Evaluation of durability of concrete substituted heavyweight waste glass as fine aggregate

Concrete is the most widely used construction material, and huge amounts of natural resources are required to manufacture it. With relatively recent rapid industrial development as well as the improvement of people's living standards, the volume of domestic and industrial waste is increasing, and much of this waste is not recycled. Cathode ray tube (CRT) waste glass is an industrial waste material that has been studied by many researchers for use as fine concrete aggregate. As one example of its potential application, nuclear power plants and radioactive waste disposal sites are often located in areas vulnerable to attack by chloride and sulfate, and this may compromise the durability of the concrete structure designed to shield radiation. More durable concrete would therefore be desirable. We studied the durability of concrete mixed with waste glass through the following approach. Waste CRT glass containing heavy metals was recycled as fine aggregate for concrete; the durability of the concrete was investigated by performing freeze-thaw resistance, sulfate attack, and chloride ion penetration measurement. The test results showed that as the mixing ratio of waste glass increased, the freezing and thawing resistance, sulfate attack resistance, and chloride ion penetration resistance were all better in the concrete containing waste glass than in normal concrete. However, the compressive and the flexural strength of the concrete both decreased due to lower adhesion between cement paste and waste glass. In conclusion, it was confirmed that concrete substituted with heavyweight waste glass could be used in radiation shielding structures.