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UTILIZATION OF WASTE GLASS IN CONCRETE

Conference Paper · July 2013

DOI: 10.3850/978-981-07-6059-5_090

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6th International Engineering Conference, Energy and Environment (ENCON 2013)
Copyright © 2013 Editor(s), ENCON 2013. Published by Research Publishing.
ISBN: 978-981-07-6059-5 :: doi: 10.3850/978-981-07-6059-5_090
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UTILIZATION OF WASTE GLASS IN CONCRETE

N. Tamanna
Corresponding author.
Department of Civil Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, University Malaysia Sarawak, 94300,
Kota Samarahan, Sarawak, Malaysia.

N. Mohamed Sutan and D. T. C. Lee

Department of Civil Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, University Malaysia Sarawak, 94300,
Kota Samarahan, Sarawak, Malaysia.

I. Yakub
Department of Chemical Engineering & Energy Sustainability, Faculty of Engineering,
University Malaysia Sarawak, 94300, Kota Samarahan, Sarawak, Malaysia.

The amount of waste glass has gradually increased over the recent years due to urbanization and
industrialization where most of the waste glass end up in landfill while only small fraction can be
recycled because of the high cost of cleaning and colour sorting. Since glass is not biodegradable,
landfill is not an environmentally friendly solution. Recent studies have shown that the waste glass
can be effectively used in concrete either as aggregate (fine or coarse aggregate) or as cement
replacement. Being amorphous and containing relatively large quantities of silicon and calcium, glass
is in theory pozzolanic or even cementitious in nature when the particle size is less than 75 micron.
Finely ground glass as oppose to coarse waste glass does not contribute to alkali-silica reaction.
Besides improving the properties of concrete by pozzolanic reaction by partial replacing the cement
will contribute to a greener environment for the production of one ton of Portland cement produces
about one ton of carbon dioxide leading to global warming issues. This paper gives an overview of the
current progress and recycling situation of waste glass and point out the direction for the proper use of
waste glass as replacement of cement. These will not only help in the reuse of waste glass but also
create a greener environment.

Keywords: Recycling, Waste glasses, Cement replacement, Greener environment.

1. Introduction

As a result of industrialization and urbanization it has been estimated that several million tons of waste
glasses are generated annually worldwide. The prime sources of waste glasses are waste containers,
window screen, window glasses, tube lights, bulbs, electronic equipment, medicinal bottles and liquor
bottles [1]. Due to the high cost of cleaning and colour sorting, only a small proportion can be recycled
by specific market like container manufacturers. In many countries, the recycling of waste glass is
especially significant as its recycling rate is quite low, compared to other solid wastes. In the United
States, for example, 11,530 kilotons of waste glass was generated in 2010 and only 27.1% was recycled,
mainly for container and packaging [2]. In 2005, approximately 12.8 million tons of waste glass was
disposed, while only 2.75 million tons were recycled [3]. In Singapore, 72,800 tons of waste glass was
disposed in 2011 and 29% was recycled [4]. In Malaysia there are three glasses bottle manufacturers
and they produce 600 tons of new bottles daily but only 10% of these bottles will go back to the
factories and to be reused to make new ones. The amount of waste glass was around 900 thousand tons
in 2004 and 300 thousand tons were recycled in Poland [5].

