58 Results Found

The current high production of plastics has prompted the exploration of alternative pathways to facilitate recycling, aiming for a progressively sustainable society. This paper presents an alternative and affordable technology for treating waste expa...

This work investigates the sustainable reuse of expanded polystyrene (EPS) waste through a multi-cycle physical recycling process involving dissolution in acetone and subsequent manufacturing via Direct Ink Write (DIW) 3D printing and casting. Morpho...

Water contamination by potentially toxic metals and the generation of polymeric wastes are major world concerns. Therefore, novel recycled expanded polystyrene nanofibers modified by chitosan were successfully developed by centrifugal spinning and ap...

In this study, material and energy losses were systematically assessed, together with a comprehensive economic and environmental evaluation, for an industrial expanded polystyrene (EPS) recycling process implemented under a circular economy framework...

A novel reinforced recycled expanded polystyrene (r-EPS) foam/natural fiber composite was successfully developed. EPS was recycled by means of the dissolution method using an accessible commercial mixed organic solvent, while natural fibers, i.e., co...

In this study, a three-dimensional (3D) porous sponge capable of oil–water separation was fabricated using recycled expanded polystyrene (EPS) through 3D electrospinning, by adding phosphoric acid to the electrospinning solution. The fabricatio...

In the present work the rheological, thermo-mechanical, microstructural, and wetting characteristics of cement mortars with recycled expanded polystyrene (EPS) were analyzed. The samples were prepared after partial/total replacement of the convention...

The seismic performance of recycled aggregate concrete (RAC) composite shear walls with different expandable polystyrene (EPS) configurations was investigated. Six concrete shear walls were designed and tested under cyclic loading to evaluate the eff...

The main aim of this paper is to carry out the environmentally based enhancement of a concrete mixture containing recycled materials whilst considering natural resource consumption as well as mechanical and thermal property levels. The developed conc...

The limits to linear models of production based on material extraction, manufacture, use, and disposal are becoming increasingly apparent across the global economy. The Circular Economy (CE) describes an alternative to this problematic “take-make-was...

The present study evaluated the combined effects of two types of waste materials of expanded polystyrene (EPS) and unprocessed fly ash (FA) on different properties of concrete. A novel recycling technique of densifying waste EPS is used to produce a...

The quantity of construction demolition waste (CDW) has been increasing due to the demolition of many old buildings throughout the world. So far, all the statistics indicate that there is a very large generation of CDW, which increases annually. The...

Thermal and catalytic pyrolysis of waste expanded polystyrene (WEPS) was studied to obtain mainly styrene monomer, which can be recycled in the polystyrene industry. Initially, preliminary experiments were carried out in a static semi-batch glass rea...

A composite material comprising expanded polystyrene (EPS), granulated tyre rubber (GTR), and a compatibilizer is demonstrated as a possible replacement for fine and coarse agglomerates in mortar and concrete systems, respectively. Two different poly...

Expanded polystyrene (EPS) waste was chemically modified by sulfonation to obtain sulfonated EPS (sEPS), which was subsequently blended with virgin polyphenylsulfone (PPSU) at concentrations ranging from 10 to 50% to elaborate hollow fiber membranes...

Polystyrene plastics present significant environmental and human health threats due to their poor recyclability and degradability. However, leveraging their properties to enhance material performance stands out as one of the most effective strategies...

Up to now, primary resources have been the main choice of raw material selection for production. Now, global market tendencies have brought significant attention to secondary resources as the price has been raised for primary materials, and there is...

Global concrete production, reaching 14×1013m3/year, raises environmental concerns due to the resource-intensive nature of ordinary Portland cement (OPC) manufacturing. Simultaneously, 32.7×109 kg/year of expanded polystyrene (EPS) waste...

Limited investigations have evaluated the effect of expanded polystyrene (EPS) beads on the structural lightweight concrete properties. EPS offers many features compared to natural or artificial lightweight aggregates including the elimination of agg...

This study investigates the influence of mechanically recycled EPS on the mechanical and thermal properties of EPS composites for use in thermal insulation. Composites containing 5%, 10%, 25%, and 50% recycled EPS were produced using two recycled sou...

Expanded polystyrene (EPS), a lightweight thermoplastic polymer widely used in packaging and insulation, has become a growing environmental concern due to its non-biodegradable nature and escalating global consumption. Although EPS waste shows potent...

Ecological materials have been implemented in different industrial sectors due to their good performance as thermal insulators and the fact that they are 100% natural, recyclable, and biodegradable, contributing to environmental sustainability. The m...

The high demand for natural resources and increased industrial activity is driving the construction sector to search for new, more environmentally friendly materials. This research aims to analyse plaster mortars with the incorporation of constructio...

The traditional demolition process for brickwork buildings results in a significant volume of mixed debris. The debris consists of ceramic bricks (and other wall elements), mortar, thermal insulation (usually expanded polystyrene or rockwool), smalle...

