An Examination of the Mechanical Performance of Eco-Friendly Concrete Incorporating Recycled PET and Tire Steel Fibers
Received: 12 November 2025 | Revised: 13 December 2025, 2 January 2026, and 7 January 2026 | Accepted: 9 January 2026 | Online: 4 April 2026
Corresponding author: Shireen H. Hassan
Abstract
The increasing demand for sustainable construction has prompted investigations into the use of recycled materials in concrete production. This research examines the mechanical performance of eco-friendly concrete reinforced with fibers derived from post-consumer waste, including Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET) fibers from plastic bottles and recovered steel fibers from scrap tires. Polypropylene (PP) fibers and industrial micro straight steel fibers were used for comparison to evaluate the performance of recycled fibers. The research aimed to assess the viability of recycled Fiber-Reinforced Concrete (FRC) as a sustainable alternative that reduces waste and conserves natural resources. Experimental mixes were designed with two fiber volume fractions of 0.5% and 1%, for both recycled and industrial fibers. Standardized procedures were utilized for testing fresh properties (workability) and mechanical properties (compressive strength, splitting tensile strength, and flexural strength). Relative to the reference mix (normal concrete), the results revealed that the use of recycled fibers significantly improved most mechanical properties. Tire steel fibers at 1% volume fraction achieved the highest improvements, with a 42% increase in compressive strength and 77% increase in splitting tensile strength, outperforming recycled PET fibers by 22.6% and 19.4%, respectively. Additionally, incorporating tire steel fibers at a 1% volume fraction improved flexural strength by 43.8%. Recycled PET fibers and PP fibers augmented compressive and splitting tensile strengths but reduced flexural strength by 27% and 18.8%, respectively. The results indicated that recycled fibers could efficiently reinforce concrete and provide an eco-friendly alternative to conventional fibers. By reducing environmental impact, decreasing reliance on natural resources, and diverting waste from landfills, these approaches encourage sustainable construction.
Keywords:
eco-friendly concrete, recycled tire steel fibers, recycled polyethylene terephthalate fibers, fiber-reinforced concrete, fiber volume fractionDownloads
References
T. F. Awolusi, O. L. Oke, O. D. Atoyebi, O. O. Akinkurolere, and A. O. Sojobi, "Waste tires steel fiber in concrete: a review," Innovative Infrastructure Solutions, vol. 6, no. 1, p. 34, Nov. 2020. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s41062-020-00393-w
L. Gao, A. Adesina, and S. Das, "Properties of eco-friendly basalt fibre reinforced concrete designed by Taguchi method," Construction and Building Materials, vol. 302, Oct. 2021, Art. no. 124161. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2021.124161
M. A. El-Wafa, "Investigating Fiber Reinforcement Solutions for Environmentally Sustainable and Technologically," World Journal of Advanced Engineering Technology and Sciences, vol. 11, no. 2, pp. 44–49, 2024. DOI: https://doi.org/10.30574/wjaets.2024.11.2.0089
L. Sh. Rasheed, A. M. Shaban, and A. T. Abdulrasool, "Mechanical and Structural Characteristics of PET Fiber Reinforced Concrete Plates," Smart Science, vol. 10, no. 3, pp. 198–212, July 2022. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/23080477.2021.1997136
R. Prakash, S. N. Raman, C. Subramanian, and N. Divyah, "Eco-friendly fiber-reinforced concretes," in Handbook of Sustainable Concrete and Industrial Waste Management, F. Colangelo, R. Cioffi, I. Farina, Ed., Woodhead Publishing, 2022, pp. 109–145. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-821730-6.00031-0
T. Jassam, L. Rong Ying, L. Ri Teng, C. Jia Hao, H. Allujami, and M. Laissy, "Producing eco-friendly concrete using various recycled materials for sustainable construction," European Journal of Environmental and Civil Engineering, vol. 29, no. 14, pp. 3145–3180, 2025. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/19648189.2025.2512844
M. A. Keerio, M. T. Lakhiar, and S. Sohu, "Comparative Study on Flexural Performance of Foamed Concrete Beam Containing Plastic Fibres," International Journal of Sustainable Construction Engineering and Technology, vol. 10, no. 1, 2019. DOI: https://doi.org/10.30880/ijscet.2019.10.01.001
A. I. Al-Hadithi and M. A. Abbas, "Innovative technique of using carbon fibre reinforced polymer strips for shear reinforcement of reinforced concrete beams with waste plastic fibres," European Journal of Environmental and Civil Engineering, vol. 25, no. 3, pp. 516–537, 2021. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/19648189.2018.1532820
I. Kilic and S. G. Gok, "Strength and durability of roller compacted concrete with different types and addition rates of polypropylene fibers," Journal of Construction, vol. 20, no. 2, pp. 205–214, 2021. DOI: https://doi.org/10.7764/RDLC.20.2.205
E. Najaf, M. Orouji, and S. M. Zahrai, "Improving nonlinear behavior and tensile and compressive strengths of sustainable lightweight concrete using waste glass powder, nanosilica, and recycled polypropylene fiber," Nonlinear Engineering, vol. 11, no. 1, pp. 58–70, Mar. 2022. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1515/nleng-2022-0008
G. Centonze, M. Leone, and M. A. Aiello, "Steel fibers from waste tires as reinforcement in concrete: A mechanical characterization," Construction and Building Materials, vol. 36, pp. 46–57, Nov. 2012. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2012.04.088
M. A. Köroglu and A. Ashour, "Mechanical properties of self-compacting concrete with recycled bead wires," Journal of Construction, vol. 18, no. 3, pp. 501–512, 2019. DOI: https://doi.org/10.7764/RDLC.18.3.501
S. G. Gok and O. Sengul, "Enhancing Mechanical Properties of Alkali-Activated Slag SIFCON for Sustainable Construction Using Recycled Glass and Tire-Derived Waste Steel Fibers," International Journal of Concrete Structures and Materials, vol. 18, Dec. 2024, Art. no. 89. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/s40069-024-00724-6
N. Hidaya, R. N. Mutuku, and J. N. Mwero, "Physical and Mechanical Experimental Investigation of Concrete incorporated with Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET) Fibers," European International Journal of Science and Technology, vol. 6, no. 8, pp. 31–41, Nov. 2017.