323
324 N. Tamanna, N. Mohamed Sutan, D. T. C. Lee and I. Yakub

Most of the waste glass is sent to landfill because of impurities which are difficult to remove,
prohibitive shipping costs to glass manufacturing plants, or mixed colour waste streams which are
difficult to separate into useful raw glass stocks. As glass is not biodegradable, the wastes produced
today will remain in the environment for hundreds and perhaps thousands of years. Waste glasses do not
decompose easily by itself therefore do not provide environmental friendly solution and social impact
after disposal. The use of the waste glass in the construction industry is among the most attractive
option because it can consume a significant quantity of these materials.
One of the prime ingredients of standard concrete is cement. Every year approximately 2.35 billion
tons of cement is produced – that is almost 1 m3 of cement for every person in the world. The carbon
dioxide released into the atmosphere during the cement production process accounts for approximately
5-10% of the overall CO2 production in the world. As in production of one ton of Portland cement about
one ton of carbon dioxide is released into the environment and contributes to the green house gas which
is the main issue in the global warming and the development of holes in the ozone layer [6].
Atmospheric levels of carbon dioxide have risen by about 30 percent over the past 200 years. If the CO2
production in cement factories could be decreased by 10%, the overall release into the atmosphere
would decrease by 5.2% [6]. Using waste glass as cement replacement in concrete construction is
advantageous for these purpose. Recycling of each ton of glass saves over one ton of natural resources,
and recycling of every six tons of container glass results in the reduction of one tone of carbon dioxide
emission [7]. The production cost of concrete would decrease, and our industry would become more
environmentally friendly. These not only help in the reuse of waste glasses but also create a cleaner and
greener environment.
Several research works have been carried out to examine the possibility of reusing waste glass in
concrete and construction industry as alternative solution to reduce the generated bulk of mixed-colour
waste recycled glass, and establish solid ground for clear understanding and further investigation [8]. In
the sixties, many studies were devoted to the use of crushed glass waste as an aggregate for concrete
production [9]-[11].
Due to high disposal cost of glass waste, the use of glass as concrete aggregate has attracted the
attention of researcher. Utilization of waste glass is used as an aggregate, resulting in obvious difference
in the structure of the concrete including reduced bond between the aggregate and the cement paste. The
interlocking shear strength between the aggregate and cement paste is expected to be less with glass
than with a natural aggregate [12]. However, Alkali-Silica Reaction is considered as a major obstacle
that restrains the use of recycled glass in concrete. The ASR was first discovered in 1940’s by Stanton.
The product of the ASR is known as the alkali-silicate gel. The ASR gel has the ability to absorb water
with a consequent tendency to swell and increase in volume. As a result, ASR gel can severely damage
the microstructure of concrete due to the generated internal stresses because of the volume changes.
ASR is considered as a long-term problem, and the detrimental consequences may not manifest for
years, but it is always considered as a potential risk [8].
In addition, glass is an organic product of fusion, which has been cooled to rigid condition without
crystallization, commercial glass is very rich in silica. As it is amorphous and contains relatively large
quantities of silicon and calcium, glass is in theory- pozzolanic or even cementitious in nature when it is
finely ground [13]. The use of finely ground glass as a pozzolanic material is relatively recent, and has
been encouraged as a result of continual accumulation of waste glass and its environmental issues.

2. Background on the Use of Recycled Glass

In the 1960s, many studies have been carried out to utilize the crushed waste glasses as an aggregate for
cement concrete production [9].However, a study that had been conducted to produce architectural
exposed aggregate for concrete since 1963 found concretes with glass aggregates cracked [10]-[11].
Owing to high disposal cost of waste glass and environmental regulation the use of glass as cement
concrete aggregates has attracted again under attention of the researchers in the last 20 years [14]-[20].
This aggregate was applied in road construction and also used for production of glass tiles, wall panels,
bricks, glass fibre, agriculture fertilizer landscaping reflective beads and tableware [21]. A deleterious
 Utilization of Waste Glass in Concrete 325

alkali-silica reaction (ASR) may be induced in concrete for the high content of glass aggregate. ASR is
a surface area dependent phenomenon and creates a gel which swells in the presence of moisture
causing cracks and reduction of strength. The expansion could be reduced if the glass was ground to a
particle size of 300 μm or smaller. Finely ground glass powder let ASR reaction to occur. Most recent
work has concentrated on studying the feasibility of using waste glass powder as a partial replacement
of cement in concrete. It can act as a pozzolanic material to react with portlandite in hydrated cement to
form C-S-H in increasing strength and durability of concrete because of the high silica content in glass
powder [22]-[27].

