Study on the properties of cellular lightweight concrete with non-metallic fraction from recycling of printed circuit boards as constituent

Abstract

At present, there are idea and interest in the use of plastic waste from the production of printed circuit boards (PCB) to reduce its impact on the environment. One way is to utilize such plastic waste as an ingredient in concrete products. The objective of this research is to study the effects of non-metallic fraction (NMF) obtained from PCB on the physical and mechanical properties of cellular lightweight concrete by replacing some fine aggregates with NMF at 10-50 percent by weight. The density of fresh concrete was controlled at 700 and 1,000 kg/m³ with constant water-cement ratio (W/C) of 0.5, and foaming agent obtained from mixing with water at ratio of 1: 40. The foamed concrete was prepared with a foam generator at a density of 50 kg/m³. The results showed that replacing sand with NMF resulted in slight variation of dry density of cellular lightweight concrete from the controlled values, and also resulted in increased compressive strength and water absorption. The studie suggested that cellular lightweight concrete can be manufactured by using NMF as partial replacement of sand, which meets the TIS specifications for cellular lightweight concrete block