastic in concrete road making in comparison to its use in asphalt or bitumen-based road making, in which melting of bitumen and waste plastic causes pollution.

Waste/used PET bottles are first cleaned and then shredded in a shredding machine to subsequently make plastic chunks of PET bottles into fine particles, granules and fibrous strands/threads thereof, which are then mixed with crushed sand to replace a portion thereof.

The waste plastic has the following major advantages:

Eco-friendliness: Plastic waste is non-biodegradable, poses a higher risk to people & environment as a whole; using higher percentage of waste plastic saves landfill space, minimizes global warming, reduces greenhouse gases emission, and protects environment

Sustainability: waste plastic road is a completely circular product because these wastes will be collected from local areas and households and reused for making of concrete road.

Conserves natural resources: Using of waste plastic instead of sand conserves natural sand.

Cost effective: it will use as a replacement of fine aggregate by almost 15%, so it will minimize the total cost of construction.

Performance enhanced: as the plastic concrete has better compressive strength and flexural strength than conventional concrete mix, it will increase the strength and performance of the road.

Better Resistance: better resistance towards rainwater, wear & tear.
The present invention involves using waste materials such as polyethylene (PE), polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polypropylene (PP), polystyrene (PS) and polyvinylchloride (PVC) mixed with concrete preferably in shredded form in sizes ranging from 2.36 mm to 4.75 mm to replace about 15% of fine aggregate/sand (normally used in concrete mix used for road constructions) to reduce total cost of concrete road thus made, as described in the following in accordance with the present invention.

Accordingly, the present invention proposes to use waste plastics in concrete road construction works by using the following materials:

1) Ordinary Portland Cement (Grade 53) as per IS 12269 (1987).

2) Fly-ash conforming to IS 3812: 2003.

3) Coarse aggregates of sizes 4.75 mm to 40 mm and fine aggregates of sizes less than 4.75 mm are used for concrete road thickness of 160 mm.

4) Clean portable water.

5) Waste plastics in shredded form is used in sizes ranging from 2.36 mm to 4.75 mm to replace about 15% of fine aggregate/sand. (No PVC).

6) Admixtures used: BASF / CSA / FOSROC.

It is estimated that about 1350-6750 empty discarded 1L PET bottles would be required for every cubic meter of concrete mix or 70 sq. ft. of concrete road.

Moreover, the road surface obtained thereby has zero shrinkage cracks, as the plastic threads prevent shrinkage cracks on top of concrete road surface.

Therefore, this concrete road made using waste plastic by the method devised according to the present invention has more durability than the conventional concrete roads.
The present invention provides an environment-friendly method for low-cost road construction by mixing concrete with waste plastics:

a) Switching from asphalt to plastic roads will reduce the carbon dioxide emissions when compared to traditional road construction.

b) Creating roads out of recycled plastic is one of many ways in which cities can work towards building a more sustainable future.

c) Plastic roads serve as a ready-made landfill for a certain kind of ubiquitous urban trash.

For this purpose, flimsy, single-use items like shopping bags and foam packaging are the ideal raw material. Impossible to recycle, they are a menace, hogging space in garbage dumps, clogging city drains and even poisoning the air. This abundance of plastic generation triggers the need of recycling and reusing the plastic in some different forms and ways.

Since disposal of the generated plastic has become universal problem to the nation, finding ways to mitigate this issue has become vital. The inventors have devised a solution for construction industry by using waste plastic as a replacement to fine aggregate in conventional concrete. This methodology not only helps to mitigate the risks involved with waste plastic disposal, but also helps to achieve a universal targeted goal towards sustainability.

The types of waste plastic used for this purpose are usually Polyethylene (PE), Polypropylene (PP), Polystyrene (PS) & PVC. These type of waste plastic materials are widely available in different forms and volumes and are most suitable for this invention.

