scholarly journals Recycling and Utilization of Polymers for Road Construction Projects: An Application of the Circular Economy Concept

Polymers ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (8) ◽  
pp. 1330
Author(s):  
Muhammad Kashif Anwar ◽  
Syyed Adnan Raheel Shah ◽  
Hatem Alhazmi
Keyword(s):  
Circular Economy ◽  
Construction Projects ◽  
Road Construction ◽  
Test Methods ◽  
Plastic Waste ◽  
Modified Asphalt ◽  
Effective Strategies ◽  
The Stability ◽  
Lab Test ◽  
Plastic Content

Numerous environmental issues arise as a result of a linear economy strategy: reserves become scarce and end up in landfills and as greenhouse gases. Utilizing waste as a resource or shifting towards a circular economy are among the effective strategies for addressing these issues. To track this shift, appropriate measures that concentrate on sustainable development while taking practical contexts into consideration are required. In this paper, we utilize plastic wastes as a replacement for bitumen for reuse aiming at a circular economy. The use of plastic waste materials, i.e., plastic bottles (PET) and gas pipes (PE) in asphalt materials as a bitumen modifier was studied through series of experimental lab test methods. Marshall samples were prepared using a conventional Marshall method containing five different percentages (0%, 5%, 10%, 15%, and 20%) of plastic content by total weight of bitumen. Samples were tested after 1 and 30 days and the result shows that the stability of plastic-modified asphalt concrete was increased after 30 days, while still meeting standard criteria with plastic contents up to 20%. Moreover, the addition of waste plastic in road construction is a very effective strategy for reusing plastic waste, which also provides economic and social benefits for a sustainable approach to road pavements.

scholarly journals Study of plastic waste mixed bituminous concrete using dry process for road construction

2018 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 105-112
Author(s):  
Anurag V. Tiwari ◽  
Y. R. M. Rao
Keyword(s):  
Road Construction ◽  
Environmental Problems ◽  
Plastic Waste ◽  
Waste Plastic ◽  
Dry Process ◽  
The World ◽  
The Stability ◽  
Bituminous Concrete

Abstract Waste plastic is accumulation all over the world causing serious environmental problems. This paper aims to study the Plastic Waste Mixed Bituminous Concrete Using Dry Process for Road Construction. The study evaluates the addition of shredded waste plastic in the bituminous concrete which results in significant increase in the stability value and Marshall Properties of mix. The study reveals that the use of waste plastic in bituminous concrete is safe and sustainable for road construction.

scholarly journals A Review of Bioplastics and Their Adoption in the Circular Economy

Polymers ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (8) ◽  
pp. 1229
Author(s):  
Alberto Di Bartolo ◽  
Giulia Infurna ◽  
Nadka Tzankova Dintcheva
Keyword(s):  
European Union ◽  
Life Cycle Assessment ◽  
Life Cycle ◽  
European Commission ◽  
Circular Economy ◽  
Environmental Risks ◽  
Plastic Waste ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Sustainable Society ◽  
Net Zero

The European Union is working towards the 2050 net-zero emissions goal and tackling the ever-growing environmental and sustainability crisis by implementing the European Green Deal. The shift towards a more sustainable society is intertwined with the production, use, and disposal of plastic in the European economy. Emissions generated by plastic production, plastic waste, littering and leakage in nature, insufficient recycling, are some of the issues addressed by the European Commission. Adoption of bioplastics–plastics that are biodegradable, bio-based, or both–is under assessment as one way to decouple society from the use of fossil resources, and to mitigate specific environmental risks related to plastic waste. In this work, we aim at reviewing the field of bioplastics, including standards and life cycle assessment studies, and discuss some of the challenges that can be currently identified with the adoption of these materials.

scholarly journals The production of valuable products and fuel from plastic waste in Africa

2021 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Opoku Amankwa ◽  
E. Kweinor Tetteh ◽  
G. Thabang Mohale ◽  
G. Dagba ◽  
P. Opoku
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Protection Agency ◽  
Road Construction ◽  
Plastic Waste ◽  
Liquid Fuels ◽  
Environmental Costs ◽  
Waste Generation ◽  
Sustainable Environment ◽  
Trade Offs ◽  
The Us ◽  
Shipping Containers

AbstractGlobal plastic waste generation is about 300 million metric tons annually and poses crucial health and environmental problems. Africa is the second most polluted continent in the world, with over 500 shipping containers of waste being imported every month. The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) report suggests that about 75% of this plastic waste ends up in landfills. However, landfills management is associated with high environmental costs and loss of energy. In addition, landfill leachates end up in water bodies, are very detrimental to human health, and poison marine ecosystems. Therefore, it is imperative to explore eco-friendly techniques to transform plastic waste into valuable products in a sustainable environment. The trade-offs of using plastic waste for road construction and as a component in cementitious composites are discussed. The challenges and benefits of producing liquid fuels from plastic waste are also addressed. The recycling of plastic waste to liquid end-products was found to be a sustainable way of helping the environment with beneficial economic impact.

scholarly journals Asphalt Incorporation with Ethylene Vinyl Acetate (EVA) Copolymer and Natural Rubber (NR) Thermoplastic Vulcanizates (TPVs): Effects of TPV Gel Content on Physical and Rheological Properties

Polymers ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (9) ◽  
pp. 1397
Author(s):  
Nappaphan Kunanusont ◽  
Boonchai Sangpetngam ◽  
Anongnat Somwangthanaroj
Keyword(s):  
Storage Stability ◽  
Ethylene Vinyl Acetate ◽  
Softening Temperature ◽  
Plastic Waste ◽  
Gel Content ◽  
Modified Asphalt ◽  
C Storage ◽  
Thermoplastic Vulcanizates ◽  
Polymer Modified Asphalt ◽  
And Storage

