Characterization of Glass Powder from Glass Recycling Process Waste and Preliminary Testing

Materials (Basel). 2021 May 31;14(11):2971. doi: 10.3390/ma14112971.

Abstract

This work studies the possibility of incorporating different proportions of glass powder from the waste glass (rejected material called fine cullet) produced during the glass recycling process into the manufacturing of mortar and concrete. For this purpose, the material is characterized by its chemical composition and pozzolanic activity, and the shape and size of its particles are studied. It is then incorporated as a substitute for cement into the manufacturing of mortar and concrete at 25% and 40% of cement weight, and its effect on setting times, consistency, and mechanical strength is analyzed. Its behavior as a slow pozzolan is verified, and the possibility of incorporating it into concrete is ratified by reducing its cement content and making it a more sustainable material.

Keywords: concrete; fine cullet; glass; mortar; pozzolane.