Porosity Optimization in Cement Composites with Waste Plastic Additives Using the Taguchi Method
Keywords:
Porosity, Taguchi Method, Waste Plastic, Cement Composites, SustainabilityAbstract
In this study, the effects of using PET and ABS waste plastics as fine aggregate substitutes on
the porosity of cement composites were optimized using the Taguchi L8(2³) experimental design.
Currently, the depletion of environmental and natural aggregate resources of plastic waste is increasing
the need for sustainable building materials. The parameters determined were the plastic type (PET, ABS),
the plastic substitution ratio (0.5%, 1.5%), and the fly ash ratio (5%, 10%). The water/binder ratio was
kept constant at 0.35 in all mixtures. Porosity values were determined experimentally according to the
ASTM C642 standard. Signal-to-noise (S/N) ratios were calculated according to the “smaller is better”
quality characteristic, and optimum mixture parameters were determined by ANOVA analysis. The
results showed that the porosity values ranged from 8.44% to 14.02%, and the optimum mixture was PET
(0.5%) + fly ash (10%). Plastic type was identified as the most dominant factor with a 43% contribution
rate, while plastic content contributed 31.5% and fly ash content 22.5%. PET-modified samples exhibited
significantly lower porosity values compared to ABS. The Taguchi method was found to be an effective
and reliable method for optimizing porosity in cement composites with waste plastic additives.
Downloads
References
[1] Geyer, R. (2020). Production, use, and fate of synthetic polymers. In T. M. Letcher (Ed.), Plastic Waste and Recycling (pp. 13-32). Academic Press.
[2] Tudu, C., Mohanty, M., Mohapatra, S. S., & Nayak, S. (2024). A systematic review exploring the feasibility of waste lastic as different constituents towards sustainable concrete. Construction and Building Materials, 428, 136210.
[3] Uğur, M. (2025). Statistical Analysis of the Effect of Waste Polymer and Carbon Additives on Porosity
in Cementitious Composites, International Journal of Advanced Natural Sciences and Engineering Researches, 9(8), 84-89.
[4] Mehta, P. K., & Monteiro, P. J. M. (2014). Concrete: Microstructure, properties, and materials (4th ed.). McGraw-Hill Education.
[5] Thomas, M. (2013). Optimizing the use of fly ash in concrete. Portland Cement Association.
[6] Song, H. W., & Saraswathy, V. (2007). Corrosion monitoring of reinforced concrete structures–a review. International journal of electrochemical science, 2(1), 1-28.
[7] Mindess, S., Young, J. F., & Darwin, D. (2003). Concrete (2nd ed.). Prentice Hall.
[8] Kumar, R., & Bhattacharjee, B. (2003). Porosity, pore size distribution and in situ strength of concrete. Cement and Concrete Research, *33*(1), 155-164.
[9] Xiao, J., Lv, Z., Duan, Z., & Zhang, C. (2023). Pore structure characteristics, modulation and its effect on concrete properties: A review. Construction and Building Materials, 397, 132430.
[10] . Saikia, N., & de Brito, J. (2012). Use of plastic waste as aggregate in cement and concrete: A review. Construction and Building Materials, *34*, 385-401.
[11] Gu, L., & Ozbakkaloglu, T. (2016). Use of recycled plastics in concrete: A critical review. Waste Management, *51*, 19-42.
[12] Şimşek, B., & Uygunoğlu, T. (2016). Multi-response optimization of polymer blended concrete: A TOPSIS based Taguchi application. Construction and Building Materials, *117*, 251-262.
[13] Akçaözoğlu, S., Atiş, C. D., & Akçaözoğlu, K. (2010). An investigation on the use of shredded waste PET bottles as aggregate in lightweight concrete. Waste Management, *30*(2), 285-290.
[14] Malhotra, V. M., & Mehta, P. K. (1996). Pozzolanic and cementitious materials. Gordon and Breach Publishers.
[15] Berry, E. E., & Malhotra, V. M. (1980). Fly ash for use in concrete – A critical review. Journal of the American Concrete Institute, *77*(2), 59-73.
[16] Şimşek, O., & Erdoğan, T. Y. (2004). Uçucu külün beton özelliklerine etkisi. Gazi Üniversitesi Mühendislik Mimarlık Fakültesi Dergisi, *19*(3), 245-253.
[17] Bentz, D. P., & Stutzman, P. E. (2006). Curing, hydration, and microstructure of cement paste. ACI Materials Journal, *103*(5), 348-356.
[18] Taguchi, G., Chowdhury, S., & Wu, Y. (2005). Taguchi’s quality engineering handbook. John Wiley & Sons.
[19] Phadke, M. S. (1989). Quality engineering using robust design. Prentice Hall.
[20] Saltan, F., Uğur, M., Günay, A., Karakurt, M. N., Turan, F., Özdoğan, M., & Güleryüz, Ş. (2026). Sustainable valorization of recycled cellulose fibers into boric acid/silica modified cementitious composites via multi-response optimization. RSC advances.
[21] Frigione, M. (2010). Recycling of PET bottles as fine aggregate in concrete. Waste Management, *30*(6), 1101-1106.
[22] Siddique, R. (2004). Performance characteristics of high-volume Class F fly ash concrete. Cement and Concrete Research, *34*(3), 487-493.
[23] Montgomery, D. C. (2017). Design and analysis of experiments (9th ed.). John Wiley & Sons.
[24] Asadi, I., Shafigh, P., Hassan, Z. F. A., & Mahyuddin, N. B. (2018). Thermal conductivity of concrete: A review. Journal of Building Engineering, *20*, 81-93.
