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Abstract Concrete’s widespread use in construction is increasing due to urbanization and population growth. While it offers durability and strength, its production poses environmental challenges. Researchers and global initiatives are working towards more sustainable concrete production methods and effective waste management, particularly for paper waste (WPA) and polyethylene terephthalate waste (PET). This study aims to investigate the effects of waste paper aggregate (WPA) on the flow time, compressive strength, flexural strength, and thermal conductivity of mortars. Furthermore, it explores the potential of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) to enhance the compressive and flexural strengths of these mortars. To conduct this study, the materials were characterized using EDX spectroscopy and SEM analysis. Gwyddion software was employed to conduct a comprehensive analysis of the grain segmentation and microstructural characteristics of the WPA mortars. Subsequently, four distinct mixtures were selected for further investigation. The first mixture involved substituting sand with various percentages of waste paper aggregate (WPA) (1–4%) without PET. The second mixture included WPA (1–4%) and 5% PET. Due to the ineffective plasticizer in the first two mixtures, the third mixture replaced 20% of quarry sand with dune sand (DS) while maintaining the same percentages of WPA and PET as in the previous mixtures. The results indicate that mortars RM1 (0% WPA + 0% PET) and RM2 (0% WPA + 0% PET + 20% DS) demonstrated the best flow time. This suggests that incorporating WPA and PET into the mortar mix can negatively impact its workability, making it more challenging to handle, shape, and apply. Sample PW4, composed of 4% WPA and 0% PET, displayed a significant increase in compressive strength from 46.36 MPa to 49.81 MPa and flexural strength from 10.5 MPa to 11.47 MPa, indicating that incorporating WPA into the mortars can enhance resistance to both compressive and flexural strengths. This same mixture, PW4, demonstrated that the mortars are poor conductors of heat and would be more effective as thermal insulators. Grain segmentation of WPA mortars using Gwyddion software revealed that shorter WPA fibers tend to align with the width, while longer WPA fibers tend to align with the length of the section. |
