Use of Glass Powder and Sand Dune in Concrete: Characterization and Performance

Cement and alluvial sand are very essential materials in concrete preparation. The first material production contributes to the emissions of greenhouse gases, in particular carbon dioxide (CO2), and the extensive exploitation of second material constitutes a danger on the extinction of its deposits. The use of waste glass powder (WGP) to partially replace cement and dune sand as a replacement for a small amount of alluvial sand appears as a potential solution that solves several problems at once (disposal of glass waste, reduction of emissions gas and preservation of construction sand deposits). The objective of this study is to verify the effects of these partial replacements on concrete properties, their cost, and the CO2 emission reduction in the atmosphere. For this, three types of concrete are prepared: a control (0% of WGP); mixture 1 (10% WGP); and mixture 2 (20% WGP). In all three types, 5% of alluvial sand is replaced by dune sand. Obtained results show that these partial replacements do not affect the porosity (less than 20%), they give good indices as to the speed of sound propagation in the concrete (up to 3500 m/s), especially for the case of the second mixture after 56 days but this does not increase the concrete performance concerning compressive strength and performance of concrete with glass is less than that of control concrete. Economically, the reduction of 10% in cement saves 5 € per ton and environmentally, it reduces the emission of CO2 from cement industry by 0.5 to 0.7% of total anthropogenic CO2 emissions.