Evaluating the Mechanical Performance of Waste Glass Powder as a Fine Aggregate Substitute to Enhance Sustainability in Concrete Production

Abstract

The concrete industry poses a significant challenge to sustainability since it ranks among the foremost users of natural resources. The utilization of river sand as a fine aggregate result in the degradation of natural resources, depletion of groundwater levels, subsidence of bridge piers, and degradation of riverbeds. By substituting fine aggregate with waste glass in a specified proportion and gradation, the requirement for river sand may be reduced, therefore mitigating the adverse impacts of river dredging. This substitution has the potential to contribute to the sustainability of the concrete building sector. The main objective of this study is to examine the use of waste glass powder (WGP) in concrete and evaluate its influence on the strength characteristics and the overall cost of the concrete. The chemical composition of natural sand and WGP exhibits similarities, hence enabling the potential for partial substitution of sand with WGP in concrete. This project involves the use of WGP as a partial substitute for sand in the production of M20 grade concrete. Concrete specimens were casted using different percentages of glass powder as a replacement for sand, namely 0% (Control Mix), 10%, 20%, 30%, and 40%. These specimens were then subjected to testing to evaluate their compressive, split tensile, and flexural strengths. The test results obtained for concrete mixed with WGP are compared to those of regular concrete. The findings of the study revealed that WGP has the potential to serve as a viable substitute for fine aggregate in certain applications.