Application of waste glass powder in cemenitious grouts

Application of waste glass powder in cemenitious grouts

Every year, a significant volume of waste glass, amounting to millions of tons, is generated globally. Once glass becomes waste, it is commonly disposed of in landfills, posing sustainability challenges as it does not decompose in the natural environment. Glass is primarily composed of silica. Utilizing milled (ground) waste glass, as a partial substitute for cementitious grouts, represents a crucial stride in the advancement of sustainable infrastructure systems that are environmentally friendly, energy-efficient, and cost-effective. When waste glass is ground into micro-sized particles, it is anticipated to engage in pozzolanic reactions with cement hydrates. This interaction is poised to enhance the overall performance and durability of the resulting cementitious structures. In this study, flow and compressive strength tests on grout were conducted by introducing 0–5% ground glass with particle sizes< 75μm and 300-425μm, while maintaining a uniform water-to-binder ratio across all replacement levels. The incremental addition of glass led to a marginal reduction in the overall flow of the grout, possibly owing to the angular and irregular shapes of glass powder particles. Compressive strength was assessed using cube samples cured for 7 and 28 days, revealing that the inclusion of recycled glass powder resulted in diminished strength compared to the control samples. This phenomenon can be attributed to the surplus waste glass powder, which, having not participated in the pozzolanic reaction, functions as an inert filler, consequently diminishing the mechanical properties of the matrix.

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