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April 14, 2004
A Colorful Solution to Paint Recycling
A Colorful Solution to Paint Recycling
Austin Minor, 12, Lee's Summit, Mo.
Finalist, Discovery Channel Young Scientist Challenge, 2003
Project background: While watching his dad repair the garage floor with latex concrete patch, Bryce asked what the difference was between latex concrete and ordinary concrete. His father said it bonded better to the original concrete and was supposed to be stronger. Austin wondered if the latex in the concrete patch was the same as that found in paint. He decided to test whether adding leftover paint to concrete would make it more durable and would increase the compression strength of masonry mortar. This would not only improve the cement but also eliminate the hazardous waste problem of paint in landfills.
Tactics and results: Austin created three test mixes. The first served as a control and had the proper mix of 1500 milliliters of masonry cement and 350 milliliters of water. In the second mix, he substituted latex paint for 75 milliliters of the water, and, in the third mix, he substituted paint for 125 milliliters of the water. Each of the mixes was poured into round cardboard forms to create "concrete hockey pucks." Austin allowed the pucks to cure and harden for 21 days and then tested them for compression strength using a hydraulic tester.
Austin found that the compression strength of masonry mortar increased when latex paint was substituted for some of the water.
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