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11th International Conference Interdisciplinarity in Engineering, INTER-ENG 2017, 5-6 October
11th International Conference Interdisciplinarity in Engineering,
2017, Tirgu-Mures, Romania INTER-ENG 2017, 5-6 October
2017, Tirgu-Mures, Romania
Recycling of plastic waste materials in the composition of
Recycling
Manufacturing of plastic
Engineering waste
Society materials
International in the
Conference composition
2017, of June
MESIC 2017, 28-30
ecological
2017, Vigo mortars
(Pontevedra), Spain
ecological mortars
a, a a
Claudiu Aciua, *, Dana-Adriana Ilutiu-Varvaraa, Daniela-Lucia Maneaa, Yvette-Anna
Costing models
Claudiu Aciu for capacity
*, Dana-Adriana
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Orban
optimization
Ilutiu-Varvara
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, Yvette-Anna
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a, Florin Babotaa
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between used capacity and operational

Orban , Florin Babota efficiency
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P P P

a
Technical University of Cluj-Napoca, 28 Memorandumului Street, 400114, Cluj-Napoca, Romania
P P

a
Technical University of Cluj-Napoca, 28 Memorandumului Street, 400114, Cluj-Napoca, Romania
A. Santanaa, P. Afonsoa,*, A. Zaninb, R. Wernkeb
P P

Abstract a
University of Minho, 4800-058 Guimarães, Portugal
Abstract b
Unochapecó, 89809-000 Chapecó, SC, Brazil
Today, the wish to maintain and improve living conditions worldwide has led to a particular focus on ecology issues in all areas
Today, the wish
of activity, to maintain
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plastic waste materials byPVC
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were building materials.
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containing the waste
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have for the manufacture
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production mortars
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high Mortars containing
energy consumption. The study PVC waste have
presented in thisthe advantage
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Published by basis and,
materials.
Elsevier B.V. necessarily, much more efficient. In this context, capacity optimization
goes
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Authors. Published aim
by of capacity
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committee of thecontributing also for
11th International organization’s
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Interdisciplinarity in and value.
© 2018 The
Indeed,
Peer-review Authors.
leanunder Publishedand
management
responsibility by
of Elsevier
the B.V. committee
continuous
scientific improvement approaches
of the 11th suggest
International capacity
Conference optimizationininstead of
Interdisciplinarity
Engineering.
Peer-review under responsibility of the scientific committee of the 11th International Conference Interdisciplinarity in Engineering.
maximization.
Engineering. The study of capacity optimization and costing models is an important research topic that deserves
contributions
Keywords: Wastefrom both the
management; practical
recycling; andwaste
plastic theoretical
materials;perspectives. This
building materials; paper presents and discusses a mathematical
mortar.
Keywords:
model forWaste management;
capacity recycling;based
management plasticon
waste materials;costing
different buildingmodels
materials;(ABC
mortar.and TDABC). A generic model has been
developed and it was used to analyze idle capacity and to design strategies towards the maximization of organization’s
1. Introduction
value. The trade-off capacity maximization vs operational efficiency is highlighted and it is shown that capacity
1. Introduction
optimization might hide operational inefficiency.
Today,
© 2017 The the wish Published
Authors. to maintain and improve
by Elsevier B.V. living conditions worldwide has led to a particular focus on ecology
Today,
issues in the
all wish
areas of to maintain
activity, and
including improve living conditions
construction.
Peer-review under responsibility of the scientific committee worldwide
of the Manufacturing has led toSociety
Engineering a particular focusConference
International on ecology
issues
Theintask
2017. all areas of activity,
of the including construction.
entire construction industry is to contribute to the development of ecological buildings by
The task
applying of the and
technical entire construction
design solutions industry is to contribute
that facilitate energy saving,to theanddevelopment of ecological
by using local buildings
materials with by
reduced
applying Cost
Keywords: technical
Models; and
ABC;design
TDABC;solutions that facilitate
Capacity Management; energy Operational
Idle Capacity; saving, and by using local materials with reduced
Efficiency

