Use of Alternative Binder: Influence of Latex Content on Physical and Mechanical Properties of Laterite Stabilized with Raw Rubber Latex

Raw rubber Latex contents, from 0% to 30% were used to stabilize lateritic samples to provide an alternative to cement stabilization. These samples were submitted to physical tests (water resistance test, absorption test) and mechanical tests (dry compressive strength test). The results indicate that samples made of latex content less than 15% dissolve completely into water. So it was impossible to make sample with these contents. Samples with 15% of raw rubber content or more are steady after water resistance test. The absorption rate of these samples decreases as the latex content increases. It goes from 14.45% for the samples at 15% to 5.87% for those at 30%. Therefore, the compressive strength test indicates that the resistance increases from 0.37 MPa for samples without latex to 3.15 MPa for those at 30% of latex content. Also, the rheological study shows that the samples pass from a brittle behaviour to a plastic behaviour when the latex content increases. The behaviour of the sample according to these different tests shows that this material can be used in several activity areas, such as construction, road building and sports area.

Development of a Composite Material Based on Wood Waste Stabilized with Recycled Expanded Polystyrene

Environmental pollution is a whole world concern. One of the causes of that pollution is the proliferation of plastic waste. Among these wastes there is expanded polystyrene (EPS), mainly from packaging. This study aims to valorize EPS waste by developing a composite material from EPS waste and wood waste. For this purpose, a resin made of EPS has been elaborated by dissolving EPS in acetone. That resin was used as a binder in volume proportions of 15%, 20%, 25% and 30% to stabilize the samples. Some of them were thermoformed. The method of elaboration was based on a device consisting of an extruder for mixing the constituents, and a manual press for shaping and compacting the samples. Analyses show that the drying time depends on the composition of the mixture. Increasing the resin content leads to reduce water absorption and porosity of the samples;it also contributes to homogenize the internal structure of the samples. However, for the same resin contents, the thermoformed samples are less porous;they have more homogeneous internal structure;and absorb less water than non-thermoformed samples.