A conventional plastic shredder machine converts waste plastic chunks into fine particles, which are further mixed with cement aggregate.
The present invention uses the following methodology for making concrete roads by using waste plastics:

a) Segregating the waste plastic collected from various sources to separate it from other wastes.

b) Cleaning of segregates waste plastic and drying thereof.

c) Cutting/shredding of cleaned and dried waste plastic into small pieces in sizes between 2.36 mm to 4.75 mm, to be used as a replacement of a portion of the fine aggregate (sand) normally used in concrete.

d) Concrete mix (dry) is prepared as per IS 10262 (2009).
e) Carrying out the product (wet) mixing in a concrete mixing machine.

f) Casting of concrete in moulds/casts/road sites by a concrete pump.

g) Compacting the casted concrete mix by using internal (needle) vibrator and surface vibrator.

h) Curing is done by covering the concreted surface by hessian cloth and gunny bags and sprinkling water thereon, or by ponding method.

i) The minimum period of curing is 28 days from the time of initial concrete casting.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In accordance with the present invention, there is provided an environment-friendly method of making civil construction having non-structural elements by mixing the concrete with waste plastics, the method comprises the steps of:

• segregating the plastic waste from other waste materials/products;

• cleaning and drying of the segregated waste plastic;

• cutting and shredding the cleaned and dry waste plastic into fine particles, granules and fibrous strands or threads in plastic shredder or plastic cutting machine;

• selecting the concrete mix composition;

• preparing the selected concrete mix composition by through wet-mixing of concrete with the plastic fine particles, granules and fibrous strands or threads;

• transporting the prepared wet-concrete mix having plastic fine particles, granules and fibrous strands or threads to the construction site;

• placing the wet concrete mix for casting the surface of targeted thickness in pre-fabricated casts of the non-structural elements;

• compacting the concrete mix cast by using internal (needle) vibrator and/or surface vibrator to obtain targeted density thereof; and

• curing the compacted cast non-structural elements by leaving still for at least 28 days after covering thereof by using hessian cloth or gunny bags or by using the conventional ponding method;

wherein the shredded fine particles, granules and fibrous strands or threads of waste plastic are of sizes between 2.36 to 4.75 mm to function as a replacement of fine aggregate.

Typically, the method of making civil construction having non-structural elements comprises making a concrete road having a higher water-resistance and higher resistance to abrasion and wear/tear than the conventional asphalt or bitumen-based roads.

Typically, the concrete road is made by replacing about 15% of fine aggregate (FA)/crushed sand by shredded fine particles, granules and fibrous strands or threads of waste plastic.

Typically, the concrete road made of concrete mixed with shredded fine particles, granules and fibrous strands or threads of waste plastic shows a compressive strength of 25.15 Mpa, or about 9% higher than the conventional concrete (M30) road having a compressive strength of 23 Mpa after 7 days of curing.

Typically, the concrete road made of concrete mixed with shredded fine particles, granules and fibrous strands or threads of waste plastic shows a compressive strength of 33.87 Mpa, or about 6% higher than the conventional concrete (M30) road having a compressive strength of 32 Mpa after 28 days of curing.

Typically, the method involves making a concrete road by mixing the concrete with shredded waste plastics, the method comprising the steps of:

• segregating the plastic waste from other waste materials/products;

• cleaning and drying of the segregated waste plastic;

• cutting and shredding the cleaned and dry waste plastic into fine particles, granules and fibrous strands or threads in plastic shredder or plastic cutting machine;

• selecting the concrete mix composition;

• preparing the selected concrete mix composition by through wet-mixing of concrete with the plastic fine particles, granules and fibrous strands or threads;
• transporting the prepared wet-concrete mix having plastic fine particles, granules and fibrous strands or threads to the road construction site;

• placing the wet concrete mix for casting the surface of targeted thickness in pre-fabricated casts of the concrete road;

• compacting the concrete mix cast by using internal (needle) vibrator and/or surface vibrator to obtain targeted density thereof; and

• curing the compacted cast concrete road by leaving still for at least 28 days after covering thereof by using hessian cloth or gunny bags or by using the conventional ponding method;

wherein the shredded fine particles, granules and fibrous strands or threads of waste plastic are of sizes between 2.36 to 4.75 mm to function as a replacement of fine aggregate.

Typically, the concrete road is made by replacing about 15% of fine aggregate (FA)/crushed sand by shredded fine particles, granules and fibrous strands or threads of waste plastic.

Typically, the concrete road made of concrete mixed with shredded fine particles, granules and fibrous strands or threads of waste plastic shows a compressive strength of 25.15 Mpa, or about 9% higher than the conventional concrete (M30) road having a compressive strength of 23 Mpa after 7 days of curing.

Typically, the concrete road made of concrete mixed with shredded fine particles, granules and fibrous strands or threads of waste plastic shows a compressive strength of 33.87 Mpa, or about 6% higher than the conventional concrete (M30) road having a compressive strength of 32 Mpa after 28 days of curing.
Typically, the concrete road is made at a cost reduced by about 2.8% with respect to the conventional concrete (M30) road.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE ACCOMPANYING DRAWINGS

The present invention will be briefly described in the following with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Figure 1 shows a flow chart of the conventional method of making concrete roads.

