Evaluation of E-Waste as Raw Material in Polymer Piles (New Approach): Initial Results

This study presents the initial results of the TUBITAK project number 223M143. It is aimed to evaluate the electronic waste (E-waste), which occurs due to the developments in technology and causes negative effects in terms of the environment in the project. The use of E-waste aggregate polymer piles as seismic isolation material, which is aimed to be obtained by adding into the polymer in granular form E-waste, will be investigated in this scope. The use of E-waste as a granular material in the polymer is a first in the literature and that the plastic parts of E-waste are used as raw materials in pile manufacturing stand out as the original value of this project. In addition, the E-waste polymer piles to be produced will perform both the load-bearing element and the seismic isolation task together in new structures. During the unsaturated polyester-styrene copolymerization at different ratios of total weight, E-waste with different gradations will be added to the polymer mixture as aggregates and for this purpose, polymer stacks with E-waste aggregates will be designed.