M. K. Askar, Y. S. S. Al-Kamaki, and A. Hassan, "Utilizing Polyethylene Terephthalate PET in Concrete: A Review," Polymers, vol. 15, no. 15, 2023, Art. no. 3320. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/polym15153320
F. Fraternali, S. Spadea, and V. P. Berardi, "Effects of recycled PET fibres on the mechanical properties and seawater curing of Portland cement-based concretes," Construction and Building Materials, vol. 61, pp. 293–302, June 2014. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2014.03.019
L. Sh. Rasheed, W. S. Alyhya, and S. K. Kadhim, "Utilising PET Bottle Fibers in the production of Concrete," Journal of Physics: Conference Series, vol. 1973, 2021, Art. no. 012210. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1088/1742-6596/1973/1/012210
A. J. Alsaad, W. S. Alyhya, and M. S. Radhi, "A Novel Approach in the Utilization of Waste Plastic with Enhanced Surfaces as Fine Aggregates in Concrete Production," Engineering, Technology & Applied Science Research, vol. 15, no. 4, pp. 24486–24492, Aug. 2025. DOI: https://doi.org/10.48084/etasr.11361
Iraqi standard specifications for Portland Cement, IQS No. 5, 2019.
Aggregate from Natural Sources for Concrete and Construction, IQS No. 45, 1984.
Water used in Concrete, IQS No.1703, 2018.
Sika, Sika® ViscoCrete®-905, 2022.
Standard Test Method for Slump of Hydraulic-Cement Concrete, ASTM C143/C143, ASTM International, 2020.
K. Xu, J. Yang, H. He, J. Wei, and Y. Zhu, "Influences of Additives on the Rheological Properties of Cement Composites: A Review of Material Impacts," Materials, vol. 18, no. 8, Apr. 2025. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/ma18081753
A. M. Khan, A. Elahi, R. M. Waqas, M. S. Kırgız, N. Nagaprasad, and K. Ramaswamy, "Influence of bentonite, silica fume, and polypropylene fibers on green concrete for pavement and structural durability," Scientific Reports, vol. 15, no. 1, Aug. 2025, Art. no. 29567. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-13313-8
Compressive strength test of hardend concrete, B. E. 12390-3, 2019.
M. Mastali, A. Dalvand, A. R. Sattarifard, and M. Illikainen, "Development of eco-efficient and cost-effective reinforced self-consolidation concretes with hybrid industrial/recycled steel fibers," Construction and Building Materials, vol. 166, pp. 214–226, Mar. 2018. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2018.01.147
M. M. Al Rifai, K. S. Sikora, and M. N. S. Hadi, "Effect of micro steel fibers volume fraction on behavior of high-strength self-compacting concrete," Construction and Building Materials, vol. 450, Nov. 2024, Art. no. 138709. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2024.138709
A. I. A.- Hadithi and M. A. Abbas, "The Effects of adding Waste Plastic Fibers on the Mechanical Properties and Shear Strength of Reinforced Concrete Beams," Iraqi Journal of Civil Engineering, vol. 12, no. 1, pp. 110–124, 2018. DOI: https://doi.org/10.37650/ijce.2018.142480
Standard Test Method for Splitting Tensile Strength of Cylindrical Concrete Specimens, ASTM C496/C496M, ASTM International, 2017.
S. A. Rossli and I. S. Ibrahim, "Mechanical properties of recycled steel tire fibres in concrete," Faculty of Civil Engineering, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, Johor, Malaysia, 2012.
Standard Test Method for Flexural Strength of Concrete (Using Simple Beam with Center-Point Loading), ASTM C293/C293M, ASTM International, 2021.
M. Mastali, A. Dalvand, A. R. Sattarifard, Z. Abdollahnejad, and M. Illikainen, "Characterization and optimization of hardened properties of self-consolidating concrete incorporating recycled steel, industrial steel, polypropylene and hybrid fibers," Composites Part B: Engineering, vol. 151, pp. 186–200, Oct. 2018. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compositesb.2018.06.021
T. M. Pham, "Fibre-reinforced concrete: State-of-the-art-review on bridging mechanism, mechanical properties, durability, and eco-economic analysis," Case Studies in Construction Materials, vol. 22, July 2025, Art. no. e04574. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cscm.2025.e04574
M. Nili and V. Afroughsabet, "The effects of silica fume and polypropylene fibers on the impact resistance and mechanical properties of concrete," Construction and Building Materials, vol. 24, no. 6, pp. 927–933, June 2010. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2009.11.025
Downloads
How to Cite
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Shireen H. Hassan, Laith Sh. Rasheed, Aymen J. Alsaad
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:
- Authors retain the copyright and grant the journal the right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) after its publication in ETASR with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.
