Valorization of soda lime glass in cement sand matrix

Abstract Nowadays concrete and mortar demand as construction materials has been surged in market due to the exorbitant augmentation of the construction industry. Cement and fine aggregates (like river sand, pit sand etc.) are consumed in a large quantity to produce the mortar for various uses. In this venture, the cement and natural sand is been replaced with the soda-lime glass and the properties of mortar has been characterized for this replacement. Various proportions adopted for the cement replacement by weight 0–20% and natural sand replacement by weight are used 0–30% at 5% interval. The influence on the workability, density, water absorption, mechanical strength, drying shrinkage and Alkali Silica Reaction (ASR) expansion are assessed. Outcome of the investigation reveals that the dose of soda-lime glass replaced with cement and natural sand plays an important role to determine characteristics of cement mortar. Mortar made with Glass powder (GP) at 15% replacement with cement and Glass sand (GS) at 25% replacement with natural sand have highest mechanical strength. Water absorption and density reduced by using soda-lime glass. Drying shrinkage mitigate by using waste glass. ASR expansion has reduces due to smaller particle size of glass. The pores refinement and porosity decrement occurs due to the calcium hydroxide (Ca(OH)2) and glass powder reaction, this is a pozzolanic reaction that produces calcium silicate hydrate (C-S-H) gel.