Upcycling Plastic Straw Waste into Sustainable Sand Brick Solutions for Effective Natural Resources Management

¹ Faculty of Civil Engineering & Technology, Universiti Malaysia Perlis (UniMAP), 02600 Arau, Perlis, Malaysia
² Geopolymer & Green Technology, Centre of Excellence (CEGeoGTech), Universiti Malaysia Perlis (UniMAP), 02600 Arau, Perlis, Malaysia
³ School of Civil Engineering, College of Engineering, Universiti Teknologi MARA, 40450 Shah Alam, Selangor, Malaysia

^* Corresponding author: norlia@unimap.edu.my

Abstract

This study introduces a sustainable approach to producing low- cost sand bricks by incorporating plastic straw waste. It addresses the urgent need to reduce plastic waste and dependency on landfills while conserving natural sand resources. By upcycling discarded plastic straws as a partial replacement material, this work promotes circular economy practices and transforms waste into valuable construction inputs. The integration of plastic straws not only mitigates environmental pollution but also contributes to enhancing the environmental performance and sustainability of building materials. The physical and mechanical properties of sand bricks with varying proportions of plastic straw were evaluated through bulk density, water absorption, and efflorescence tests. The bricks prepared in this research consist of the control brick, which has no plastic straw (0%), and samples containing 2%, 4%, and 6% proportions of plastic straw in bricks. The ratio of the mixture is 1:6 (1 part of ordinary Portland cement and 6 parts of sand). In the compressive test, the results show that higher compressive strength was obtained for bricks exposed to high temperatures, where it increased by 7.5% compared to unexposed bricks. For water absorptions, the average value for the control brick is 16.76%, which is the highest, and the lowest is obtained for 6% sample brick, which is at 16.37%. As for the density of bricks, it shows that the 2% sample brick has the highest wet and dry density compared to the other samples. For the efflorescence test results, all the sample bricks had insignificant differences compared to the control brick, and most of the results can be categorized as moderate. This research supports waste minimization to enhance environmental sustainability, enhances construction material performance, and promotes sustainable practices within the construction sector.