IJSTE - International Journal of Science Technology & Engineering | Volume 2 | Issue 12 | June 2016

ISSN (online): 2349-784X

Use of Construction Demolition Waste and Plastic

Waste in Road Base Course
Adersh T V
B.Tech Student
Department of Civil Engineering
Amal Jyothi College of Engineering

Amal Jojan
B.Tech Student
Department of Civil Engineering
Amal Jyothi College of Engineering

Jerin Mathew
B.Tech Student
Department of Civil Engineering
Amal Jyothi College of Engineering

Jerin P John
B.Tech Student
Department of Civil Engineering
Amal Jyothi College of Engineering

Abstract
The need to manage construction and demolition waste (CDW) and plastic waste (<30) has led to environmentally-friendly
actions that promote the reuse and recycling of this type of waste and other forms of waste valorisation. The main priority is to
foment sustainable construction work, which has the advantage of avoiding the deposit of large quantities of construction waste
at landfills and greatly reducing the use of borrow material in construction projects. In this sense, the reuse of CDW materials
significantly lessens the impact of construction work on the surrounding environment. The aim of this project work is to verify
the technical viability of using construction waste and plastic waste (<30) as material for the base pavement layers of road
surfaces. For this purpose, various tests were conducted on CDW aggregates and bitumen, for the determination of their various
properties to check their suitability for use in base course. The proportioning of aggregates was done by trial and error method,
and the proportioning of bitumen was done by Marshall Stability test. Strength of the mix with varied proportions of plastic was
tested and the optimum plastic content giving maximum strength was found out. The results showed that there is satisfactory
strength for the DBM base course constructed using CDW and there is further increase in strength and stability by the addition of
plastic in the base course for road construction.
Keywords: Construction and demolition waste (CDW), Optimum bitumen content (OBC), Optimum Plastic content (OPC)
________________________________________________________________________________________________________
I.

INTRODUCTION

Amidst growing awareness on protection of environment and conservation of natural resources and this study is an attempt to
explore recycled construction waste as a material of hope for 21st century. The primary objective is to foment the reuse and
recycling of this waste and other forms of valorization with a view to contributing to the sustainable development of activities in
the construction sector.
Significant research initiatives are currently under way to determine how technical characteristics, such as moisture content,
the California Bearing Ratio (CBR), and degree of compaction, is affected when recycled construction and demolition waste
(CDW) aggregate is included in pavement layers. Due to high water absorption of recycled aggregates, it is sometimes suggested
to use pre-soaked aggregates for construction of road layers using recycled aggregate. Furthermore, designers lack the
knowledge of what actually can be recycled in the region. The aim of our project is to verify the technical viability of using
construction waste and plastic waste (<30) as material for the base of road surfaces.
Plastic less than 30 in thickness is non-bio degradable and is impossible to recycle. It causes harmful effect on environment.
Our project aims to achieve satisfactory strength and durability of road base course by construction using CDW and also an
efficient method of waste management by the addition of non-bio degradable plastic.
II. MATERIALS
A. Aggregates:
Aggregates form the major constituent of road construction materials. They should be strong enough to resist degradation and
should have enough structural stability. The three different types of aggregates used are concrete waste aggregates, bitumen mix
aggregates and ceramic aggregates. They are mixed in the proportion 75:10:15. Tests are conducted on aggregates based on IS
2386-1963.

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B. Bitumen:
Bitumen is a thermoplastic material and its stiffness is dependent on temperature. Bureau of Indian standards (BIS) first time
introduced paving grade bitumen specifications IS 73-1950 in the year 1950 based on penetration based on this classification, the
bitumen were classified into five grades: S35, S45, S65, S90, S200. For our project S90 grade bitumen is used.
C. Plastic:
The Govt. of India has banned the use of plastic of size less than 40 in our country. The thickness of the bag determines the
strength of the bag to break into smaller pieces. The thinner the bag the higher is the probability of its breakdown and mixing
with the soil which seriously deteriorates the soil and marine fauna. Such plastic bags are still widely use in our country as carry
bags respite of the ban. Our project aims to effectively utilize these plastic bags in the construction of base layer of road.
III. METHODOLOGY OF MIX PROPORTION DESIGN
Initially the construction and demolition wastes (concrete waste, ceramic waste, bituminous waste and plastic thinner than 30 )
were procured. These wastes were reduced to require nominal sizes of 20mm, 10mm and dust, which are the sizes normally
adopted in laying the base course. The individual properties of the procured recycled aggregates and bitumen were tested using
IRC recommended tests. The aggregates were proportioned by trial and error method using sieve analysis. For this study,
bituminous mixes were prepared at 5%, 5.5%, 6% and 6.5% of the weight of the Marshall Mix. The Optimum Bitumen
Content(OBC), from the above mixes, was determined by carrying out Marshall stability test .As the final step, plastic thinner
than 30 was added to the Marshall mix in the proportions 4%, 5%, 6%, 7% and 8% by weight, to determine Optimum Plastic
Content (OPC), which was the plastic proportion which gave maximum strength.
IV. RESULTS
A. Test Results of Bitumen:

