The study on the use of polyethylene terephthalate residues as an aggregate in mortars

In the modern world, the generation of slowly biodegradable waste has caused several environmental impacts. Among them, residues of Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET) are highlighted, which originate from food packaging, which has emerged to facilitate the increasingly dynamic and growing consumer market. Likewise, the consumption of mineral resources by civil construction has an important impact on the environment and society. Therefore, it becomes an opportunity to reuse these polymeric residues, replacing the mineral aggregate, in cement mixtures, a procedure that can bring advantages to the final product, either in mortar or in Portland cement concrete. In this sense, there have been several efforts by researchers and research entities, over the years, to reuse PET waste for this purpose; nevertheless, the results obtained so far are still debatable. Therefore, in this article new methodologies were proposed for this reuse, and mortars containing PET as an aggregate were tested, according to the Brazilian Standard. The results revealed an increase in compressive strength, of the order of three times, in addition to a superior thermal insulation, of the order of five times, compared with conventional mortars. This new material also proved to be commercially viable, according to the normative criteria and the final cost. Therefore, the reuse of PET as an aggregate proves to be an alternative that, in addition to benefiting the environment, has the potential to produce a more advantageous construction material.