3. Glass Properties

Glass is an amorphous solid that has been around in different types for thousands of years and has been
produced for human use since 12000 BCE. Glass is a mixture of silica, soda and lime, when produced
by humans, the silica is usually supplied as common quartz sand whereas Na2O and CaO are added as
soda ash (Na2CO3) and limestone (CaCO3). Other materials are sometimes added to the mixture to
“frost” or to add colour. Based on the major compositions, glasses can be classified into the following
categories: vitreous silica, alkali silicates, soda-lime glasses, borosilicate glasses, lead glasses, barium
glasses, and aluminosilicate glasses. Soda-lime glasses consist of approximately 73% SiO2, 13–13%
Na2O and 10% CaO. Thus, according to their chemical composition, soda-lime glasses will be
pozzolanic-cementitious materials. Soda-lime glasses are the most widely used to manufacture
containers, float and sheets. The second major type will be lead glasses, from colour TV funnel, neon
tubing, electronic parts, etc. Small amounts of additives are often added during the production of glasses
to give glasses different colors or to improve specific properties. In waste glasses, soda lime glasses are
over 80% by weight. On a colour basis, 63% are clear, 25% are amber, 10% are green and 2% are blue
or other colors. Glass occurs naturally when rock high in silicates melt at high temperature and cool
before they can form a crystalline structure [28].

(a) Crystalline Form; (b) Glassy Form; (c) Sodium Silicate Glass
Figure 1. Two Dimensional Representation of Structure SiO2 [34].

Crystalline form is stable at ambient temperature and possesses order of long-range. In the glassy
state (fused SiO2), long-range order is lost and a disordered three dimensional network results.
However, most glasses are more complex than fused SiO2. The result from co-melting silica with other
oxides (e.g. Al2O3, Fe2O3, B2O3, P2O3, etc.), are capable of replacing Si in the polymeric network of
oxygen tetrahedral [29]. Other particular oxide of alkali and alkaline earth metals (i.e. Na, K, Ca, Mg)
with the coordination numbers bigger than six will induce de-polymerization of the polymeric network.
These metal cations introduce a higher degree of disorder, creating gap in its random network structure
like sodium silicate glass [30]. As the alkali or alkaline metal in Portland cement react with the silicate
structure (waste glass), dissolution of silica matrix will provide cementitious properties which
encourage the formation of Calcium Silicate Hydrate (C-S-H) which improve the performance of the
concrete based product in term of durability.
326 N. Tamanna, N. Mohamed Sutan, D. T. C. Lee and I. Yakub

4. Feasibility of Waste Glass Conversion into Various Materials

The steps of converting waste glass to valuable materials like decorative aggregate, sand replacement
and pozzolanic additive in concrete production are shown in figure 2. After collection, discarded waste
glass is sent to the processing facility for washing and crushing. Then, the waste glass is sieved into 10
and 5 mm particle size for different purposes. Waste glass of 10 mm particle size is usually used as
natural aggregate replacement while 5 mm particle size waste glass is used as sand replacement in
mortar. Finally, the small particle size is ground to produce glass powder which possesses natural
strength minimum water absorption and the capability to encounter excessive temperature without
deterioration. Ground glass powder with particle size 75-150μm can be used as a pozzolan for cement
replacement in concrete [31].
In the field of architectural and decorative concrete recycled glass possess breathtaking
performance due to the aesthetic properties of the waste glass. By using different size of glass better
aesthetic concentration can be achieved. Ling and Poon (2011) have demonstrated that the use of
particle size in between 2.36 to 5mm or between 5 to 10mm can significantly increase the aesthetic
value of the architectural mortar produced [32].

Sieving

10mm glass particle 5mm glass particle Milling

Crushing

As natural aggregate As sand Glass powder

Washing replacement in replacement in
concrete, self- mortar, concrete,
compacting concrete, self-compacting As partial cement
paving block (base replacement in
Collection mortar, paving
layer) concrete
As decorative block (face layer)
aggregate in
architectural concrete
Discarded
Waste glass

Figure 2. Steps of converting waste glass to valuable materials [31].

Waste glass as aggregate replacement also possesses an intrinsic advantage comparing the physical
properties of waste glass and sand which have almost have almost the same density, specific gravity and
fineness modulus. The concrete made with glass aggregate would have lower water absorption than
concrete made with sand and glass absorbs 14% less water than sand. Besides, waste glass can be used
as concrete block and paving block. Due to the high silica content of glass it is likely to under go a
potentially detrimental alkali-silica reaction which causes the detrimental effect in concrete production.
Being amorphous and containing relatively large quantities of silicon and calcium, glass is in theory
pozzolanic or even cementitious in nature when it is finely ground. The glass particle when crushed to
fine powder sizes have been proved to be innocuous in terms of alkali silica reaction (ASR) in concrete
that is not present for particle sizes below 100 μm. This characteristic offers a significant feasibility to
use waste glass as a partial replacement of cement in concrete construction.

