Partial and full replacement of silica sand by fine recycled glass in cementitious composites

Abstract EN

One of the major concerns currently and within the close future is the adequate management and efficient reuse and recycling of wastes, which reduces the natural sources and energy consumption.

Millions of tons of waste glass are discharged around the world annually.

One of the successful policies of the recycling of waste glass is the use in the construction industry where it can be used as aggregate or cement replacement.

In the current study, fine recycled glass with granular size of 0.075 to 0.3 mm was used as silica sand replacement in cementitious composites incorporated fly ash and no coarse aggregate.

Cube and prism specimens were prepared with four replacement ratios of 0, 25, 50, and 100% to evaluate the compressive strength, the modulus of rupture, and the expansion.

The test results showed that 50% and 100% replacements of silica sand by fine glass enhanced both the compressive strength and the modulus of rupture.

For mixtures with 100% fine recycle glass, the compressive strength and the modulus of rupture increased by 25% and 33.6%, respectively, compared to mixtures with 100% silica sand.

Moreover, the expansion was found to be reduced by approximately 30% as the silica sand was fully replaced by fine glass