Use of waste products in the form of dust and glass flour in mortars

The development of eco-innovation in the construction materials industry plays a key role in promoting sustainable development. Faced with dwindling natural resources, construction material manufacturers are increasingly turning to solutions that reduce their negative impact on the environment while ensuring high product quality. The aim of the study was to assess the possibility of using waste soda-lime-silicate glass as a reactive pozzolanic additive for cement mortars or as a non-reactive filler. The research involved the preparation of a series of mortars with different degrees of cement replacement with glass dust (10%, 20%, 30%) and a series with sand replaced with glass powder (20%, 35%, 50%). The setting time, bulk density, consistency, compressive and flexural strength, water absorption and capillary rise, as well as the microstructure of the mortars, were examined. When glass powder was used as a cement substitute, the decrease in compressive strength ranged from 8.5 to 16%, and the decrease in flexural strength from 6 to 9%. Ground glass in powder form did not exhibit full pozzolanic properties.