Exploring Waste Glass as Fine Aggregate Replacement in Concrete Block

Abstract

Solid waste management is a major environmental concern around the world, with post-consumer glass accounting for a significant amount of that waste stream. However, the difficulty in locating viable markets for glass recycling exacerbates the problem, resulting in environmental consequences from the accumulation of wasted glass. Thus, investigating the possibility of using crushed waste glass as a replacement for fine aggregate in concrete emerges as an appealing way to address waste disposal difficulties while conserving natural resources.To address these problems, this study conducted fundamental experimental research to determine the viability of adding crushed waste glass into concrete. Various properties of concrete were investigated through extensive experimentation, including slump, unit weight, compressive strength, splitting tensile strength, flexural strength, modulus of elasticity, ultrasonic pulse velocity, dry density, water absorption, and alkali-silica reaction, over 7, 14, and 28-day curing periods. Four concrete mixes were created, with replacement levels of discarded glass ranging from 0% to 20% by weight of sand. At 28 days, the results showed that concrete specimens with 20% waste glass substitution outperformed the control mix. These specimens had higher compressive strength, splitting tensile strength, flexural strength, and modulus of elasticity, with increases of 5.28%, 18.38%, 8.92%, and 9.75%, respectively. This suggests that using waste glass as a fine aggregate replacement in concrete can improve its mechanical characteristics and overall performance.By explaining the benefits of mixing discarded glass into concrete and undertaking extensive experimentation, this work gives useful insights into sustainable waste management techniques and natural resource conservation. Furthermore, it emphasises the significance of researching alternative materials in order to reduce environmental issues and encourage the use of eco-friendly construction procedures.

Introduction

• The global issue of glass waste has inspired efforts to use crushed waste glass as a partial replacement for fine aggregate in concrete.

• This helps address waste disposal, resource conservation, and environmental impact.

• Key concern: Alkali-Silica Reaction (ASR) can reduce durability, though mitigated by various additives and design techniques.

???? Key Objectives

1. Evaluate durability and long-term performance of glass-infused concrete.

2. Examine the impact of curing techniques on mechanical properties.

3. Analyze the environmental and sustainability implications.

4. Explore methods to mitigate ASR in glass-based concrete.

???? Literature Review Highlights

• Weitz (2005): Introduced glassphalt; enhances night visibility and heat retention in roads.

• Corinaldesi et al. (2005): Waste glass (<100 µm) improves mortar strength without causing ASR.

• Bashar et al. (2007): Increased recycled glass sand lowers workability and adhesion but reduces permeability.

• Özkan et al. (2007): Combining glass with fly ash (FA) or blast furnace slag (GBFS) reduces harmful expansion (ASR).

• Warnphen (2019): 20% glass improves compressive strength; slight drop in tensile strength.

• Salman (2020): Fine glass powder boosts compressive strength more than coarse replacements; improves workability.

• Upreti (2021): Up to 10% replacement preserves or enhances strength and durability.

• Kassed (2021): 20% glass waste maintains structural strength and reduces environmental impact.

• Najm (2022): 20% WG is optimal for balancing strength, density, and workability; higher content reduces performance.

• Shahril (2022): 5% glass waste mix shows highest strength and lowest water absorption.

• Mulmuley (2023): Best results at 20% glass powder replacement; improves sustainability and bonding.

???? Materials Used

• Cement, coarse and fine aggregates, crushed waste glass (as fine aggregate), and water.

???? Testing Methods

A. Fresh Concrete Tests

1. Slump Test: Measures workability.

2. Unit Weight Test: Calculates fresh concrete density.

B. Hardened Concrete Tests

1. Density Test: Measures mass in air and water.

2. Compressive Strength: Tested at 7, 14, and 28 days on 100×100×100 mm cubes.

3. Flexural Strength: Using 100×100×500 mm prisms (four-point loading).

4. Splitting Tensile Strength: On 100 mm × 200 mm cylinders.

5. Modulus of Elasticity: ASTM C-469 standard.

6. Water Absorption & Porosity: Tests moisture retention and void content.

7. Ultrasonic Pulse Velocity: Assesses internal quality using PUNDIT device.

8. ASR Test (ASTM C1260): Measures expansion in alkali conditions; >0.2% indicates potential ASR problems.

???? Key Findings

• Glass waste improves compressive strength and workability up to an optimal limit (typically 20%).