5. Pozzolanic Activity of Glass Powder

A "pozzolan" is defined as a siliceous and aluminous material, which in itself possesses little or no
cementing property, but will in a finely divided form - and in the presence of moisture - chemically
react with calcium hydroxide at ordinary temperatures to form compounds possessing cementitious
properties. Pozzolan cement gain strength very slowly and required, therefore curing over a
comparatively long period, but their ultimate strength is approximately the same as that of ordinary
Portland cement. The percentage of pozzolan should be in between 15 to 50 of the weight of cement.
 Utilization of Waste Glass in Concrete 327

Pozzolan materials are not capable to dissolve in or react with water but undergo a slow chemical
transformation in the presence of water and lime. ASR is more referred to the expansion occurs in the
cement based product due to the reaction of hydroxyl ions in the cement with the silica compound in the
aggregates. The uses of waste glass as cement replacement, hence the amount of cement reduced
depends upon the reactivity of the pozzolan. The amount will be greater as the reactivity of the pozzolan
is high. In term of hydration, the pozzolanic reaction of waste glass will consumes the cement hydrates
(Portlandite or Ca(OH)2) and fills the previously formed pore structure by Calcium Silicate Hydrate (C-
S-H), thus improve a more compact pore structure and higher strength for cement-based materials.
Finely ground waste glass contains Silica Oxide, SiO2 that can react with Calcium Hydroxide,
(Ca(OH)2) generated from the hydration process; and the pozzolanic reactions produce more Calcium
Silicate Hydrate, (C-S-H) gel compound as well as reducing the amount of Calcium Hydroxide [33].
The replacement of Portland cement with ground waste glass powder also reduces expansion due to
alkali-aggregate reactions [34].Microstructure examination indicates that waste glass powder produce a
dense matrix and improves the durability properties. 30% of waste glass powder within the range of
45μm to 75μm in size can be incorporated as cement replacement in concrete without any long-term
detrimental effects. Glass Powder Particles (GLP) can be incorporated into 40MPa concrete at dosage
rates of 20-30% to replace cement without harmful effects [26]. Mayer (1997) postulated that below 45
μm, glass may become pozzolanic. The pozzolanic properties of glass are first notable at particle size
approximately below 300 μm. Below 100 μm, glass can have a pozzolanic reactivity which is greater
than that of fly ash at low percent cement replacement levels and after 90 days of curing [17].

6. Environmental and Economic Benefits of Recycling the Waste Glass

in Concrete Products

The recycling of waste glasses in cement and concrete production offers several benefits:

• Reduces waste disposal costs, which are likely to rise due to landfill tax,
• Offers many alternative uses for recycled glass based products, without compromising on either
cost or quality,
• Reduces the use of natural material in construction,
• Conserves the environment by saving large amount of primary raw materials each year,
• Extends the life of our landfill sites, helping to conserve the countryside,
• Saves a significant amount of energy and reduces the amount of CO2, NOx, and other air
pollutants emitted from the manufacturer cement clinker when ground glass powder used as a
cement replacement and
• Increases public awareness of the problem of waste and benefits of recycling.

7. Conclusion

This paper has discussed the feasibility of waste glass in concrete production and its pozzolanic
properties in cement in terms of durability and sustainability. Direct Utilization of waste glass as
concrete aggregates has a negative effect on the workability and strength of concrete. But ground glass
powders exhibit very good pozzolanic reactivity and can be used as cement replacement. Its pozzolanic
reactivity increases as its fineness increases. If aggregates are alkali-reactive, alkalis in the glass powder
can causes alkali silica reaction. Besides, fine ground glasses have less ASR expansion. Hence,
incorporation of ground glass powder in cement will greatly increase the strength and durability and
save natural resources as well as keeping the environment green.
328 N. Tamanna, N. Mohamed Sutan, D. T. C. Lee and I. Yakub

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