Lopes Lucas, Dauari Harish, Mendonça Paulo, Almeida Manuela
Department of Civil Engineering, Institute for Sustainability and Innovation in Structural Engineering (ISISE), Advanced Production and Intelligent Systems (ARISE), University of Minho, 4800-058 Guimarães, Portugal.
Laboratory of Landscapes, Heritage and Territory (Lab2PT), School of Architecture, Art and Design, University of Minho, 4800-058 Guimarães, Portugal.
Polymers (Basel). 2025 Jun 21;17(13):1729. doi: 10.3390/polym17131729.
Marine plastic pollution represents a critical environmental challenge, with millions of tons of plastic waste entering the oceans annually and threatening ecosystems, biodiversity, and human health. This systematic review evaluates the current state of the art in recycling and reusing marine plastic waste within the architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC) sectors, following the PRISMA methodology. Sixty-six peer-reviewed articles published between 2015 and 2025 were analysed, focusing on the integration of plastic waste. The review identifies mechanical recycling as the predominant method, involving washing and shredding plastics into fibres or flakes for use in cementitious composites, asphalt modifiers, bricks, panels, and insulation. Results indicate that recycled plastics, such as PET, HDPE, and PP, can enhance thermal insulation, water resistance, and flexural strength in non-structural applications. However, challenges persist regarding compressive strength, fibre dispersion, and chemical compatibility with cementitious matrices. Although the reuse of marine plastics supports circular economy goals by diverting waste from oceans and landfills, significant gaps remain in long-term durability, microplastic release, end-of-life recyclability, and comprehensive environmental assessments. The findings underscore the need for further research on the broader adoption of life cycle analysis, as well as long-term durability and environmental contamination analyses.
海洋塑料污染是一项严峻的环境挑战，每年有数百万吨塑料垃圾进入海洋，威胁着生态系统、生物多样性和人类健康。本系统综述按照PRISMA方法，评估了建筑、工程和施工（AEC）领域中海洋塑料垃圾回收和再利用的当前技术水平。分析了2015年至2025年间发表的66篇同行评议文章，重点关注塑料垃圾的整合。该综述确定机械回收是主要方法，包括将塑料清洗并粉碎成纤维或薄片，用于水泥基复合材料、沥青改性剂、砖块、面板和绝缘材料。结果表明，回收塑料，如PET、HDPE和PP，可提高非结构应用中的隔热性、耐水性和抗弯强度。然而，在抗压强度、纤维分散以及与水泥基体的化学相容性方面仍存在挑战。尽管海洋塑料的再利用通过将垃圾从海洋和垃圾填埋场转移，支持了循环经济目标，但在长期耐久性、微塑料释放、使用寿命结束时的可回收性以及全面的环境评估方面仍存在重大差距。研究结果强调需要进一步研究更广泛地采用生命周期分析，以及长期耐久性和环境污染分析。