• ASR is a significant risk but mitigable with fly ash, slag, or limiting glass content to safe percentages.

• Replacement beyond optimal levels may reduce strength and workability due to poor bonding and glass angularity.

• Sustainability benefits include lower river sand demand, waste reuse, reduced environmental impact, and cost savings.

Conclusion

The use of discarded glass as a fine aggregate replacement in concrete resulted in noticeable modifications in a variety of characteristics. Despite a decrease in slump due to increasing waste glass content, the concrete retained outstanding workability. Higher ratios of waste glass resulted in improved compressive strength, with a 20% replacement producing 5.28% more strength than the control mix after 28 days. Similarly, at 28 days, 20% waste glass replacement had the highest compressive, tensile, and flexural strength. Water absorption decreased with increased waste glass content, particularly by 14.68% with 20% glass aggregate replacement, indicating lower porosity. The ultrasonic pulse velocity was significantly lower in mixes including waste glass, but it remained over 4 km/s, suggesting excellent concrete. Furthermore, waste glass inclusion reduced alkali-silica reaction (ASR) expansion, with all specimens showing expansions less than 0.1%, indicating that no harmful expansion occurred. Overall, the findings support the use of waste glass as a sustainable aggregate replacement in concrete, increasing numerous critical attributes while maintaining performance.

References

[1] Weitz T. (2005), Counties reap benefits from reclaimed glass in aggregate base, Cement and Concrete Research, vol 24, pp. 342–353. [2] Corinaldesi, V., Gnappi, G., Moriconi, G. and Montenero, A. ( 2005), Reuse of ground waste glass as aggregate for mortars. Waste Management, vol 25, pp.197–201. [3] Bashar,T. and Nounu,G. (2007), Properties of concrete contains mixed colour waste recycled glass as sand and cement replacement, Construction and Building Materials, vol 22, pp. 713–720 [4] Özkan, Ö. and Yüksel, I. (2008), Studies on mortars containing waste bottle glass and industrial by-products, Construction and Building Materials , vol 22, pp.1288–1298. [5] Hathaichanok Warnphen, Nuta Supakata, and Vorapot Kanokkantapong; ENGINEERING JOURNAL Volume 23 Issue 5.30 sep 2019 [6] Awham Jumah Salman, Zahraa Fakhri Jawad, Fatima Waad , Zahraa Rafea , Abed Alrazaq Ahmed . Journal of University of Babylon for Engineering Sciences, Vol. (28), No. (2): 2020 [7] Sudarshan Upreti , Dr Bharat Mandal; International Research Journal of Modernization in Engineering Technology and Science; Volume:03/Issue:02/February-2021 [8] Ghadeer Jabbar Kassed; Dr. Sura Karim Ali; Journal of Engineering journal homepage: www.joe.uobaghdad.edu.iq Number 8 Volume 27 August 2021 [9] Qaidi, S.; Najm, H.M.; Abed, S.M.; Özk?l?ç, Y.O.; Al Dughaishi, H.; Alosta, M.; Sabri, M.M.S.; Alkhatib, F.; Milad, A Fahmida Munim Ani.; Md. Altaf Hossain, and Raha Nadoal Shahril; Concrete Containing Waste Glass as an Environmentally Friendly Aggregate: A Review on Fresh and Mechanical Characteristics. Materials 2022, 15, 6222. [10] Fahmida Munim Ani.; Md. Altaf Hossain, and Raha Nadoal Shahril; European Journal of Engineering and Technology Research. [11] Aniket S. Mulmuley, Dr.Anant N. Dabhade; © 2023 IJCRT | Volume 11, Issue 4 April 2023 | ISSN:2320-

Copyright

Copyright © 2025 Adil Ashraf Malik, Er. Brahamjeet Singh. 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.