Recycled polycarbonate from electronic waste and its use in concrete: Effect of irradiation Ana Laura De la Colina Martínez a,⇑ , Gonzalo Martínez Barrera b , Carlos Eduardo Barrera Díaz c , Liliana Ivette Ávila Córdoba d , Fernando Ureña Núñez e , David Joaquín Delgado Hernández f a Posgrado en Ciencia de Materiales, Facultad de Química, Universidad Autónoma del Estado de México, Paseo Colón esquina Paseo Tollocan S/N, 50180 Toluca, México b Laboratorio de Investigación y Desarrollo de Materiales Avanzados (LIDMA), Facultad de Química, Universidad Autónoma del Estado de México, Km. 12 de la Carretera Toluca-Atlacomulco, 50200 San Cayetano, México c Centro Conjunto de Investigación en Química Sustentable UAEM-UNAM, Universidad Autónoma del Estado de México Campus El Rosedal, Autopista Ixtlahuaca-Atlacomulco, Km 14.5, 50200 San Cayetano, México d Facultad de Ingeniería, Universidad Autónoma del Estado de México, Avenida Universidad S/N, Cerro de Coatepec, Ciudad Universitaria, 50110 Toluca, México e Instituto Nacional de Investigaciones Nucleares, Carretera México-Toluca S/N, 52750 La Marquesa Ocoyoacac, México f Facultad de Ingeniería, Universidad Autónoma del Estado de México, UAEM, Avenida Universidad S/N, Cerro de Coatepec, Ciudad Universitaria, 50110 Toluca, México highlights  Cement concrete with recycled polycarbonate from electronic waste was elaborated.  Gamma-irradiated recycled polycarbonate improve compressive strength of concrete.  Polycarbonate concentration increments provoke diminution of concrete densities.  Due to irradiation process, polycarbonate particles become textured and less plastic. article info Article history: Received 15 October 2018 Received in revised form 18 December 2018 Accepted 21 December 2018 Keywords: Polycarbonate Recycling Electronic waste Gamma radiation Cement concrete Compressive strength abstract Attending the environmental problems caused by polycarbonate, generated by electronic waste, in this work physical and chemical characterization of gamma-irradiated particles of recycled polycarbonate from electronic waste was made by: X-ray diffraction, energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), scanning electron microscope (SEM) and digital photography. Cement concrete was elaborated with Portland cement, aggregates, water and gamma-irradiated polycarbonate. The effects of size, concentration and gamma irradiation doses of polycarbonate particles, on the mechanical properties of concrete, were stud- ied. Results show improvement on the compressive strength (up to 12%). The increments in irradiated recycled polycarbonate concentrations provoke diminution of densities and due to irradiation process, polycarbonate particles become textured and brittles. Ó 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. 1. Introduction Polycarbonate (PC) is a high-performance thermoplastic that offers a combination of favorable properties such as transparency, high impact resistance, and easy molding. Polycarbonate market include mainly automotive, construction and electronics. The Glo- bal demand for polycarbonate grew almost 5% during the past five years, reaching around 4.5 million metric tons by the end of 2016 [1]. The market is expected to register a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 5.46% during the forecast period from 2018 to 2023. The electrical and electronics segment dominates the global poly- carbonate market with an approximate 47% global market share [2]. The rapid development in the electrical/electronic technology, combined with a short life cycle and a variety of uses, has resulted in a continuous increase of ‘‘electronic-waste” [3]. The major pro- ducer of e-waste in Latin America is Mexico, with one million tons per year. Moreover, in Mexico, 70% of the solid urban waste, included polycarbonate, is accumulated in controlled sites, how- ever, less than 35% comply with environmental regulations [4]. Polycarbonate waste recycling involves two different kinds of processes: 1) Mechanical processing where polycarbonate is pel- https://doi.org/10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2018.12.147 0950-0618/Ó 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. ⇑ Corresponding author. E-mail address: imagina_arte@yahoo.com.mx (A.L. De la Colina Martínez). Construction and Building Materials 201 (2019) 778–785 Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Construction and Building Materials journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/conbuildmat