article · Asian Journal of Chemical Sciences
Post-consumer mixed plastic waste containing PET, HDPE, and PP was mechanically recycled and upcycled into bricks and interlocking construction units using a locally fabricated batch melter. Formulations tested included pure mixed plastic waste alongside an upcycled blend incorporating silica and carbon black masterbatch. Spectroscopy confirmed that key polymer functional groups were retained following melt processing, whilst verifying the successful incorporation of silica into upcycled specimens. Environmental safety testing through leaching procedures showed that heavy metal concentrations remained below regulatory limits, with cadmium undetectable across all specimens, though upcycled formulations contained higher lead concentrations than pure recycled controls. Mechanically, recycled interlocking units achieved the highest mean compressive strength at approximately 4.27 megapascals. The evaluation confirms that mixed plastics can be transformed into environmentally compliant construction units, whilst highlighting the importance of monitoring additive-related contaminants.
Managing post-consumer mixed plastics remains an urgent global challenge due to the difficulty of separating polymer types. Transforming mixed plastic waste into durable construction units provides a dual benefit of diverting waste from landfills and creating low-cost building materials. Crucially, verifying that such materials meet environmental leaching thresholds ensures that repurposed waste does not release toxic metals into soil or groundwater.
This work is at an applied and tested stage, producing physical prototype bricks and interlocking units using a locally fabricated batch melter. It could enable small-scale manufacturers and municipal waste recyclers to produce secondary construction products from unsorted plastic streams. Scaling this technology towards real-world use will require resolving additive-related lead contamination and conducting extended durability and load-bearing trials to satisfy local building standards.
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Post-consumer mixed plastic waste comprising PET, HDPE, and PP was mechanically recycled and upcycled into brick and interlocking construction units using a locally fabricated batch melter. Four specimen groups were produced, each with three replicates: recycled brick, upcycled brick, recycled interlock, and upcycled interlock. The recycled formulation contained 100 wt% mixed plastic waste, whereas the upcycled formulation contained 88 wt% mixed plastic waste, 10 wt% SiO₂, and 2 wt% carbon black masterbatch. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy confirmed retention of the principal PET, HDPE, and PP functional groups after melt-processing. The diagnostic Si–O–Si triplet at 1097–1100, 1015–1025, and 795–810 cm⁻¹ was detected in all upcycled specimens and was absent from recycled-only specimens, confirming silica incorporation. One upcycled brick specimen showed an isolated, shifted carbonyl band at approximately 1689 cm⁻¹. Toxicity Characteristic Leaching Procedure testing showed cadmium below the detection limit in all specimens and no significant difference in chromium concentrations among groups. Lead concentrations were significantly higher in upcycled specimens than in recycled-only controls, although all measured concentrations remained below the applicable regulatory limit. The recycled interlocking group recorded the highest mean compressive strength at 4.268 ± 0.072 MPa. Overall, the results indicate that the fabricated mixed-plastic construction units were chemically distinguishable by formulation and environmentally compliant under the reported test conditions, while highlighting the need to verify additive-related contamination.
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DOI: 10.9734/ajocs/2026/v16i5473
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