Study of glass dust obtained from the grinding of recycled bottles in the Province of Santa Elena, as a partial substitute for cement in concrete

Abstract

The present study consists in reusing glass bottle wastes by crushing and grounding them into a fineness that allows the partial substitute of cement in the concrete. This is because when glass has been finely grounded to a micron size, it acts as a high reactivity pozzolana. Cement is the main component for producing concrete; it is also the one that causes the highest impact to the environment because the clinker production requires high energy consumption.  There are studies to diminish the energy consumption, such as the substitution of fossil fuel for high calorific power residues, or by diminishing or substituting cement in construction without affecting its quality, and improving its mechanical properties. That is obtained by using materials such as flying ashes, blast furnace slags or silica fume, and the use of recycled materials, among others.  The use of recycled material in concrete supposes a double benefit: on the one hand wastes are diminished and, on the other hand, the mechanical properties of concrete can be improved.  That said, glass is a material that due to its physical and chemical properties, is an ideal candidate for recycling it in high percentage.