The College of Engineering at the University of Baghdad held a public discussion for the master’s thesis of Shahd Qais Abdul-Majeed from the Department of Civil Engineering. Her thesis, titled “Development of Eco-Friendly Roller Compacted Concrete Using Plastic Waste with Various Curing Methods”, was presented on Monday, September 26, 2024, in Dr. Khaled Shaker Hall, under the supervision of Prof. Zeina Khudair Abbas.
The research aimed to produce sustainable and eco-friendly roller-compacted concrete (RCC) by reducing the consumption of natural resources and energy, as well as minimizing pollution. This was achieved by using plastic waste to replace coarse and fine aggregates in the concrete mix.
The results indicated that including 10%PVC plastic waste in the RCC mixture reduced the strength, with a more significant decrease observed in mixtures containing 20% PVC. However, usingHDPE and PET plastic waste at 5% produced results close to the reference mix, with only a slight reduction when 10% HDPE and PET were used. Among the various curing methods, surface coating treatment yielded the best results, while water spraying resulted in a noticeable reduction in strength for all RCC mixtures.
The study concluded with several recommendations, including further investigation into the effects of other types of plastic waste on roller-compacted concrete and exploring the impact of different curing methods.
Following a scientific discussion and evaluation by the examination committee,Shahd Qais Abdul-Majeed was awarded a master’s degree in Civil Engineering (Roads and Transportation) with an excellent grade.
