Compressive strength and water absorption of precast concrete wall panels with different content of plastic waste and silica-rich recycled materials

This study was conducted to analyse the strength and water absorption of precast concrete wall panels made by adding plastic powder and silica-rich recycled materials as partial replacements for sand and cement.Precast concrete wall panels are made from a mixture of sand to cement ratio of 3:1 and added with sufficient water.Gradually, the sand fraction is replaced with plastic powder, while the cement fraction is replaced partially by rice husk ash and glass powder.The variables studied include the effect of plastic powder, silica-rich recycled materials, and water-to-binders ratio on compressive strength and durability, including water absorption, sulfate and acid attack resistance of precast wall panels.The research revealed that replacing 20% of sand and 10% of cement with plastic powder and silica-rich recycled materials with the water-to-binder weight ratio of 1.6 produces precast concrete wall panels with a water absorption, and compressive strength of 11.14-11.48%,and 4.85-5.06MPa, respectively.These precast concrete wall panels are acceptable for lightweight concrete wall panel requirements according to ASTM C129-06.