1. Introduction
* Corresponding author. Tel.: +40-748-103-613.
* E-mail
Corresponding
address:author. Tel.: +40-748-103-613.
claudiu.aciu@ccm.utcluj.ro
The cost
E-mail of idle
address: capacity is a fundamental information for companies and their management of extreme importance
claudiu.aciu@ccm.utcluj.ro
in modern©production
2351-9789 systems.
2018 The Authors. In general,
Published it isB.V.
by Elsevier defined as unused capacity or production potential and can be measured
in several©under
2351-9789
Peer-review ways: tons of production,
2018responsibility
The Authors. Published
of available
by Elsevier
the scientific B.V.hours
committee of manufacturing,
of the 11th etc. The
International Conference management
Interdisciplinarity of the idle capacity
in Engineering.
Peer-review underTel.:
* Paulo Afonso. responsibility
+351 253of the761;
510 scientific committee
fax: +351 253 604of741the 11th International Conference Interdisciplinarity in Engineering.
E-mail address: psafonso@dps.uminho.pt

2351-9789 © 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Peer-review under responsibility of the scientific committee of the Manufacturing Engineering Society International Conference 2017.
2351-9789 © 2018 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V.
Peer-review under responsibility of the scientific committee of the 11th International Conference Interdisciplinarity in Engineering.
10.1016/j.promfg.2018.03.042
 Claudiu Aciu et al. / Procedia Manufacturing 22 (2018) 274–279 275
Claudiu Aciu et al. / Procedia Manufacturing 00 (2018) 282–287 283

embodied energy, low cost and good appearance having minimum environmental impact that ensure the comfort
required by users and at the same time, a profitable return for the project initiators [1].
The quality of the indoor environment is a determining factor for health, given that people spend most of their
lives inside buildings [2, 3]. In this context, ecological building materials have an important contribution to the
achievement of the mentioned objectives.
The manufacture of ecological building materials should not only contribute to a better management of material
and energy resources and to a minimization of waste, but also to the obtaining of materials with adequate physical-
mechanical properties [4, 5].
Waste from construction and demolition provides a substantial source of raw materials for building works by
using construction site waste such as wood, plastic, cardboard, metal, wires, etc.
Synthetic materials, generically termed plastics, are widely used in construction due to their durability and low
weight. The low biodegradability of these materials and the presence in large quantities of waste plastic negatively
impact the environment [6]. Polyethylene and polypropylene are common thermoplastic materials, which have the
advantage of being easy to recycle.
Polyvinyl chloride (PVC) is one of the oldest and most important plastics, being used for the manufacture of
pipes, gutters, floors, electric wire insulators, windows, doors, blinds, etc.
PVC waste results at the end of the life cycle of the many products made of this material. Large PVC waste
amounts are taken over by recycling companies, which collect, grind, wash them, and in this form waste materials
are reintroduced into the technological cycle for the manufacture of new products such as packages, floor covering
materials, panels, tiles, slabs, etc.
PVC can contribute by recycling to the obtaining of a wide range of products used in construction, such as
materials for the exterior protection of buildings, sheet pile walls, orifice closing elements for windows or tiles, etc.
Several works have been performed to evaluate the possibility of using various types of plastic waste as aggregate
in the composition of mortars or concretes [7, 8, 9].
The aim of this study is to find a modality to recycle plastic waste for the manufacture of efficient ecological
building materials.
The research problem is the elaboration of a recipe for a new ecological mortar, with minimal embodied energy,
with good thermal insulation properties, while ensuring plastic waste recycling and reduced raw material
consumption.

2. Material and Methods

Plastic reuse in the building materials industry is an efficient solution, with beneficial effects for the construction
industry as well as environmental protection and improvement, at the same time protecting natural resources.
In this context, in what follows we present a synthesis of the theoretical and experimental results of the Building
Materials team of the Faculty of Civil Engineering in Cluj-Napoca in the field of plastic waste (PVC) use with the
aim to obtain ecological materials.
For the study regarding the effects of PVC waste in the composition of mortar, specimens according to the recipes
presented in Table 1 were made.

Table 1. Mortar recipes.

Cement Lime Water Sand (0-4) PVC waste
Recipe
[kg] [kg] [l] [kg] [kg]
I – standard mortar 1.0 0.6 0.75 4.5 0.00
II – 25% PVC waste 1.0 0.6 0.83 3.37 1.13
III – 50% PVC waste 1.0 0.6 0.77 2.25 2.25
IV – 100% PVC waste 1.0 0.6 0.75 0.00 4.5
The materials used for the experimental part were: “Structo Plus” cement, type: CEM II/B-A1(S-LL) 42.5N,
produced by Holcim Romania; hydrated lime; sand with 0-4 mm granularity; minced plastic waste (PVC) and water.
276 Claudiu Aciu et al. / Procedia Manufacturing 22 (2018) 274–279
284 Claudiu Aciu et al. / Procedia Manufacturing 00 (2018) 282–287

