Argentina Researchers Develop Durable Eco-Friendly Bricks from PET Plastic Waste

Innovative Research Led by UNNE Experts

The project was spearheaded by architect Lucía Villalba, who began exploring PET-based construction materials during her undergraduate studies with support from the university’s General Secretariat of Science and Technology. Villalba, together with Dr. Herminia Alías of the Institute for Energy Efficiency Development in Architecture (IDEEA, FAU-UNNE) and engineer Pablo Martina from the Renewable Energy Group (GIDER, FI-UNNE), conducted a comprehensive study to assess the feasibility of transforming PET plastic waste into sustainable bricks for housing construction.

Their research included site visits to PET collection points in Resistencia, Chaco, and detailed analysis of PET properties and potential benefits in construction applications.

Plastic Waste Challenges in Argentina

Plastic pollution remains a pressing concern in Argentina. On average, each person generates 1.15 kg of urban solid waste per day, with nearly one ton of garbage produced every two seconds nationwide. PET recycling rates are low, with only 30% of plastic being recycled and the remainder persisting in the environment for over a century. In the Gran Resistencia Metropolitan Area (AMGR), home to over 385,000 residents, only 1.13% of generated plastic is effectively recycled.

PET Bricks: A Sustainable Construction Solution

The researchers manually crushed PET bottles into 5 mm pieces and created three brick prototypes with varying PET content:

• Prototype 1 (P1): 350 g cement + 700 g sand + 30 g PET (3%)
• Prototype 2 (P2): Same as P1, with 10% PET
• Prototype 3 (P3): Soil + 10% PET (no cement)

Structural tests revealed that P1 and P2 achieved compressive strengths of 8.60 MPa and 9.46 MPa, exceeding the 5 MPa typical of traditional ceramic bricks, demonstrating their suitability for load-bearing construction. The soil-based P3 had low strength (1.59 MPa) and was unsuitable for structural use.

Thermal conductivity measurements showed that bricks with 10% PET had slightly higher conductivity (1.032 W/mK) than ceramic bricks (0.81 W/mK). However, prior studies indicate that bricks with 50% PET can reach a thermal conductivity of 0.15 W/mK, making them highly effective insulators.

Future Development and Challenges

The team notes that the lack of industrial machinery limited the proportion of PET in their prototypes, although global precedents show PET content in bricks can exceed 30%. Moving forward, they plan to explore the use of other recycled plastics, test higher PET dosages, and develop modular construction elements adaptable to various building components.

This research represents a promising step toward environmentally sustainable construction in Argentina, simultaneously addressing the challenges of plastic waste management and housing development.

Source: FAU-UNNE, National University of the Northeast, Argentina