EVALUATING THE COMPRESSIVE STRENGTH OF PLASTIC WASTE POLYESTER AS A SUBSTITUTE FOR FINE AGGREGATE IN CONCRETE

This study examined the use of plastic (polyester, a locally available plastic waste as a possible substitute for fine aggregate in concrete. The physical properties of sand used, granite and polyester were determined. The polyester were batched in percentage replacement of sand for the production of concrete. Slump and compaction factor test were done on the concrete mix in the percentage replacement to compare and control the water content. Five sets of concrete were casted in percentage replacement of sand in order of 0% 25% 50% 25% and 100% replacement. Cubes of size 100mm3 were casted using a mix of 1:2:4 the concrete cube were cured in duration of 7, 14, 21 and 28 days respectively. Compressive strength test were carried out on the concrete. The compressive test result shows a reduction in strength as the polyester % replacement increases. Also there was a progressive increase in strength with age (at 75% replacement of polyester concrete the compressive strength at 7 days is 8.70 and at 28 days the compressive strength is 15.16) water absorption test carried out show that the rate of water absorption by polyester concrete is more compare to that of normal concrete. The result therefore shows that plastic can be classified as light weight concrete due to its compressive strength.