Prediction of the Mechanical Performance of High-Strength Concrete Containing Biomedical Polymeric Waste Obtained from Dialysis Treatment

Abstract

Since between 1.5 and 8 kg (400 kg/patient/year) of biomedical polymeric waste (BPW) is usually discarded by landfilling or combusting after each dialysis treatment, this study provides evidence for safe and environment-friendly utilisation of BPW, sourced from dialysis treatment and donated by the health and industrial partners, by incorporating it in high-strength concrete. Moreover, the paper aims to provide engineers, designers, and the construction industry with information regarding the mechanical performance of high-strength concrete containing BPW, and the susceptibility of the current international codes and standards on the prediction of the mechanical performance. A new concrete mix design incorporating BPW was proposed and verified by several trial mixes. Three Soft, Hard, and Hybrid BPW were added to the conventional high-strength concrete in different percentages ranging from 1.5% to 9% by weight of cement. Afterwards, the fresh and hardened concrete properties, namely slump, density, compressive strength, tensile strength, modulus of elasticity, and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), were investigated, and existing prediction models were employed to verify their suitability for the new concrete. Generally, adding Hybrid BPW resulted in better mechanical performance than soft or hard BPW addition, while eliminating the waste separation phase. The results also showed that the mechanical performance of BPW-containing concrete is predictable by current codes, addressing possible engineering design limitations. New higher accuracy regression-based models were also proposed to reach better engineering interpretations.