New Cement Mortar with Recycled Plastic Promises to Reduce Waste and Improve Insulation in Construction

Written by Romário Pereira de Carvalho

Published on 24/02/2025 at 06:32

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New Sustainable Mortar Uses Recycled Plastic, Offering Better Insulation and Contributing to Waste Reduction in Civil Construction

Researchers from Newcastle University have developed a new cement mortar that promises to stand out in civil construction. Made from recycled plastic and silica aerogel, the material provides better thermal insulation and helps reduce plastic waste.

The innovation, published in the journal Construction and Building Materials, could lower heating and cooling bills, offering an environmentally friendly solution.

Innovative Mortar Combines Lightness and Thermal Insulation

The new mixture was developed to replace conventional sand with silica aerogel and recycled PET plastic. The result is a lighter mortar that performs better in thermal insulation.

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Reduction of Plastic Waste and Energy Efficiency

Professor Lidija Šiller, a nanoscale science expert at the School of Engineering at Newcastle University and co-author of the study, highlighted the potential of the new formula.

“This study demonstrates that our formulation of recycled PET plastic waste can be used to produce cement-based mortars, and it is an effective way to reduce their impact on the environment. Wouldn’t it be wonderful to lower heating bills in all our new buildings while significantly reducing plastic waste in the world?,” she stated.

Seven Formulations Tested and Promising Results

The researchers tested seven different formulations of the new mortar, along with the traditional one. The most effective was composed of 7% untreated silica aerogel mixed with natural sand and 3% recycled PET plastic.

The PET particles, sourced from crushed plastic bottles, had irregular shapes and thicknesses between 2.5 mm and 3.5 mm. After the crushing process, they were washed with water and dried at room temperature for 24 hours.

The tests evaluated essential properties, including setting time, flowability, density, strength, and thermal conductivity. The new formulation reduces the thermal conductivity of the mortar by up to 55% compared to standard samples.

Future Challenges and Large-Scale Testing

Researcher Kaniaw Marof, Ph.D., the lead author of the study, emphasized the importance of the discovery. Improving the thermal performance of masonry buildings by reducing the energy needed for heating and cooling to ensure user comfort is a key topic in modern construction.

In his work, the modification of the surface of silica aerogel particles was a crucial step in successfully incorporating silica aerogel particles into the cement binder and PET plastic.

Now, the team aims to test the mortar in a real-world environment and at scale. According to Professor Šiller, the goal is to find construction industry partners to build a house using the new mixture.

With information from Tech Xplore

New Cement Mortar with Recycled Plastic Promises to Reduce Waste and Improve Insulation in Construction

New Sustainable Mortar Uses Recycled Plastic, Offering Better Insulation and Contributing to Waste Reduction in Civil Construction

Innovative Mortar Combines Lightness and Thermal Insulation

Reduction of Plastic Waste and Energy Efficiency

Seven Formulations Tested and Promising Results

Future Challenges and Large-Scale Testing

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New Cement Mortar with Recycled Plastic Promises to Reduce Waste and Improve Insulation in Construction

New Sustainable Mortar Uses Recycled Plastic, Offering Better Insulation and Contributing to Waste Reduction in Civil Construction

Innovative Mortar Combines Lightness and Thermal Insulation

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Seven Formulations Tested and Promising Results

Future Challenges and Large-Scale Testing

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While an average building in London or New York takes three years to be completed, in China a 26-story tower went up in five days with about 100 workers, and the global modular construction market already moves US$ 95 billion per year.

Australia installs giant concrete structures on the seabed 800 meters from the shore to create an ocean intake for desalination that will draw in saltwater and produce 30 million liters of drinking water per day.

Secret chamber sealed 4,500 years ago found in the Pyramid of Khufu, and Hawass announces its opening to the world in 2026

A public school student single-handedly created a machine capable of treating water for up to 50 people using only solar energy. It was awarded third place at one of the most important science fairs in the world.

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While communities suffer from water scarcity and the advancing desert, women in Morocco use nets high up in the mountains to trap fog droplets, fill reservoirs, and transport drinking water through more than 10 km of piping.

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