article · Case Studies in Construction Materials
Recycled waste glass can be incorporated into ultra-high performance geopolymer concrete by replacing natural sand in proportions of 7.5 percent, 15 percent, and 22.5 percent. Increasing the proportion of waste glass improves the flowability of the fresh mixture while causing only a minor reduction in compressive strength under ambient curing, falling from 126 MPa in the control mix to 121 MPa at the highest replacement level. The addition of waste glass significantly improves durability against chemical degradation. Following 120 days of exposure to magnesium sulphate and sulphuric acid solutions, samples containing 22.5 percent waste glass experienced substantially lower strength losses than the control concrete. Furthermore, concrete mixtures with waste glass demonstrated improved thermal stability when subjected to temperatures between 200 and 800 degrees Celsius, exhibiting fewer microcracks and an improved transition zone between the aggregate and the geopolymer paste.
Concrete structures operating in harsh industrial or chemical environments face rapid degradation and high maintenance costs. Using recycled glass in ultra-high performance geopolymer concrete offers a route to repurpose solid waste while producing materials that resist acid, sulphate attack, and extreme heat. This approach provides valuable performance advantages for specialised civil engineering works requiring durable construction materials under aggressive conditions.
This laboratory-scale experimental work indicates potential applications in specialised infrastructure or precast elements exposed to acidic, sulphate-rich, or high-temperature conditions. Building material producers and recycling enterprises could utilise these formulations to replace natural aggregates with recycled glass. Because the findings are based on laboratory specimen testing, the technology is at an early experimental stage and requires field validation and process scaling before commercial adoption.
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One of the advantages of geopolymer technology is the ability to recycle a variety of wastes. In this paper, waste glass was incorporated into ultra-high performance geopolymer concrete (UHPGC). Recycled waste glass replaced fine sand in various ratios in UHPGC. Several mixtures were prepared by replacing natural sand with 0 %, 7.5 %, 15 %, and 22.5 % of waste glass (WG). The prepared samples were submerged in 2 % H2SO4 and 5 % MgSO4 solutions. Furthermore, the samples were subjected to high temperatures (200–800 °C) for 1.5 h. The effect of the WG on UHPGC’s flowability, strength, durability properties, and elevated temperature resistance was examined. The experimental results demonstrate that the flowability of the mixture was increased by glass content. Compressive strength was reduced from 126 MPa to 121 MPa for the substituted 22.5 % natural sand by WG at ambient curing. After 120 days of exposure, the strength loss of the control mix and samples containing 22.5 % WG submerged in MgSO4 solution was found to be 5.3 % and 1.16 %, respectively. While submerged in H2SO4, the control mix and samples with 22.5 % WG lost 7.7 % and 1.83 % of their strength, respectively. Additionally, mixtures incorporating WG showed better thermal stability as compared to the control mixtures after high temperature exposure. Finally, after being heated, microscopic studies showed that mixtures with WG had less microcracks and a better transition zone between the geopolymer paste and the fine aggregate.
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DOI: 10.1016/j.cscm.2022.e01393
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