Stabilization of hazardous compounds from WEEE plastic: Development of a novel core-shell recycled plastic aggregate for use in building materials

Abstract

There is known that the plastic fraction of waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEEP) contains an important amount of brominated flame retardants and heavy metals, which suppose a risk to the health of humans and the environment preservation. In order to transform this waste into a useful and non-hazardous material, we developed a novel stabilization strategy. A core-shell recycled plastic aggregate (RPA) consisting of grinded WEEEP (core) and a mixture of cement and several additives such as a very fine aggregate, clay or activated charcoal (shell) was obtained. We proved that the core-shell strategy, in which cement-activated charcoal shell was employed, produces a stabilization of the hazardous compounds. Compression strength tests showed that RPAs could be used as replacement for sand in cement mortar. We propose that the RPA with optimal physical and mechanical properties has great potential for use in the construction industry.