Towards Green and Circular Economy, The Development of Roof Tiles and Bricks from Sand-Plastic Composite

The main objective of this research is to help solve the deficit and decrease the cost of construction raw materials or provide alternatives for cement, which is sand-plastic. Sand-Plastic consists mainly of sand and recycled plastic, in addition to other materials in small traces such as UV stabilizers, cohesive additives, colour pigments, and fillers. The goal is to optimize the mechanical and physical properties of the Sand-Plastic; to optimize the compression strength, flexure strength, abrasion resistance, and water absorption via controlling the mix proportions of plastic to sand and the process parameters. The path taken was to design and manufacture a mould to produce Sand-Plastic samples of different sizes and various mixes. 15, 20, and 25% plastic (Low Density Polyethylene, LDPE) samples have been examined against compression strength and flexural strength for a temperature range of 150 to $300 ^{\circ}\mathrm{C}$. Tests results indicated that a 20% plastic composition and a temperature between 200 and $250 ^{\circ}\mathrm{C}$ yields the optimum mechanical and physical properties.