Influence of recycled display glass e-waste on ternary dune sand mortar engineering properties

Abstract

The present study explores the feasibility of using recycled materials from display glass electronic waste (DGE-waste) in the production of cementitious mortars as a granular corrector for dune sand and as a cementitious addition. The effects of the DGE-waste replacement ratio (5–20% with 5% steps by weight of three types of dune sand from three different regions) on the engineering properties of reinforced cementitious composite were experimentally investigated to assess the performance of dune sand mortar. The results show that the incorporation of DGE-waste in dune sand mortar can increase the mechanical strengths (flexural and compressive) by up to 35% and 43%, respectively, and improve the dynamic modulus of elasticity by at most 12% as compared with the control mortar, as well as decrease open porosity by up to 28%, which reduces micro-cracks and voids. When cement is replaced with 15% recycled DGE-waste, the mechanical strength and dynamic modulus of elasticity, as well as open porosity and absorption, are decreased by 4–7% and 17–20%, respectively. Considering the environmental impact and engineering properties, the optimal percentage of DGE-waste incorporation is 15% for cement replacement and 20% for dune sand replacement.