PARADISE: Plastics as Aggregate for Resilient And Durable Infrastructure Solutions in Exposed Coastal Areas

Proponent/s Name/s (Last Name, First Name, Middle Initial)

• Alianna Gabrielle A. Amaro, De La Salle UniversityFollow
• Amethyst Gaile A. Magcawas, De La Salle UniversityFollow
• Mikayla Denise A. Alcaraz, De La Salle UniversityFollow
• Wenona Xaviera O. Galicia, De La Salle UniversityFollow

Document Types

Paper Presentation

Research Theme (for Paper Presentation and Poster Presentation submissions only)

Materials Engineering (MEN)

School Name

De La Salle University

Track or Strand

Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM)

Research Advisor (Last Name, First Name, Middle Initial)

De Guia, Leovine, L.

Start Date

25-6-2026 10:30 AM

End Date

25-6-2026 12:00 PM

Zoom Link/ Room Assignment

DLSU Laguna Campus (In-person) - Enrique K. Razon Jr. Hall - EKR 403

Abstract/Executive Summary

Plastic waste pollution is a global issue resulting from increasing plastic consumption and improper disposal, leading to contamination in marine environments. This waste also impacts coastal infrastructure due to increased chloride penetration from rising sea levels, demanding sustainable solutions. PARADISE aims to investigate the effectiveness of utilizing Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET) and Polypropylene (PP) plastics as partial replacements for conventional aggregates in concrete cylinders, specifically enhancing compressive strength and chloride resistance for durable coastal construction. Five (5) groups of concrete samples were evaluated: 1 control group and 4 experimental groups at 2.5% and 5% replacement levels of PET and PP plastic. Using 4 replicates per group, a total of 20 samples were considered. The concrete cylinders were subjected to a compressive strength test following ASTM C39, water absorption test following BS 1881-122:1983, and X-ray fluorescence (XRF) analysis following ASTM C114 for chloride resistance testing. One-way Analysis of Variance (ANOVA), at a significance level of α = 0.05, and Tukey’s HSD test were used for statistical analysis on each comprehensive test. Data revealed that while plastic addition reduced compressive strength, PET 2.5% maintained structural integrity and yielded the highest performance in chloride ion resistance. Conversely, PP 2.5% was deemed most effective at blocking water ingress. This study concludes that PET 2.5% is the optimal partial replacement ratio that satisfies the material’s enhanced durability and resistance against chloride penetration, while the PP 2.5% is optimal for permeability reduction.

Keywords

plastic-aggregate concrete; polyethylene terephthalate (PET); polypropylene (PP); chloride contamination; compressive strength

Initial Consent for Publication

yes

Statement of Originality

yes