การพัฒนาวัสดุเชื่อมประสานโพลิเมอร์จากโฟมโพลิสไตรีนขยายตัวเหลือทิ้งสำหรับวัสดุในการก่อสร้าง

Abstract

Expanded Polystyrene (EPS) foam wastes become a huge environmental issue as most of them are non-biodegradable materials and are disposed of inappropriately. It was reported that the amount of plastic and foam wastes for food containers and other packaging was evidently increased during the past 5 years, especially since the COVID19 pandemic. This work studied the development of the polymeric foam binder from the EPS foam waste and sand for the production of green construction blocks or pavement tiles. The types of solvent (acetone and toluene) and the amount of additional EPS foam binder to sand were investigated. The results show that the appropriate mixtures of EPS-to-sand of around 15:85 and 30:70 by weight could achieve a maximum compressive strength of approximately 10 to 12 MPa with the optimal unit weight of 1,600 to 1,900 kg/m3. Those outcomes have equally passed the strength class of Thai Industrial Standard (TIS 57 and 77) for construction brick and block. This eco-friendly technique could facilitate value-added production and reduce the environmental impact of EPS wastes disposal. Moreover, it is one of the alternative approaches to promote greener and cleaner production for environmentally friendly construction materials.