Utilization of waste glass in ECO-cement: strength properties and microstructural observations

Waste glass creates a serious environmental problem, mainly because of the inconsistency of the waste glass streams. The use of waste glass as a finely ground mineral additive (FGMA) in cement is a promising direction for recycling. Based on the method of mechano-chemical activation, a new group of ECO-cements was developed. In ECO-cement, relatively large amounts (up to 70%) of portland cement clinker can be replaced with waste glass. This report examines the effect of waste glass on the microstructure and strength of ECO-cement based materials. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) investigations were used to observe the changes in the cement hydrates and interface between the cement matrix and waste glass particles. According to the research results, the developed ECO-cement with 50% of waste glass possessed compressive strength properties at a level similar to normal portland cement.