Production and Evaluation of Composite Rainwater Storage Tanks from Recycled Materials Part 1: Material Characterization

Solid waste management and potable water supply are two of the major challenges in Nigeria. Recycling of wood and plastic wastes as cement-bonded composite rainwater storage tanks can play a major role in addressing both challenges. The aim of this study was to determine acceptable composite formulations for tank production and their short-term effects on stored rainwater. This paper reports the experimental results on composite formulations using varying proportions of Gmelina arborea sawdust, water sachet and acrylic plastic waste and determining their moisture content, density, water absorption (WA), thickness swelling (TS), thermal conductivity (TC), and impact energy. The moisture contents (14.7–16.5%) and densities (1.24–1.53 g/m³) exceeded the minimum value specified for cement-bonded composites. WA in all samples containing plastic materials were relatively low (<6%), an indication of suitability for water storage. However, only the samples containing water sachet exhibited an acceptable thickness swelling (approximately 2%). Density and WA had positive correlations with TS of the composites. The TC values (0.044–0.051 W/mK) were acceptably low. A strong, positive linear correlation was also observed between density and TC. Samples produced with a combination of cement, sawdust, water sachet and acrylic plastic exhibited the highest impact energy. View Full-Text