The plastic profile of construction waste is varied and complex, particularly when compared to other waste streams such as timber, concrete, metals, and plasterboard. There are fewer incentives for recycling this low-density, low-value waste stream....

Although recycling is considered the core of a circular economy for returning materials to the supply chain, its procedures are poorly understood. Waste recycling is considered a big source of energy saving and a promoter of CO2 recovery. Besides tha...

This work proposes a conceptual design for recovering polystyrene (PS) using solvents of agro-industrial origin. The literature describes the dilution of expanded polystyrene (EPS) in limonene, followed by its insolubilization with alcohols for recov...

Conventional mechanical recycling technologies cannot recycle all types and amounts of generated plastic waste. Pyrolysis can convert these municipal mixed plastic streams into products with significant calorific value, which are likely to be used as...

Three-dimensional concrete printing (3DCP) is advancing rapidly, yet its sustainable adoption requires alignment with circular-economy principles. This study evaluates the substitution of natural aggregates with recycled constituents, 3DCP waste, bri...

Plastic pollution is an alarming issue; it is a phenomenon that, in addition to altering health, is capable of generating damage to the environment. It is estimated that only 8% of plastics are recycled and that 76% end up in landfill sites or are in...

Surfboard manufacturing has begun to utilise Expanded Polystyrene as a core material; however, surf literature relatively ignores this material. This manuscript investigates the mechanical behaviour of Expanded Polystyrene (EPS) sandwich composites....

This study investigates a sustainable coating method for modified expanded polystyrene (MEPS) beads to improve the thermal insulation of lightweight concrete intended for wall application. The method employed in this study is based on a novel coating...

Incorporating waste to produce new environmentally friendly construction products has become one of the great challenges of the industry nowadays. The aim of this research is to analyse the behaviour of novel gypsum composites against water action, i...

Renovation of old buildings plays a key role in the sustainable energy transition because they are often poorly insulated and, therefore, lose a lot of heat through walls and ceilings. An important measure of renovation is façade insulation. E...

The construction and demolition waste recycling into secondary raw materials is vital to achieving a sustainable and circular building life cycle. Expanded polystyrene (EPS) is one of the materials whose recycling rate should be increased. EPS boards...

Plastics are essential to technological and industrial development, yet their prevalent single-use life and poor recycling rates are contributing to escalating environmental concerns. Expanded polystyrene (EPS), although valued for being lightweight,...

Bangladesh generates approximately 3000 tons of plastic waste daily, and high mismanagement leads to substantial discharge into soils, rivers, and oceans. Limited research exists on plastic pollution along Cox’s Bazar in southeastern Bangladesh...

This research explores the thermal and mechanical properties enhancement in hollow concrete blocks by incorporating recycled expanded polystyrene (EPS) and crumb rubber (CR). Key thermal properties—including average thermal resistance (R¯)...

The aim of this paper is to investigate the flexural performance of a new steel–concrete composite beam system, which is required to carry higher loads when applied in flooring systems with less self-weight and cost compared with conventional c...

The design and employment of envelope components showing high thermal performances for new buildings and deep renovations must take into account the overall impact of the production process in terms of environmental sustainability. To this end, preca...

Plastics represent an integral part of our everyday lives, with various functions from packaging materials to insulation layers in our buildings. Pure expanded polystyrene (EPS) is a good example of a fully recyclable material. However, once polluted...

The construction industry involves some of the activities with the highest consumption of raw materials and significant waste production. According to the European Commission, it requires large quantities of resources, representing approximately 50%...

The use of plastic as material in various applications has been essential in the evolution of the technology industry and human society since 1950. Therefore, their production and waste generation are high due to population growth. Pyrolysis is an ef...

Rapid urbanization in developing regions presents a critical challenge to the provision of affordable housing. This systematic review, conducted following the PRISMA 2020 guidelines, analyzed 91 studies (2013–2024) from Scopus and Google Schola...

Waste minimization is a major way to achieve sustainable development. Electrostatic separation is already used in the recycling industry for processing certain mixtures of shredded plastics originating from waste electric and electronic equipment. St...

In this study, a comparative life cycle assessment of three different products with reusable and single-use packaging for fresh food distribution was conducted. For the reusable packaging, one utilized a vacuum insulation panel (VIP) box made of recy...

Lightweight concrete (LWC) has emerged as a transformative material in sustainable and high-performance construction, driven by innovations in engineered lightweight aggregates, supplementary cementitious materials (SCMs), fiber reinforcements, and g...

Chronic wounds have been a global health risk that demands intensive exploration. A tri-layered biomaterial scaffold has been developed for skin wounds. The top layer of the scaffold is superhydrophobic, and the bottom layer is hydrophilic, both of w...

Expanded polystyrene (EPS) has excellent thermal insulation properties and is widely applied in building energy conservation. However, these thermal insulation materials have caused numerous fires because of flammability. Pyrolysis is necessary to su...

Building refurbishment plays a key role in the de-carbonization of the European building stock. Whilst the renewal of the thermal envelope increases energy efficiency during the operational phase, the type of material is highly relevant for the overa...