Durability of mortar using waste glass powder as cement replacement

► Glass powder is thoroughly analysed as a partial cement replacement material in mortar. ► Testing is carried out far beyond the usual mechanical testing and ASR by most authors. ► Chloride ingress, carbonation, sulphate attack and sorptivity are also considered for durability assessment. ► SEM demonstrated effect of fine glass particles well encapsulated into a dense matrix. ► This holistic study confirms that glass powder contributes to sustainability in construction. It is well known that Portland cement production is an energy-intensive industry, being responsible for about 5% of the global anthropogenic carbon dioxide emissions worldwide. An important contribution to sustainability of concrete and cement industries consists of using pozzolanic additions, especially if obtained from waste such as waste glass. Crushed waste glass was ground (WGP) and used in mortar as a partial cement replacement (0%, 10% and 20%) material to ascertain applicability in concrete. An extensive experimental program was carried out including pozzolanic activity, setting time, soundness, specific gravity, chemical analyses, laser particle size distribution, X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) on WGP and resistance to alkali silica reaction (ASR), chloride ion penetration resistance, absorption by capillarity, accelerated carbonation and external sulphate resistance on mortar containing WGP. Glass particles well encapsulated into dense and mature gel observed by SEM, may help explaining enhanced durability results and thus confirming that waste glass powder can further contribute to sustainability in construction.