Recycled Glass in Cementitious Composites: A Sustainable Alternative to Natural Aggregates

ABSTRACT Civil construction represents approximately 13% of the global gross domestic product (GDP). However, despite its economic importance, it remains one of the most polluting industries. Implementing sustainable and practical alternatives is particularly challenging in this traditionally conservative sector. This study assesses the technical feasibility of using recycled glass to replace crushed stone in concrete production by analyzing the material's behavior in fresh and hardened states. Two types of concrete were evaluated: conventional concrete (CC), composed of cement, sand, gravel (Types 0 and 1), and ground waste glass (GWG); and self‐compacting concrete (SCC), consisting of cement, sand, silica fume, marble powder, Gravel 0, GWG, and a superplasticizer (SP). Four mix designs were created for CC and three for SCC, with varying gravel and recycled glass proportions. In addition to testing fresh‐state properties and compressive strength, statistical analysis and life cycle assessment were conducted. The results demonstrate that cement production contributes expressively to most environmental impacts. The CC in the baseline scenario has an expressive environmental impact on water resources. However, the use of GWG contributes to other environmental impacts due to electricity consumed for its production. Nevertheless, replacing natural gravel with recycled glass is technically viable, maintains concrete performance, and offers environmental benefits.