Abstract
The aim of this study is to explore the possibility of re-cycling a waste material that is now produced in large quantities, while achieving an improvement of the mechanical properties and durability of the mortar. This study examines the mechanical properties and the durability parameters of mortars incorporating plastics bag wastes (PBW) as fine aggregate by substitution of a variable percentage of sand (10, 20, 30 and 40 %). The influence of the PBW on the, compressive and flexural strength, drying shrinkage, fire resistance, sulfuric acid attack and chloride diffusion coefficient of the different mortars, has been investigated and analyzed in comparison to the control mortar. The results showed that the use of PBW enabled to reduce by 18-23 % the compressive strength of mortars containing 10 and 20 % of waste respectively, which remains always close to the reference mortar (made without waste). The replacement of sand by PBW in mortar slows down the penetration of chloride ions, improves the behavior of mortars in acidic medium and improves the sensitivity to cracking. The results of this investigation consolidate the idea of the use of PBW in the field of construction.