Chemical, mechanical and thermal properties of mortar composites containing waste PET

International audienceThe main objective of this study was to investigate the potential utilization of polyethylene terephthalate PET waste incementitious matrix, as substituent to cement, to develop lightweight construction materials and for preventing chemical attacksor repairing various reinforced concrete structures. Composites containing different amounts of PET particles, as partialreplacement to cement by weight, were characterized by destructive and non-destructive testing. So, the thermal conductivity,ultrasonic pulse velocity (UPV) and sorptivity coefficients of composite made up of mixtures of PET polymer were measured;the adverse environmental conditions are simulated by using various acid solutions. The corrosion process was monitored bymeasuring the mass loss and compressive strength for different periods. The experimental investigation revealed that the additionof PET particles reduces the UPV; furthermore, thermal conductivity and sorptivity of the composites have been decreased. So,the decrease of the sorptivity-value is favorable to the durability of the specimen structures. On behalf of the resistance toaggressive environments, it was found that the course of action of acid attack is dependent on the type of acid and solubility ofthe calcium salt formed. The presence of PET was found to lower the detrimental effect of acids on composite. Scanning electronmicroscope (SEM), X-ray diffraction and FT-IR analyses were used to better understand the cement hydration products of thedeteriorated mortars. In this way, the obtained PET-mortar composites would appear to be low-cost materials which wouldcontribute to resolving some of the solid waste problems in addition to conserving energy