Plastic waste has been incorporated with asphalt to improve the physical properties of asphalt and alleviate the increasing trend of plastic waste being introduced into the environment. However, plastic waste comes in different types such as thermoplastic or thermoset, which results in varied properties of polymer modified asphalt (PMA). In this work, four thermoplastic vulcanizates (TPVs) were prepared using different peroxide concentrations to produce four formulations of gel content (with varying extent of crosslinked part) in order to imitate the variation of plastic waste. All four TPVs were then mixed with asphalt at 5 wt% thus producing four formulations of PMA, which went through physical, rheological, and storage stability assessments. PMA with higher gel content possessed lower penetration and higher softening temperature, indicating physically harder appearance of PMA. Superpave parameters remained unchanged among different gel content PMA at temperatures of 64, 70, and 76 °C. PMA with any level of gel content had lower Brookfield viscosity than PMA without gel content at a temperature of 135 °C. Higher gel content resulted in shorter storage stability measured with greater different softening temperatures between top and bottom layers of PMA after 5 days of 163 °C storage. This study shows that asphalt with thermoset plastic waste is harder and easier to pave, thus making the non-recycling thermoset plastic waste more useful and friendly to the environment.

Evaluation of circular economy potential of plastic waste in Sri Lanka

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Keshan Samarasinghe ◽  
Srikanth Pawan Kumar ◽  
Chettiyappan Visvanathan
Keyword(s):  
Sri Lanka ◽  
Circular Economy ◽  
Plastic Waste

scholarly journals Extending Multilevel Statistical Entropy Analysis towards Plastic Recyclability Prediction

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (6) ◽  
pp. 3553
Author(s):  
Philippe Nimmegeers ◽  
Alexej Parchomenko ◽  
Paul De Meulenaere ◽  
Dagmar R. D’hooge ◽  
Paul H. M. Van Steenberge ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Circular Economy ◽  
Real Life ◽  
Plastic Waste ◽  
Entropy Analysis ◽  
Waste Collection ◽  
Statistical Entropy ◽  
Waste Streams ◽  
Material Component ◽  
Future Work

Multilevel statistical entropy analysis (SEA) is a method that has been recently proposed to evaluate circular economy strategies on the material, component and product levels to identify critical stages of resource and functionality losses. However, the comparison of technological alternatives may be difficult, and equal entropies do not necessarily correspond with equal recyclability. A coupling with energy consumption aspects is strongly recommended but largely lacking. The aim of this paper is to improve the multilevel SEA method to reliably assess the recyclability of plastics. Therefore, the multilevel SEA method is first applied to a conceptual case study of a fictitious bag filled with plastics, and the possibilities and limitations of the method are highlighted. Subsequently, it is proposed to extend the method with the computation of the relative decomposition energies of components and products. Finally, two recyclability metrics are proposed. A plastic waste collection bag filled with plastic bottles is used as a case study to illustrate the potential of the developed extended multilevel SEA method. The proposed extension allows us to estimate the recyclability of plastics. In future work, this method will be refined and other potential extensions will be studied together with applications to real-life plastic products and plastic waste streams.

Revealing Safety Risks of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles in Construction

2021 ◽  
pp. 036119812110171
Author(s):  
Mostafa Namian ◽  
Mohammad Khalid ◽  
George Wang ◽  
Yelda Turkan
Keyword(s):  
Unmanned Aerial Vehicles ◽  
Construction Projects ◽  
The United States ◽  
Extensive Literature ◽  
Effective Strategies ◽  
Aerial Vehicles ◽  
Safety Risks ◽  
Potential Safety ◽  
Post Hoc

Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) have gained their prevalent recognition in construction because of their exceptional advantages. Despite the increasing use of UAVs in the industry and their remarkable benefits, there are serious potential safety risks associated that have been overlooked. Construction is one of the most hazardous industries in the United States. In addition to the ordinary hazards normally present in dynamic construction workplaces, UAVs can expose workers to a wider range of never-before-seen safety risks that must be recognized and controlled. The industry is not equipped with safety measures to prevent potential accidents, because of scarce research on drone-associated hazards and risks. The aim of this research was to (1) identify the UAV-associated hazards in construction that may expose personnel and property to potential harms, and (2) study the relative impact of each hazard and the associated safety risks. In Phase I, the researchers conducted an extensive literature review and consulted with a construction UAV expert. In Phase II, the researchers obtained data from 54 construction experts validating and evaluating the identified hazards and risks. The results revealed that adopting UAVs can expose construction projects to a variety of hazards that the industry is not familiar with. “Collision with properties,”“collision with humans,” and “distraction” were identified as the top three safety risks. Moreover, the study introduces effective strategies, such as having qualified crew members, proper drone model selection, and drone maintenance, to mitigate the safety risks. Finally, a post-hoc case study was investigated and presented in this article.

scholarly journals Identification of geodetic risk factors occurring at the construction project preparation stage

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 14-17 ◽  
Author(s):  
Magdalena Kowacka ◽  
Dariusz Skorupka ◽  
Artur Duchaczek ◽  
Paweł Zagrodnik
Keyword(s):  
Risk Factors ◽  
Construction Projects ◽  
Expert Knowledge ◽  
Construction Project ◽  
Road Construction ◽  
Construction Process ◽  
The Road ◽  
Initial Stage ◽  
Preparation Stage

AbstractThe work contains information on the implementation of surveying works in the road construction process. The aim of the research was to identify geodetic risk factors occurring at the stage of preparation of a construction project, the presence of which can greatly disrupt the undertaking such as the road construction. The research was carried out on the basis of expert knowledge, documentation obtained from various road construction projects and the analysis of disturbances at the initial stage of works.

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