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Case Studies in Construction Materials
Elsevier
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| Abstract: |
Innovations in building materials and waste management are well-connected when fibers from
medical waste are used to make sustainable concrete. This approach reveals the possibilities of
converting hazardous medical waste into functional, high-performance building elements. Two
advantages it offers are less landfill trash and ecologically friendly infrastructure development. In
the present work, an experimental study on creative ideas was presented to generate sustainable
concrete from medical waste. Using fibers derived from medical waste materials, including face
masks (FM), radiology sheets (RS), cannula hoses (CH), and latex gloves (LG) added at 1 %, 2 %,
and 3 % by volume of concrete, and the study assessed the effects of fiber content and type and
elevated temperature on the behavior of sustainable concrete. Tensile strength, compressive
strength, flexural strength, ultrasonic pulse velocity (UPV), scanning electron microscopy (SEM),
and energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) were tested mechanically and microstructure-wise.
After 180 days, adding RS fibers by 2 % raised compressive strength by up to 122.24 % above
the control mix. Though to minor degrees, other fibers, including FM, LG, and CH, also enhance
compressive strength. Tensile strength was raised by RS fibers by 78.10 %; FM, LG, and CH by
37.55 %, 58.05 %, and 47.36 %, respectively. With RS fibers, flexural strength rose 61.75 %.
Under thermal stress, scanning SEM and EDS data verified RS fiber reduced voids and improved
crack resistance.
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