Physical and Mechanical Properties of Dune Sand Mortar Reinforced with Recycled Pet Fiber: An Experimental Study

Polyethylene terephthalate is a synthetic material known as PET. PET strapping bands is a material commonly used in all industries for packaging and bundling. The excessive use of this material has led to the pollution of the urban environment, which necessitated the search for effective solutions to dispose of this waste. The treatment and reuse of these materials is among the best solutions that contribute to reducing environmental pollution on the one hand and enabling the obtaining of economical products on the other hand.

The main purpose of this experimental study is to valorize dune sand mortar and PET waste in the manufacture of cement mortar. It also aims to investigate the impact of the inclusion of recycled PET fibers on the physical and mechanical properties of the reinforced mortar. The study was carried out in several phases; after a physical and chemical characterization of the materials used, a method for the composition of mixtures was proposed, which is based on the progressive substitution of dune sand by recycled PET fibers. The quantity of cement added to each mixture is fixed at 450 g, and that of dune sand and fibers is taken as equal to 1350 g. In order to properly examine the influence of the incorporation of fibers on the properties of the reinforced mortar, the substitution rate of dune sand by the fibers varied from 0% to 2.5% with a step of 0.5%. For each mixture, many characteristics of the mortar were tested, such as consistency, bulk density, compressive strength, and flexural strength. The results obtained show that the incorporation of PET fibers has a significant effect on the fresh and hardened properties of the treated mortar.