Researchers Unveil New Study Using Plastic Waste Instead of Sand in Concrete

• 19 July 2021
• Local News
• 1700 Views

Researchers have recently unveiled a new technology by using plastic waste as the substitute for sand in concrete mixing, which is more cost-effective and environmental-friendly, reported the BBC.

Cambridge University lecturer Dr John Orr has found that plastic waste can be sorted, cleaned, shredded and crashed into a sand alternative for use in concrete.

“We found that you can replace up to 10% of the sand in concrete with the plastic, and it has the same strength and the same longevity,” Dr Orr told the BBC.

If plastic is used to make concrete in India, it could save 820 million tonnes of sand a year, he added.

According to the BBC, in the building sector alone, 40-50 billion tonnes of sand are used around the world annually,

Sand is typically dredged from rivers, and due to the environmental damage, this has led a number of countries to introduce bans in recent years – including India, Cambodia and Vietnam.

• Technology and Engineering