Technical, Economic and Perception-Based Assessment of Plastic Paver Blocks as an Alternative to Concrete Pavers

Technical, Economic and Perception-Based Assessment of Plastic Paver Blocks as an Alternative to Concrete Pavers | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article Technical, Economic and Perception-Based Assessment of Plastic Paver Blocks as an Alternative to Concrete Pavers Gokarna Awasthi, Kaushal Kumar, Ashok Kumar Nadda, MD. Mujebur Khan Rain, and 1 more This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-8893281/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Managing plastic waste while reducing the environmental impact of cement-based pavements is a major challenge in sustainable infrastructure development. Conventional concrete pavements consume large quantities of cement, contributing significantly to carbon emissions. Therefore, alternative and eco-friendly paving materials are required. This study investigates the feasibility of plastic paver blocks as a substitute for conventional concrete paver blocks, considering their mechanical performance, durability, cost effectiveness, and market acceptance. Two types of paver blocks were manufactured: plastic paver blocks composed of 40% waste plastic and 60% sand, and conventional concrete paver blocks using M30 grade concrete. A total of 20 specimens of each type were prepared and tested in accordance with IS 15658:2006. The tests included compressive strength, flexural strength, water absorption, and abrasion resistance. The plastic paver blocks achieved an average compressive strength of 40.40 N/mm², satisfying the requirements of M40 grade, while concrete pavers recorded a higher average value of 48.64 N/mm². Flexural strength values were 6.22 N/mm² for plastic pavers and 7.09 N/mm² for concrete pavers. Plastic paver blocks exhibited significantly lower water absorption (0.21%) compared to concrete pavers (4.13%), indicating superior resistance to moisture. Abrasion loss was also lower for plastic pavers (0.80 mm) than for concrete pavers (2.16 mm). Both paver types met the codal requirements. Cost analysis revealed that plastic paver blocks are approximately 23.7% cheaper than concrete pavers. A perception survey of 157 construction professionals in Jhapa District, Nepal, showed good awareness and positive acceptance; however, limited availability and lack of regulatory support remain key challenges. Plastic paver blocks concrete pavers waste plastic utilization IS 15658:2006 sustainable pavements abrasion resistance water absorption Full Text Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. 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Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-8893281","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Research Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":608022373,"identity":"c07b5d14-54e7-48f8-9f2e-0427df41d437","order_by":0,"name":"Gokarna Awasthi","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Jaypee University of Information Technology","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Gokarna","middleName":"","lastName":"Awasthi","suffix":""},{"id":608022375,"identity":"c05437a8-9697-4cc3-8568-b5dffd122f88","order_by":1,"name":"Kaushal Kumar","email":"data:image/png;base64,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","orcid":"","institution":"Jaypee University of Information Technology","correspondingAuthor":true,"prefix":"","firstName":"Kaushal","middleName":"","lastName":"Kumar","suffix":""},{"id":608022382,"identity":"7cca348f-20a5-4c12-90c1-5420a0c4c3af","order_by":2,"name":"Ashok Kumar Nadda","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Jaypee University of Information Technology","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Ashok","middleName":"Kumar","lastName":"Nadda","suffix":""},{"id":608022392,"identity":"d00f7bd4-c1de-4561-b41f-769f5a2019b7","order_by":3,"name":"MD. 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Conventional concrete pavements consume large quantities of cement, contributing significantly to carbon emissions. Therefore, alternative and eco-friendly paving materials are required. This study investigates the feasibility of plastic paver blocks as a substitute for conventional concrete paver blocks, considering their mechanical performance, durability, cost effectiveness, and market acceptance.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eTwo types of paver blocks were manufactured: plastic paver blocks composed of 40% waste plastic and 60% sand, and conventional concrete paver blocks using M30 grade concrete. A total of 20 specimens of each type were prepared and tested in accordance with IS 15658:2006. The tests included compressive strength, flexural strength, water absorption, and abrasion resistance.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe plastic paver blocks achieved an average compressive strength of 40.40 N/mm\u0026sup2;, satisfying the requirements of M40 grade, while concrete pavers recorded a higher average value of 48.64 N/mm\u0026sup2;. Flexural strength values were 6.22 N/mm\u0026sup2; for plastic pavers and 7.09 N/mm\u0026sup2; for concrete pavers. Plastic paver blocks exhibited significantly lower water absorption (0.21%) compared to concrete pavers (4.13%), indicating superior resistance to moisture. Abrasion loss was also lower for plastic pavers (0.80 mm) than for concrete pavers (2.16 mm). Both paver types met the codal requirements.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eCost analysis revealed that plastic paver blocks are approximately 23.7% cheaper than concrete pavers. A perception survey of 157 construction professionals in Jhapa District, Nepal, showed good awareness and positive acceptance; however, limited availability and lack of regulatory support remain key challenges.\u003c/p\u003e","manuscriptTitle":"Technical, Economic and Perception-Based Assessment of Plastic Paver Blocks as an Alternative to Concrete Pavers","msid":"","msnumber":"","nonDraftVersions":[{"code":1,"date":"2026-03-20 15:29:32","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-8893281/v1","editorialEvents":[{"type":"communityComments","content":0}],"status":"published","journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"researchsquare","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"externalIdentity":"","sideBox":"","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"/submission","title":"Research Square","twitterHandle":"researchsquare","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"","reportingPortfolio":"","inReviewEnabled":false,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true}}],"origin":"","ownerIdentity":"cd2e118a-9d83-4528-8dec-3b9b41f9b926","owner":[],"postedDate":"March 20th, 2026","published":true,"recentEditorialEvents":[],"rejectedJournal":[],"revision":"","amendment":"","status":"posted","subjectAreas":[],"tags":[],"updatedAt":"2026-04-03T18:10:07+00:00","versionOfRecord":[],"versionCreatedAt":"2026-03-20 15:29:32","video":"","vorDoi":"","vorDoiUrl":"","workflowStages":[]},"version":"v1","identity":"rs-8893281","journalConfig":"researchsquare"},"__N_SSP":true},"page":"/article/[identity]/[[...version]]","query":{"redirect":"/article/rs-8893281","identity":"rs-8893281","version":["v1"]},"buildId":"XKTyCvWXoU3ODBz1xrDgd","isFallback":false,"isExperimentalCompile":false,"dynamicIds":[84888],"gssp":true,"scriptLoader":[]}