Design of high-performance concrete incorporating waste glass powder

Abstract

One exciting application of high-performance concrete (HPC) are slender architectonic elements. However, from a materials point of view (and not only), some issues need to be addressed, namely regarding sustainability. Portland cement and supplementary cementitious materials (SCM) are important constituents in HPC mixture design. In Portugal, the ready market of available SCM provides essentially limestone filler, which limits the development of UPC mixture designs, namely when a long term supply is envisaged. Using locally available SCM reduces costs and CO2 emissions allocated to concrete production, particularly valorising local industrial waste or by-products, such as waste glass powder. The current work presents a wide range of more eco-friendly HPC formulations with considerable amounts SCM, limestone filler and glass powder, as partial cement replacement. An integrative evaluation of engineering properties, such as flowability, electrical resistivity, mechanical strength, and an ecological concerns, were reflected on mixture optimisation.