According to its name, CEM II/B-A1(S-LL) cement is a Portland cement with limestone, whose main component
(without clinker) is limestone with organic carbon not exceeding 0.2% (LL)”, of strength class 42.5N [10].
Plastic waste was minced to a size of maximum 8 mm, resulting in a material with an apparent density of
500kg/m3.
Methods for the manufacture of mortar
For the standard recipe, the classical method for the manufacture of mortar was used, with a water/binder ratio of
about 0.5. The materials were purchased from a commercially available source and required no special preparation.
For the other recipes, sand in the composition of the standard mortar was replaced in various proportions with
minced plastic waste, as shown above.
The mortar specimens were made according to standards in force and involved weighing the materials,
homogenizing them with a mixer, and making the mortar specimens (4x4x16cm prisms and 20x20x5cm plates) [11].
The consistency of the standard mortar was determined with the flow table (Tecnotest, Italy), meeting the
requirement according to which for fresh mortar with an apparent density higher than 1200 kg/m3, the flow value is
175 ± 10 mm [12].
Physical-mechanical determinations were performed after 28 days on 160mm x 40mm x 40mm prisms cast and
stored during this period according to standards in force [13].
The apparent density of hardened mortar was determined on the mortar prisms dried to constant mass and
weighed at 28 days [14].
Mechanical strengths were determined with the automatic flexural tensile tester L15 (Controls, Italy) - flexural
strength, and with the 250KN hydraulic press (Tecnotest, Italy) - compressive strength [15].
For the determination of the water absorption coefficient due to capillary action, the mortar specimens were
broken in two pieces, they were dried to constant mass, after which they were sealed with paraffin along their long
side and immersed with the broken part in 5 mm up to 10 mm water. After 10 min and 90 min, respectively, the
specimens were taken out of the water and weighed, and the increase in the mortar mass was determined [16].
For the evaluation of the adhesion of hardened mortar to the substrate, a 10 mm mortar layer was applied to
previously humidified full bricks, which were maintained in vertical position during the application [17]. The
adhesion of hardened mortar to the substrate was determined with the 58-C0215/T pull-off tester (Controls, Italy).

3. Results and Discussions

The results obtained following laboratory determinations are synthesized in Table 2.

Table 2. Technical characteristics obtained.

Compressive Water absorption Thermal Adhesion to the
Apparent density Flexural strength
Recipe strength by capillarity conductivity support layer
[kg/m3] [N/mm2] [N/mm2] [kg/(m2*min0.5)] [W/m2K] [N/mm2]
I 2249.61 28.60 5.14 0.38 1.30 0.06
II 1997.40 23.45 4.13 0.45 0.46 0.03
III 1857.62 24.53 3.96 0.31 0.35 0.00
IV 1253.91 14.77 2.34 0.31 0.24 0.00

The standard mortar developed is a cement-lime mortar which, based on compressive strength at 28 days
(Rc=28.6 N/mm2), falls into plastering mortar class CSIV and masonry mortar class M20. Regarding apparent
density, this mortar belongs to the category of heavy mortars, exceeding the density of 1800 kg/m3 [10].
The apparent density of PVC mortars
The materials developed by the replacement of sand in the standard recipe with PVC waste in different
proportions show a decrease in mortar density with the increase of the sand replacement percentage, but they remain
in the category of heavy mortars. Only the mortar obtained by the replacement of the entire amount of sand with
PVC waste falls into the category of light mortars.
The thermal conductivity coefficient
 Claudiu Aciu et al. / Procedia Manufacturing 22 (2018) 274–279 277
Claudiu Aciu et al. / Procedia Manufacturing 00 (2018) 282–287 285

The use of PVC waste in the composition of mortar leads to a significant decrease in its thermal conductivity
coefficient, which improves the thermal insulation property of this mortar.
Thus, in the case of 25% sand replaced with plastic waste, the thermal conductivity coefficient of the mortar
decreases by 65% compared to that of the standard mortar specimen. A two-fold increase in the amount of replaced
sand results in a 73% decrease in the thermal conductivity coefficient, but the best value of the thermal conductivity
coefficient is obtained by the replacement of the entire amount of sand with PVC waste.
The water absorption coefficient by capillarity and adhesion to the substrate
A negative consequence in the case of the recipe with 25% sand replacement is the increase in the water
absorption coefficient by capillarity and the 50% decrease in adhesion to the substrate.
A further increase in the amount of replaced sand improves the water absorption coefficient by capillarity, whose
value is lower than that of the standard mortar specimen, but significantly reduces adhesion to the substrate.
Flexural strength
The flexural strength of the materials containing PVC waste decreases significantly compared to standard mortar,
with the increasing proportion of plastic material.
As shown in Figure 1, following the flexural strength test, there was a plastic breakage of mortar, the fracture
section presenting gaps from which PVC granules were pulled off.

