Towards improved flexural behavior of plastic-based mortars: An experimental and modeling study on waste material incorporation

A considerable fraction of solid waste, which is harmful, chemically reactive, and infectious, is generated globally. The frequent deposition of these wastes in landfills has significant environmental and health consequences. This study aims to develop an environmentally conscious approach by incorporating finely ground waste materials, namely marble powder (MP), glass powder (GP), and silica fume (SF), into plastic waste (PW) based mortar to assess their efficacy in improving flexural strength (FS). Plastic waste mortar samples were cast using shredded PW, replacing sand in amounts ranging from 5 % to 25 %. The FS of these samples was measured after 28 days and used as a reference. MP, GP, and SF were individually incorporated into PW-based mortar formulations in varying quantities of 5–25 %, with increments of 5 %, by replacing cement. In PW-based mortar formulations, waste materials were also utilized in various combinations, including GP+SF, MP+SF, MP+GP, and MP+GP+SF. In addition, prediction models, including decision tree (DT) and artificial neural network (ANN), were constructed utilizing experimental data for the FS of PW-based mortar. The substitution of PW with sand reduces the FS of mortar samples. The research findings emphasize that optimal replacement levels for MP, GP, and SF in PW-based mortar mixtures, based on their ability to enhance FS, were 15 %, 10 %, and 15 % by cement mass, respectively. However, the cumulative incorporation of MP, GP, and SF in PW-based mortar suggests cement should not be replaced beyond 15 %, as it reduces the FS. Both prediction models exhibited a high degree of correlation with the coefficient of determination (R2) value of 0.925 for ANN and 0.959 for the DT model. The findings showed that MP, GP, and SF may be used in PW-based mortar to improve the FS while producing eco-friendly building material. [Display omitted]