Impact of Elevated Temperature Exposure on Some Properties of Sustainable Mortar with Plastic Bag Waste

The management of solid waste disposal is an important issue worldwide. Currently, eliminating plastic trash is critical. There are numerous recycling facilities around the world, but as plastic is recycled, its strength decreases. Thus, eventually, plastic will become a fill for the soil. Plastic can be used in concrete construction instead of recycling. This study prepared and used Plastic Bag Waste (PBW) as fine aggregate and investigated some of the features of concrete containing diverse contents of PBW as a volumetric replacement part for fine aggregate. The PBW content was 0, 10, 20, and 30%. Concrete properties, such as compressive strength, flexural strength, and direct tensile strength, were investigated at ambient and after exposure to high temperatures of 60, 150, 300, and 400°C. In general, the test results showed that at ambient temperature, the compressive, flexural, and direct tensile strengths decreased as the PBW content increased, and the appropriate percentage of PBW was 10 to 20%. The results also showed that compressive strength increased after exposure to 300°C by 23% on average for specimens with 0, 10, and 20% PBW. It is possible to produce sustainable mortar with acceptable properties before and after exposure to temperatures as high as 300°C, provided the PBW content is at least 10%. This concrete can be used to make various types of boards and paving bricks.