Compatibility of waste glass with other by-products for the production of sustainable concrete

The mining of river sand as fine aggregates and over-exploiting raw materials utilized for cement production give rise to substantial environmental challenges. The utilisation of waste glass as a substitute material in concrete has been investigated. Although studies on the utilisation of waste glass are reported, investigations into the combined utilisation of waste glass with other industrial by-products are extremely minimal. Thus, it is imperative to perform an extensive review that evaluates the synergistic utilisation of waste glass in combination with other alternative materials. Hence, the present review concentrates on performing an in-depth review of the compatibility between waste glass and other by-products, with the aim of assessing its potential as a substitute for cement, fine aggregates, and coarse aggregates. The incorporation of waste glass, along with different by-products significantly impacts the fresh, mechanical, and durability characteristics of concrete. The addition of waste glass, along with other industrial and agricultural by-products, into concrete has been found to enhance compressive and flexural strength. The use of waste glass in ternary blended concrete increases workability due to its smooth surface when compared with the respective binary blended concrete without waste glass. The hydrophobic nature of waste glass leads to a significant decrease in the permeability of waste glass used ternary concrete. An increase in the waste glass content causes a considerable decline in the thermal conductivity of concrete.

Automated summary

The utilization of waste glass as a substitute material in concrete can significantly improve the performance of concrete, such as compressive strength and workability, while reducing permeability and thermal conductivity.