Replacement of Fine Aggregate with Glass Powder in High Performance Concrete

Abstract

The utilization of glass powder (GP) in concrete production contributes to a more sustainable and environmentallyfriendly construction practice. In commercial establishments, damaged glass sheets and glass cuttings are often discarded as waste and sent to landfills, as recycling of such materials is not commonly practiced. Incorporating glass powder in concrete offers a promising approach for reducing waste disposal and promoting environmental conservation. This study investigates the feasibility of using glass powder as a partial replacement for fine aggregates in concrete. Natural sand was substituted with glass powder at varying proportions of 10%, 20%, and 30%. The compressive strength of concrete cubes was evaluated at curing ages of 3, 7, and 28 days, and the results were compared with those of conventional concrete made with natural sand

Introduction

1. Introduction

Concrete is the world’s most widely used construction material, composed of cement, water, and aggregates. Due to the overexploitation of river sand, there are growing environmental and economic concerns, including riverbed depletion and increased costs.

Meanwhile, waste glass, a non-biodegradable material, poses a serious disposal issue. However, since glass is rich in silica, it can potentially serve as a fine aggregate substitute or supplementary cementitious material in concrete.

The study aims to evaluate the feasibility of using finely ground waste glass powder (GP) as a partial replacement for natural sand, assessing its effect on compressive strength and sustainability. Concrete mixes were prepared with 10%, 20%, and 30% GP, tested at 3, 7, and 28 days to identify the optimum proportion.

2. Literature Review

• Byars et al. (1–3):
  Found that glass aggregates can trigger Alkali–Silica Reaction (ASR), reducing durability. However, using mineral admixtures like PFA or GGBS can mitigate ASR effects.

• Ankur Meena & Randheer Singh (4–6):
  Reported that smaller glass particles (below 100 µm) react better with lime, enhancing compressive strength. Finer particles also improved both early-age and long-term strength.

• Shilpa Raju & Dr. P. R. Kumar (7–10):
  Observed that glass powder below 75 µm shows pozzolanic activity, improving strength and reducing ASR. At 45 µm, glass powder acts effectively as a filler and cement substitute.

• Prof. Narayanan Neithalath (11–16):
  Conducted extensive research funded by New York State’s EIP program to utilize industrial glass waste from Potters Industries.
  Findings revealed that glass powder reacts with calcium hydroxide to form C–S–H compounds, enhancing strength and reducing porosity.
  His optimized mix proposed 20–70% glass powder replacement for cement, reducing costs and promoting sustainability.

3. Materials Used

• Cement: Ordinary Portland Cement (OPC 53 grade, IS 8112:2007) – chosen for high strength and quality.

• Fine Aggregate: Natural river sand conforming to IS 383:1970, primarily Zone II–III graded.

• Coarse Aggregate: Crushed stones (12.5–20 mm), washed and tested as per IS 383:1970.

• Glass Powder: Crushed soda-lime glass waste, ground to ~2.36 mm particle size with specific gravity 2.40 (close to sand’s 2.54). Its smooth texture enhances flowability but may reduce bonding at high replacement levels.

4. Methodology

• Mix design followed IS:10262-2019 and IS:456-2000, targeting M40 grade concrete with 0.38 water-cement ratio.

• Glass powder replaced fine aggregate at 0%, 5%, 10%, 15%, and 20% levels.

• Workability: Measured using the slump test (IS:1199-1959). Slump increased from 80 mm (control) to 110 mm (15% GP) due to smoother particles.

• Compressive Strength: Tested on 150 mm cubes (IS:516-1959) at 7 and 28 days.

5. Results and Discussion

A. Compressive Strength

• Optimum performance observed at 10% replacement, achieving:

  • 7-day strength: 28.90 MPa

  • 28-day strength: 42.75 MPa
    (~15–19% higher than control mix).

• Beyond 10%, strength decreased slightly due to brittleness and weak interfacial bonding.

B. Workability

• Flowability improved with increasing glass content up to 15%, attributed to the smooth surface and reduced friction of glass particles.

C. Microstructure & Hydration

• Fine glass particles enhanced packing density, promoted pozzolanic reaction, and increased formation of C–S–H gel, reducing voids and improving matrix densification.

D. Optimum Replacement

• 10% glass powder replacement yielded best balance between strength, workability, and durability.

• Higher percentages reduced strength but still performed better than control concrete.

Conclusion

The experimental investigation on the replacement of fine aggregate with glass powder has been successfully completed. The obtained results were analyzed and discussed in detail in the previous chapters. Based on the test outcomes for M50 grade concrete, the following conclusions are presented: A. General Conclusions 1) ?Glass powder has shown considerable potential to act as an alternative fine aggregate in concrete, especially where natural sand scarcity is a concern. 2) ?Concrete containing glass powder exhibits good strength, satisfactory performance, and reliable durability, making it a more sustainable option compared to conventional sand-based concrete. B. Specific Conclusions 1) A noticeable improvement was observed in the 28-day compressive strength of concrete incorporating glass powder. An increase of around 9% was recorded when compared with the standard control mix. 2) ?The cylinder strength results indicate an enhancement in durability characteristics. Approximately a 23% rise was achieved in the 28-day split tensile strength of glass powder concrete compared to standard concrete specimens. 3) ?A significant improvement in flexural strength was also achieved. The 28-day flexural strength exhibited an increase of nearly 74% in comparison with conventional concrete, indicating better resistance to cracking and bending.

References

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Copyright

Copyright © 2025 Suhel ., Dheeraj Gupta, Mr. Devendra Yadav, Gulam Fareed, Sameeer Ahamad. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.