Utilization of PET waste for PALF reinforced pavers.

Abstract

Plastic waste which is increasing day by day becomes an eyesore and in turn pollutes the environment, especially in slum areas. PET waste that remains uncollected from the environment ends up in the drainage channels, wetlands, and natural water sources hence blocking the water flow which causes floods and breeding sites for mosquitoes which eventually leads to outbreak of diseases. Floods lead to poor hygiene and loss of property (buildings). In Uganda, the most affected slum areas around Kampala city include; Kalerwe, Bwaise and Banda. A developing country like Uganda that is experiencing rapid urbanization and industrialization and as a result a lot of infrastructure developments lead to shortage of construction materials. Pavement blocks are perfect materials on the pathways and streets for simple laying and finishing. Therefore, this report gives an overview of the various activities conducted in utilizing polyethylene terephthalate (PET) waste in making paving blocks reinforced with pineapple leaf fibers (PALF). Pineapple leaf fibers (PALF) were extracted and the fiber surface was be chemically treated/modified with alkaline sodium hydroxide so as to remove impurities and improve interphase bonding between fiber and matrix. The properties of the treated and untreated fibers were determined using the single fiber tensile tester and SEM TESCAN was used to analyze the surface morphology of the treated and the untreated fibers. Paving blocks were made by melting 150g of PET, mixing with 500g of sand, adding 0.92% of pineapple leaf fibers followed by mixing thoroughly to obtain a homogeneous mixture. The obtained mixture was poured in the prepared mold and the block was left to dry and cure for at least 7 days before taking it for testing. This procedure was repeated for different ratios of 172g, 172g, 225g, 225g, 225g, 278g, 278g and 300g of PET with 0.27%, 1.52%, 0.00%, 1.66%, 0.83%, 0.23%, 1.31% and 0.75% of PALF respectively so as to obtain different samples. A Tenstometric materials testing machine was used to test for compressive strength of the paving blocks. An analytical balance was used to weigh the paving blocks before and after dipping them in water for a period of 24hrs and water absorption rate was calculated.