Property
Specific Gravity
Ductility
Penetration
Softening Point
Viscosity

Table 1
Test Results of Bitumen
Test
Specific Gravity test for Bitumen
Ductility Test for Bitumen
Penetration Test for Bitumen
Softening point Test for Bitumen
Viscosity Test For Bitumen

Result
1
82cm
96
450C
34.35sec

B. Test Results of Aggregates:

Table 2
Test Results of Bitumen
Property
Test
Crushing Value
Aggregate Crushing Value Test
Impact Value
Aggregate Impact Value Test
Bulk density and Percentage air voids
Bulk Density Test
Specific Gravity
Specific Gravity Test
Angularity Number
Shape Test or Aggregates

Result
27.84%
24.55%
1.42g/cm3 and 45.38%
2.6
10

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Use of Construction Demolition Waste and Plastic Waste in Road Base Course
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C. Bituminous Mix Results:

1) Marshal stability v/s % Bitumen:

Fig. 1: Marshal Stability v/s % Bitumen Graph

2) Unit weight v/s Percentage Bitumen:

Fig. 2: Unit Weight v/s % Bitumen Graph

3) Percentage Voids v/s Percentage Bitumen Results:

Fig. 3: Percentage Voids v/s Percentage Bitumen Graph

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D. Bituminous Mix with Plastic Content

Fig. 4: Bituminous Mix with Plastic Content

V. CONCLUSION
There has been a growing awareness regarding the safe disposal of construction demolition waste (CDW) in an environmentally
friendly manner. There is also a huge difficulty regarding the reuse and recycling of plastic waste thinner than 30 in size. Our
aim was to improve the strength of roads using CDW and plastic waste (<30 ) and subsequently help in their waste
management.
Several tests were conducted on the CDW aggregates and the bitumen used. The proportioning of the various components, by
size, of CDW (20mm nominal size aggregate, 10mm nominal size aggregate and dust) was fixed by trial and error method and
various percentages of bitumen were tested for maximum mix strength using Marshall Stability test and Optimum Bitumen
Content (OBC) of 5.85% was obtained. Further the mix strength was tested by the addition of plastic waste (<30 ) (optimum
plastic content = 6%) and it was found that the load carrying capacity of plastic added mix was considerably higher than the mix
without plastic. For initial percentages of plastic Marshall Stability value increases with an increase in plastic content. At 6% the
obtained Marshall Stability strength is maximum after that the Marshall strength decreases. These values were also found to be
higher when compared to traditional mix strength. Increased load carrying capacity has the advantage of withstanding heavy axle
loads especially in a state like Kerala where width of roads and pavements is much less than the natural average and heavy
increase in the traffic growth is a problem which needs immediate solution as provisions for road networks expansion is time
consuming and difficult here.
The waste management in our state is a problem which requires urgent solution. The absence of labours and machinery make
it further more difficult. Hence utilization of construction demolition wastes and plastic waste (<30 ) in bituminous mixes, to an
extent, solves the problem of their disposal which is difficult to decompose and time consuming.
ACKNOWLEDGMENT
We take this opportunity to express our deep sense of gratitude and sincere thanks to all who helped us to complete the project
work successfully. Our first and foremost thanks go to God Almighty who showered his immense blessings on our effort. We
would like to express our sincere gratitude to Sr. Prof. Claramma Rosary (Head of the department, Civil Engineering) for her
support and co-operation. We are deeply indebted to our guide, Mr. Deepak John Peter (Asst. Professor, Department of Civil
Engineering) for his excellent guidance, constant encouragement, suggestions and constructive feedback in the completion of the
project work. We also thank Mrs. Mini Mathew (Associate Professor, Department of Civil Engineering) for extending her
valuable support for the project work. We wish to express our sincere gratitude towards the staff members and lab assistants of
our Department and Department Library.
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(IJSTE/ Volume 2 / Issue 12 / 053)
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