Transport Properties of Concrete with Glass Powder as Supplementary Cementitious Material

The study reports a sustainable solution to enhance concrete durability performance by using recycled glass powder as a supplementary cementitious material. Portland cement was replaced at different contents: 15, 30, 45, and 60% by weight. All concrete mixtures containing glass powder showed lower permeability compared to plain concrete. Particularly, 30% was identified as the optimum replacement for glass powder because the highest compressive strength was achieved. For this replacement, chloride diffusion and migration coefficient, water penetration depth, and sorptivity were found to be reduced by 87, 36, 65, and 61%, respectively The improvements in those transport properties are attributed to the pozzolanic reaction of glass powder, which turned calcium hydroxide into calcium-silicate-hydrates. The microstructure of the formed cement paste and interfacial transition zone is refined and less porous, and therefore more resistant to ingress of harmful fluids and agents.