Developing fibre-reinforced cement paving blocks as a method of fiber waste disposal

Abstract

The textile waste generated by the Textile and Apparel industries globally amounts to millions of tons annually. To address this environmental challenge, incorporating textile waste fibers as reinforcement in cementbased composites offers a sustainable solution for waste disposal while simultaneously improving important properties of cement paving blocks, particularly in terms of compressive strength. This research involved an extensive experimental program focused on investigating the effectiveness of incorporating short random fibers (1-3 cm in length) of polyester waste fibers and recycled polyester waste fibers, at volume contents of 0.5%, 0.75%, and 1% by weight of the cement mixture, into cement paving block-reinforcement. Several mechanical and durability properties, including compressive strength, weight reduction, tensile splitting strength, and water absorption, were evaluated to determine the optimal fiber volume content as the key parameter and the best fiber for the reinforcement out of polyester waste fiber and recycled polyester waste fiber. A comparison of the results obtained from the polyester waste fiber and recycled polyester waste fiber reinforced cement paving blocks with conventional cement paving blocks revealed a significant improvement in compressive strength. Specifically, the results indicated that 0.75% fiber volume content in polyester waste fiber-reinforced cement paving blocks yielded the optimum outcomes.