Milled Waste Glass Powder in Magnesium-Silicate-Hydrate Cement: Technical and Environmental Assessment
Publication: Journal of Materials in Civil Engineering
Volume 35, Issue 1
Abstract
This study investigated replacing microsilica with waste glass for preparing formulations to form magnesium-silicate-hydrate (M-S-H). The mechanical performance and microstructural development of the samples were supported by an assessment of their environmental impact. The obtained results indicated that microsilica can be partially replaced by waste glass (i.e., 50% by weight replacement) in formulations without sacrificing the compressive strength of samples, whereas the complete replacement with waste glass did not reveal favorable outcomes in terms of performance. The reactivity and solubility of the silica source played a key role in the formation of M-S-H, which contributed to the strength development in samples containing microsilica. Alternatively, samples containing waste glass as their only silica source revealed limited M-S-H formation and brucite, accounting for their poor mechanical performance. The predetermined treatment of waste glass should be carefully chosen, which could also affect the outcomes of the life cycle assessment (LCA).
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Data Availability Statement
Some or all data, models, or code that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request. All data, models, and code generated or used during the study appear in the published article.
Acknowledgments
Financial support from the European Commission Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Programme through Grant 723825 (i.e., the Green INSTRUCT project) is greatly acknowledged. The first author would like to thank Zhongyuan University of Technology for providing a Ph.D. scholarship to him to conduct this study at Brunel University London. The research work presented in this paper was carried out when both the third and fourth authors were Research Fellows at Brunel University London working on the Green INSTRUCT project.
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Journal of Materials in Civil Engineering
Volume 35 • Issue 1 • January 2023
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© 2022 American Society of Civil Engineers.
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Received: Jan 11, 2022
Accepted: May 5, 2022
Published online: Oct 27, 2022
Published in print: Jan 1, 2023
Discussion open until: Mar 27, 2023
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