The effects of partially replacing cement by glass waste powder on concrete properties

Abstract

The cement production causes different types of pollution in addition to the high amount of energy needed for the manufacturing process, starting by the site extraction and ending by the factory production; at the same time millions of tons of glass waste are dumped yearly at landfills. This research verifies the possibility of partially replacing cement by glass waste powder (GWP) in new concrete mixes. For this purpose, two different concrete mixes having compressive strengths of 25 MPa and 32 MPa were made with 0%, 10%, 15%, 20% and 25% of GWP as a partial replacement of cement. The properties of fresh concrete mixes were determined by the slump, air content and flow table tests. Concerning the tests on hardened concrete, the compressive strength test was carried out on cylindrical specimens at 7, 14 and 28 days in addition to the water absorption and the tensile strength tests at 28 days. As a result, the partial replacement of cement by GWP showed no clear effect on the properties of the fresh concrete mixes. Whereas, 10% GWP in 25MPa concrete mix gave higher compressive and tensile strengths at 28 days and increased the moisture content; and 15% GWP in 32 MPa concrete mix gave the higher compressive strength at 28 days but decreased the tensile strength and the moisture content.