Multi-criteria optimization of SBR-modified mortar incorporating polyethylene terephthalate waste

Abstract

Thermosetting post-consumer plastics like polyethylene terephthalate (PET) raise serious recycling challenges, leading frequently to disposal through incineration or landfilling. This study assesses the feasibility of cementitious materials containing PET additions including the influence of cement content, water-to-cement ratio (w/c), styrene-butadiene rubber (SBR) polymer additions, and PET volume on the fresh and hardened properties. The mixture proportioning followed the Taguchi methodology, which entailed the utilization of four factors, each possessing three different levels to create an L9 orthogonal matrix. The assessment included diverse performance indicators such as flow, compressive strength, flexural strength, bond strength, water absorption, and resistance to carbonation. Test results revealed that the incorporation of SBR and PET degraded the compressive strength, albeit this can be restored by increasing the cement content and/or reducing w/c. The addition of SBR significantly improved the flexural and bond strengths yet curtailed the water absorption and resistance to carbonation due to increased closed porosity that facilitated the transport properties. The multi-criteria optimization approach (TOPSIS) indicated that superior performance can be achieved using a cement content of 525 kg/m3, w/c of 0.55, SBR of 3.5 %, and PET incorporation of 4.5 %. These parameters were subsequently employed in the development of multivariate regression models, allowing for the prediction of fresh and hardened properties in SBR-PET mortar.