Turning waste expanded polystyrene into lightweight aggregate: Towards sustainable construction industry

With the limited supply of energies that we can extract or mine from the earth, low energy consumption building is indeed a demand for the present situation with the use of sustainable building materials. Owing to the frequent use of EPS in the packaging industry, the versatile use of non-biodegradable EPS contributes to increasing global waste generation. In this regard, the utilization of recycled EPS in concrete production can be a sustainable approach to manage embodied energy. EPS is a very lightweight thermal insulating material and is primarily used to prepare lightweight concrete and thermal insulation products in the construction sector. Currently, EPS-based cementitious composites are used in many building structures due to their excellent durability, thermal performance, and sustainability benefits. Several extensive studies have been carried out over a few years to maximize the hardened and durability properties of EPS concrete. With a number of building materials emerging, there is a lack of in-depth review studies on the performance of EPS aggregate concrete. The study underlines the influence of the addition of EPS to lightweight concrete in terms of mechanical, durability, and thermal insulation properties. The main contribution of this article lies in the exploration of subsequent additives, for the production of modified EPS to improve the performance of concrete. Further, the review is expected to provide substantial knowledge on the potential use of EPS, to promote sustainability in the construction sector.