Abstract:
The search for sustainability in the conscious use of materials in civil construction makes the application of renewable resources an increasingly necessary necessity. One of the biggest challenges today is social and economic development, while maintaining environmental preservation. Plastic waste has attracted a lot of attention because it generates direct negative impacts on the environment, the material takes around 400 years to decompose in nature. In order to provide an adequate destination for this waste, this work aimed to evaluate the partial replacement of natural fine aggregate with crushed PET (polyethylene terephthalate), evaluating feasibility and resistance. Four mixes of concrete were obtained, one with natural fine aggregate and the others with different proportions of amber PET bottle, replacing 10%, 20% and 40% of the fine aggregate with PET. For this, a case study was carried out using 20 concrete specimens, divided equally into 4 groups, group A is conventional concrete, group B is concrete with 10% PET added, group C is concrete with the addition of 20% PET and group D is concrete with the addition of 40% PET. The samples were subjected to compressive strength, diametral compression tensile and slump tests. From the results obtained in the mechanical tests, it is concluded that the partial replacement of natural fine aggregate (sand) by PET can be added to concrete for non-structural purposes, whose purpose does not require high resistance, such as: curbs, blocks and floors. Therefore, PET in concrete is a viable form of disposal and helps solve a serious environmental problem related to the accumulation of PET bottles in landfills.