Waste glass in civil engineering applications—A review

Abstract

AbstractEach year, hundreds of thousands of tons of industrial wastes are being stockpiled, landfilled, and disposed of in storages occupying large areas of land that would otherwise be available for productive use. Recycling of such wastes is now becoming of urgent global interest due to an increasing population, the rise in anthropogenic activities, and the need for more efficient resource and waste management systems. Among many wastes, the generation of glass is dramatically increasing, particularly in the municipal, industrial, and construction sectors. In civil engineering, in general, crushed waste glass has been mainly investigated as a substitute for sand and fine‐grained aggregate in concrete production. In geotechnical engineering, in particular, the application of glass wastes is mainly limited to road pavements or as an additive to different soils for subgrade improvement. While glass wastes are relatively inert and potentially offer several opportunities for recycling as a substitute for diminishing and increasingly expensive sand supplies, their potential use yet remains relatively under‐researched. This paper systematically reviews the current status of knowledge on the use of glass wastes in various civil engineering applications and discusses the suitability assessment of waste glass for use as a sustainable alternative to traditional civil engineering materials.