Recycling of Glass Cullet and Glass Powder in Alkali-Activated Cement: Mechanical Properties and Alkali–Silica Reaction

This study investigated the compressive strength, drying shrinkage and alkali-silica reaction (ASR) expansion of alkali-activated mortars using sand or glass cullet (GC) as aggregates and using glass powder (GP) to partially replace ground granulated furnace slag (GGBS) as the precursor. For mortars using GC as the aggregate, the replacement of GGBS by GP decreased the compressive strength. The mortars using sand as aggregate showed severe drying shrinkage and the replacement of sand by GC could significantly decrease the drying shrinkage. The addition of calcium aluminium cement (CAC) could further suppress the drying shrinkage. The alkali-activated GGBS mortars using GC as the aggregate showed large expansion after alkaline immersion. When using GP to partially replace GGBS, the expansion was significantly decreased. The replacement of 15% GGBS by CAC could further decrease the expansion. The optimal alkali-activated cement (AAC) mixture proportion developed in this study was the mortars incorporating 15% of CAC, 10% of GGBS and 75% of GP as the compressive strength, expansion and drying shrinkage of this mixture could meet the stipulated mechanical and durability requirements for partition wall applications. Graphic Abstract: [Figure not available: see fulltext.].