Influence of Partial Fine Aggregate Replacement with HDPE Plastic Waste on Concrete Compressive Strength: Melt Processing Vs. Water Quenching

High Density Polyethylene (HDPE) plastic waste, particularly from plastic bags, poses serious environmental challenges due to its non-biodegradable nature. This study evaluates HDPE as a partial fine aggregate replacement in concrete, focusing on the effect of two processing methods, melt processing and water quenching, on compressive strength. Cylindrical specimens (10 × 20 cm) were prepared with substitution levels of 0.00%, 0.50%, 0.70%, and 0.90% by weight of fine aggregate. In melt processing, HDPE was melted and molded into particles, while in water quenching, molten HDPE was rapidly cooled in water and then crushed into aggregate. All mixes were wet cured and tested at 7 and 28 days. Results show that melt processing had a mild positive effect, providing moderate strength improvement, with the highest value of 19.1 MPa at 0.90%. In contrast, water quenching had a stronger effect on strength enhancement, reaching 23.2 MPa at 0.50% and surpassing the melt-processed mixes and the control (18.3 MPa). The trend continued at 28 days, when melt processing achieved 28.6 MPa, while water quenching at 0.50% reached 30.8 MPa, higher than both the control (24.6 MPa) and melt processing. Both treatments exceeded the control strength; however, water quenching produced a greater improvement than melt processing. These findings indicate that HDPE waste can be effectively used as a fine aggregate in concrete, with water quenching offering superior performance for structural concrete elements in architectural applications.

Compressive strength; Fine aggregate substitution; HDPE plastic; Melt processing; Water quenching

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