Assessment of Concrete Hollow Blocks Incorporating Polyethylene Terephthalate (PRT) and Copper Slag as a Commercial Concrete Alternative

The increasing demand for durable and sustainable concrete driven by population growth and urbanization, highlights the need for an environmentally friendly alternative to traditional concrete, by innovating and recycling the top waste made by industries, given the country’s vulnerability to natural disasters and the environmental impact of concrete production. Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET) waste accounts for up to 13.9% of all waste plastics, posing a serious hazard to the environment and ecology both on land and in oceans (Ye et al., 2023); similarly, copper slag, a by-product of the smelting and processing of copper ore, is generated at a rate of 2.2 tons per ton of copper produced, leading to an annual figure of 24.6 million tons of slag (Gabasiane et al., 2021). With this, researchers are still finding ways to search for an alternative to lessen the environmental waste whilst contributing to the construction industry. Subsequently, this study aims to test the viability and effectiveness of Polyethylene Terephthalate and Copper Slag-induced concrete hollow blocks as an alternative to traditional commercial concrete hollow blocks. The researchers used a Post-Test Only Controlled Group Design, providing a complete understanding of their effect on concrete performance. By utilizing purposive sampling, the researchers were able to select shredded PET as their chosen samples. The raw data from the test results of varying ratios were treated using ANOVA. In terms of compressive strength and water absorption percentage, the 30-70 ratio emerged as the most durable, while in density, the commercial concrete displayed the highest amount. Upon comparative analysis, the results from the data treatment shows a significant difference in incorporating Polyethylene Terephthalate and Copper slag into concrete, specifically the 30% PET and Copper slag to 70% cement ratio, therefore rejecting the null hypothesis. It is advised to explore more ratios to accommodate different construction demands and have a minimum curing time of 28 days before testing the qualities of the said concrete hollow blocks.