Figure 2 shows a flow chart of the method of making concrete road using waste plastics in accordance with the present invention.

Figure 3a shows a bar chart depicting the comparison of the compressive strength of the conventional concrete mix (M30) and the improved concrete mix using waste plastic in accordance with the present invention after 7 days of casting the concrete road.

Figure 3a shows a bar chart depicting the comparison of the compressive strength of the conventional concrete mix (M30) and the improved concrete mix using waste plastic in accordance with the present invention after 28 days of casting the concrete road.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE ACCOMPANYING DRAWINGS

The present invention will now be explained in more detail with reference to non-limiting accompanying drawings of a concrete road using waste plastics.

Figure 1 shows a flow chart of the conventional method of making concrete roads. The concrete road making begins at step 10 by deciding the concrete mix composition. Accordingly, concrete mix is prepared during the step 20 of product mixing. Subsequently, step 30 represents the transportation of product mix to the road construction site, where this wet concrete mix is placed at step 40 for casting the road surface of desired thickness, e.g. 160 mm. Now, this cast concrete mix is vibrated at step 50 by using internal (needle) vibrator as well as surface vibrator for compacting this concrete to obtain the desired density of thereof. Finally, at step 60, this compacted concrete road is left still for curing for at least 28 days by covering this road surface using hessian cloth or gunny bags or by using the conventional ponding method.

Figure 2 shows a flow chart of the method of making concrete road using waste plastics in accordance with the present invention. Here, the concrete road making begins at step 110 to segregate the plastic waste collected from various sources from other waste materials/products. Step 120 involves cleaning and drying of this segregated waste plastic to be used for concrete road making. Step 130 represents cutting and shredding this cleaned and dry waste plastic into fine particles, granules and fibrous strands or threads by using plastic shredding or cutting machines. Now, at step 140, the concrete mix composition is decided. Subsequently, at step 150, this targeted concrete mix composition is prepared by product mixing. Step 160 represents transporting this product mix to the road construction site, where this wet concrete mix is placed at step 170 for casting the road surface of desired thickness, e.g. 160 mm using casts prefabricated therefor. After casting concrete mix, it is compacted at step 180 by using internal (needle) vibrator and/or surface vibrator to obtain the targeted density of thereof. Finally, at step 190, this compacted concrete road is left still for curing for at least 28 days by covering this road surface using hessian cloth or gunny bags or by using the conventional ponding method. This complete process required readily available plastic shredding/cutting machine costing about 3 Lakh. The characteristic feature of the present invention is shredded plastic obtained from waste plastic chunks in different shapes and volumes cut into small pieces and in sizes between 2.36 to 4.75 mm to be used as a partial replacement of fine aggregate.

Figure 3a shows a bar chart depicting the comparison of the compressive strength of the conventional concrete mix (M30) and the improved concrete mix using waste plastic in accordance with the present invention after 7 days of casting the concrete road. While conventional concrete (M30) has compressive strength of about 23 Mpa after 7 days, the improved concrete mix with 15% of fine aggregate (FA)/crushed sand replaced by waste plastic therein shows a compressive strength of 25.15 Mpa, i.e. about 9% higher.

Figure 3b shows a bar chart depicting the comparison of the compressive strength of the conventional concrete mix (M30) and the improved concrete mix using waste plastic in accordance with the present invention after 28 days of casting the concrete road, showing higher compressive strength of 33.87 MPa as against 32 MPa for conventional concrete mix (M30), i.e. about 6% higher.

COMPARATIVE CONCRETE MIX PROPORTIONS:
Conventional Concrete Mix (M30) Concrete Mix with Waste Plastic according to the present invention
Description Qty. Description Qty.
Cement 320 kg Cement 320 kg
Pulverized fuel ash (PFA) 105 kg Pulverized fuel ash (PFA) 105 kg
Coarse aggregate, (CA)
20 mm 280 kg Coarse aggregate, (CA)
20 mm 280 kg
Coarse aggregate, (CA)
10 mm 934 kg Coarse aggregate, (CA) 10 mm 653 kg
Fine aggregate (FA)
Crushed sand 653 kg Fine aggregate (FA)
Crushed sand 794 kg
Waste plastic replacing FA - Waste plastic replacing FA 140 kg
Water 169 L 160 L
Concrete Admixture 5.1 kg 5.1 kg
Density 2466 kg/m3 2457 kg/m3
Total Cementitious mix = 425 kg

