The combined usage of ground waste glass with an industrial by-product in manufacturing Portland cement mortar

Abstract

The aim of the present study was to investigate the possibility of using a combination of ground waste glass and fly ash as a replacement for Portland cement in the manufacture of mortar. Ground waste glass with an average particle size of 100 μm was used as cement replacement with a class C fly ash. The influence of waste glass and fly ash combination on the physical properties of cement paste such as the initial and final setting time, volume expansion and water requirement for normal consistency were investigated. The compressive and flexural strength measurements were conducted on the mortar samples at ages of 2, 7, 28 and 56 days. The effect of high temperature at 300, 600 and 900°C on the mortar samples was also investigated. Results indicate that cement paste containing the combination of waste glass and fly ash showed longer setting times than the reference Portland cement. The mortars demanded slightly more water mainly due to the high fineness of the fly ash. It was found that the replacement of Portland cement by a combination of waste glass and fly ash had no remarkable effect on the volume expansion. The mortars containing 5% waste glass + 5% fly ash and 5% waste glass + 10% fly ash satisfy the requirement of strength class 42·5 of the related standard.