Recipe I Recipe II Recipe III Recipe IV

Fig. 1. The breaking section of mortar prisms.

Compressive strength
According to minimum compressive strength, the mortars obtained can be used either as masonry mortars or as
plastering mortars.
Classification of the resulting mortar as masonry mortar:

• regarding compressive strength at 28 days, the replacement of up to 50% sand with plastic waste is categorized as
masonry mortar class M20, and the replacement of 100% sand with PVC waste classifies this masonry mortar as
class M12.5;
• regarding adhesion to the substrate, the best recipe is that with a maximum of 25% sand replaced by PVC waste.

Classification of the resulting mortar as plastering mortar:

• as plastering mortars, both the standard and the plastic waste mortars fall into class CSIV regarding compressive
strength at 28 days (≥ 6 N/mm2);
• regarding water absorption by capillarity, the mortars fall into class W1 (c<0.40 kg/m2min0.5), except for the
mortar in which 25% sand was replaced with plastic material, which falls into class W0;
• regarding conductivity, this decreases significantly compared to that of standard mortar, with the increasing
amount of replaced sand (in recipe II it decreases by almost 65%, in recipe III by 73%, and in recipe IV by 81%);
• considering all physical-mechanical characteristics, including adhesion to the substrate, the best recipe is recipe
RII.
278 Claudiu Aciu et al. / Procedia Manufacturing 22 (2018) 274–279
286 Claudiu Aciu et al. / Procedia Manufacturing 00 (2018) 282–287

Fire behavior
According to SR EN 998-1:2011, the standard mortar falls into fire reaction class A1 because it does not contain
organic materials. This is why fire reaction testing of the standard mortar specimens was not required.
Figure 2 shows the fire behavior of mortars with 25%, 50% and 100% sand replaced with PVC.
These determinations were performed by exposing the mortar specimens to the action of a direct flame generated
by a gas lamp.

Recipe At 60 s At 300 s After the removal of the flame

Recipe II

Recipe III

Recipe IV

Fig. 2. Fire behavior of the PVC mortars.

Fig. 2 shows that the recipes containing PVC have high combustibility, which manifests by the almost
instantaneous appearance of flames resulting from ignition of PVC granules, concomitantly with an emission of
toxic black smoke.
Although flames are high, these only propagate within a concentrated area around the flame applied directly to
the surface of the material. Outside the circle of influence of this flame, the material does not ignite. On removal of
the directly applied flame, after 300 s, the ignited granules burn until consumption of the entire inflammable
material, after which burning stops.
 Claudiu Aciu et al. / Procedia Manufacturing 22 (2018) 274–279 279
Claudiu Aciu et al. / Procedia Manufacturing 00 (2018) 282–287 287

The increase in the PVC proportion in the recipe positively influences the heat transfer from the surface exposed
to the flame to the surface on the opposite side of the flame. This supports the good thermal insulation property of
the PVC mortar.

4. Conclusions

The study demonstrates that using PVC waste in the composition of building materials is possible.
The best mortar recipe established following this study is recipe II, which contains a maximum of 25% sand in
the standard recipe replaced with PVC. Regarding compressive strength at 28 days, this mortar falls into masonry
mortar class M20, also having the best adhesion to the substrate.
In terms of mechanical strengths, this recipe falls into plastering mortar class CSIV. From the point of view of
water absorption by capillarity, this mortar is categorized as class W0, but has an almost 65% lower thermal
conductivity coefficient compared to the standard recipe.
It can be used as a plastering mortar, but because of its reaction to open fire, it is not recommended to be used on
internal surfaces.
The mortar developed based on recipe III can be used for paving, given its physical-mechanical characteristics,
i.e. compressive strength and the water absorption coefficient.
The recipes elaborated as part of this study demonstrate the possibility of developing new ecological building
materials that do not involve high energy consumption and recover the embodied energy of reused PVC, with
beneficial effects regarding the reduction of raw material use and environmental pollution.

References

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[16] SR EN 1015-18:2003 Methods of test for mortar for masonry- Part 18: Determination of water absorption coefficient due to capillary action
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[17] SR EN 1015-12:2001 Methods of test for mortar for masonry - Part 12: Determination of adhesive strength of hardened rendering and
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