COMPARATIVE COSTS:
Conventional Concrete Mix (M30) Concrete Mix made with waste plastic as per invention
Description Qty. Rate/kg Amount (?) Qty. Rate/kg Amount (?)
Cement 320 kg 4.6 1472.0 320 kg 4.6 1472.0
Pulverized fuel ash (PFA) 105 kg 2.5 262.5 105 kg 2.5 262.5
Coarse aggregate (CA) 20 mm 280 kg 0.706 197.68 280 kg 0.706 197.68
Coarse aggregate (CA) 10 mm 653 kg 0.751 490.40 653 kg 0.751 490.40
Fine aggregate (FA) Crushed sand 934 kg 0.817 763.078 794 kg 0.817 648.70
Waste plastic replacing FA - - - 140 kg 0 0
Water 169 L 0 0 160 L 0 0
Concrete Admixture 5.1 kg 120 612 5.1 kg 120 612
Average labour
cost per m3 390
Total Cost of Concrete Mix (M30) 4187.658 Total Cost of Concrete Mix with Waste plastic 4073.28
The cost advantage of using the concrete mix with waste plastic (with 15% replacement of FA) prepared according to the present invention is about 2.8% as against the conventional concrete mix (M30) used for concrete road construction.

Apart from this cost advantage, the concrete mix with waste plastic (with 15% replacement of FA) prepared according to the present invention also offers an improved compressive strength of about 33% after 7 days of curing (Fig. 3a) and about 28% after 28 days of curing (Fig. 3b) with respect to the conventional concrete mix (M30) used for concrete road construction.

TECHNICAL ADVANTAGES & ECONOMIC SIGNIFICANCE

Some of the technical advantages of the concrete mix with waste plastic (with 15% replacement of FA) prepared and used for concrete road construction according to the present invention are as follows:

• Waste plastics replaces a substantial portion of stone aggregates thus conserving this natural resource, thus enhancing sustainability.

• Waste plastics reduces environmental degradation due to stone quarrying.

• Waste plastics reduces required stone aggregates, thus reduces landfill space required after stone quarrying.

• Waste plastics imparts higher water/rain resistance than conventional asphalt/bitumen roads.

• Waste plastics used imparts higher abrasion resistance and resistance to wear/tear to such concrete roads than asphalt/bitumen-based roads.

• Waste plastic used for concrete roads is available at low or no-cost, thus even 15% FA replacement reduces cost of construction by 2.8%.

• Waste plastics used improves the compressive and flexural strength of the concrete roads thus made.

• Waste plastics used for making concrete roads helps in reducing global warming by lowering greenhouse emissions normally occurring.

The foregoing description of the specific embodiments will so fully reveal the general nature of the embodiments herein that others can, by applying current knowledge, readily modify and/or adapt for various applications such specific embodiments without departing from the generic concept, and, therefore, such adaptations and modifications should and are intended to be comprehended within the meaning and range of equivalents of the disclosed embodiments.

It is to be distinctly understood that the foregoing descriptive matter is to be interpreted merely as illustrative of the invention and not as a limitation. The exemplary embodiments described in this specification are intended merely to provide an understanding of various manners in which this embodiment may be used and to further enable the skilled person in the relevant art to practice this invention.

Although, the embodiments presented in this disclosure have been described in terms of its preferred embodiments, the skilled person in the art would readily recognize that these embodiments can be applied with modifications possible within the spirit and scope of the present invention as described in this specification.

Accordingly, the skilled person can make/devise innumerable changes, variations, modifications, alterations and/or integrations in terms of materials and method used to configure, manufacture and assemble various constituents, components, subassemblies and assemblies, in terms of their size, shapes, orientations and interrelationships without departing from the scope and spirit of the present invention.

The numerical values given of various physical parameters, dimensions and quantities are only approximate values and it is envisaged that the values higher or lower than the numerical value assigned to the physical parameters, dimensions and quantities fall within the scope of the disclosure unless there is a statement in the specification to the contrary.

Throughout this specification, the word “comprise”, or variations such as “comprises” or “comprising”, shall be understood to imply including a described element, integer or method step, or group of elements, integers or method steps, however, does not imply excluding any other element, integer or step, or group of elements, integers or method steps.

The use of the expression “a”, “at least” or “at least one” shall imply using one or more elements or ingredients or quantities, as used in the embodiment of the disclosure in order to achieve one or more of the intended objects or results of the present invention.