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The Effect of Waste Glass Bottles as an Alternative Coarse Aggregate in Concrete

Mixture

Article · December 2014

DOI: 10.21742/ijiace.2014.1.2.01

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 International Journal of ICT-aided Architecture and Civil Engineering
Vol.1, No.2 (2014), pp.1-10
http://dx.doi.org/10.21742/ijiace.2014.1.2.01

The Effect of Waste Glass Bottles as an Alternative Coarse

Aggregate in Concrete Mixture

Tomas U. Ganiron Jr
College of Engineering, Auckland University of Technology, Auckland City
College of Architecture, Qassim University, Buraidah City
tomasuganironjr@gmail.com

Abstract
The possibility of using broken glass as an substitute for coarse aggregate in concrete
serve as one promising solution to the escalating solid waste problem. Industrial wastes are
the foundation of many concrete admixtures. The use of concrete for the disposal of solid
waste has concentrated mostly on aggregates since they provide the only real potential for
using large quantities of waste materials
This study has been conducted through basic experimental research in order to analyze the
effect of recycled glass bottles as coarse aggregates in terms of its physical and mechanical
properties. Test results shows that the recycled broken glass can be used up to 10% weight of
coarse aggregates in concrete mixtures and a mix design of 5% weight insertion to the
concrete mixture gives a desirable result in terms of compressive strength.

Keywords: Coarse aggregate, construction materials, glass bottle, waste bottle, waste
materials

1. Introduction
Modern construction industry calls for a more innovative comprehensive materials in
line with the past developing hands of construction. The thought of all these creative
ideas come up to challenge the spirit of young engineers to achieve a study that would
possibly change the history.
A wide variety of materials come from municipal and household garbage or waste
glass from collapsed building caused by an earthquake.
When considering a waste material referred to as broken glass as a substitute for
coarse aggregate, there are three (3) major areas are relevant [1, 3]. First, are the
economy, second, the compatibility with the other materials and last, the concrete
properties. The economical use of waste materials depends on the quantity available.
The amount of transportation required the extent beneficiation and the mix design
requirements.
Waste materials must not react adversely with other constituents of the mix. Most
waste glass will readily take part in the alkali-aggregate reaction and possess a potential
durability problem.
The effect of waste materials such as waste glass, on concrete properties must be
considered. For example, the lower modulus of elasticity glass compared to that of
good-quality rock will lower the elastic modulus of concrete [2].
The use of concrete is being generally replaced by the use of polyester or epoxy
resins mixed with fillers to make thinner and lighter than concrete. Design
consideration can be varied by the fact that the panel as thin as .5” can be made,

ISSN: 2383-4773 IJIACE

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International Journal of ICT-aided Architecture and Civil Engineering
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allowing the remaining thickness of the 1” glass slab to stand above the surface of the
surrounding materials [4, 5].
However, other materials can still be improved by adding other materials for further
modify its property which can be called admixture. An admixture is a material added to
the water, sand, cement and gravel with glass, in order to change one or more
properties fresh hardened stage admixtures are generally divided into two groups:
Chemical admixtures and mineral admixtures. Chemical admixture used in concrete
generally serves as water reducers, accelerators, set retarders or a combination [6].
One potential admixture today is super plasticizer, super plasticizer are high range
water reducing admixtures that met the requirements of ASTM.
Since glass came from sand and considering sand is a main component in the mixture
of concrete, it can be observed that that there is compatibility to the design mixture of
concrete.
However, other materials can still be improved by adding other materials for further
modify its property which can be called admixture. An admixture is a material added to
the water, sand, cement and gravel with glass, in order to change one or more
properties fresh hardened stage admixtures are generally divided into two group s [7, 8].
These are chemical admixtures and mineral admixtures. Chemical admixture used in
concrete generally serves as water reducers, accelerators, set retarders or a combination.
One potential admixture today is super plasticizer, super plasticizer are high range
water reducing admixtures that met the requirements of ASTM [9].
Since glass came from sand and considering sand is a main component in the mixture
of concrete, it can be observed that that there is compatibility to the design mixture of
concrete.
The researcher of this study has the aim of incorporating giving solution to solid
waste management problem with mass housing projects by experimenting on the
affectivity of Concrete Recycled Bottles (CRB) used as structural members for mass
housing projects and to find its economic impact on it. The researcher also wants to find
an alternative source of coarse aggregates to lessen the quarry operation for the
conservation of our mountains for future generations.
A number of attempts have been made to successfully use glass as an additive in
concrete compositions. Certain compositions proposed have been successful
in accomplishing specific goals. Glass is provided so as to have high visible
transmission and/or fairly clear or neutral color. In certain example embodiments, the
glass may include a base glass (e.g., soda lime silica base glass) and, in addition, by
weight percentage [9, 11].
However, research has shown that aggregate in fact plays a substantial role in
determining workability, strength, dimensional stability, and durability of the con crete.
Also, aggregates can have a significant effect on the cost of the concrete mixture
[12,13]. Certain aggregate parameters are known to be important for engineered -use
concrete: hardness, strength, and durability. The aggregate must be "clean," withou t
absorbed chemicals, clay coatings, and other fine materials in concentrations that could
alter the hydration and bond of the cement paste [14].
Glass aggregate in concrete can be problematic due to the alkali silica reaction
between the cement paste and the glass aggregate, which over time can lead to
weakened concrete and decreased long-term durability [15]. Research has been not done
on types of glass and other additives to stop or decrease the alkali silica reaction and
thereby maintain finished concrete strength [7, 16]. However, further research is still
needed before glass cullet can be used in structural concrete applications.

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Moreover, this study serves to give way on finding alternative materials for
construction, conservation and protection of the environment.
The results of this study are expected to benefit the following: (1) the students of
other fields could be provided with a reference and can give them knowledge about
recycled glass bottles as an alternative fine aggregate for concrete mix. This study will
encourage them to study other materials that can be used as a construction material
and awaken their minds regarding environmental protection; (2) the contractors and
home builders will be provided with knowledge and information to improve the
method of construction using other materials as fine aggregate to concrete cement for
construction; (3) the government and non-government sectors are given new ideas of
maximizing their resources on construction projects. This study will also make them
knowledgeable that junk materials can be used as construction material and urge them
to finance further studies for the development of this study.

2. Experimental Investigation
This experimental research focuses on the effect of using recycled bottles as concrete
material for mass housing projects. This research aims to determine the effect of using
recycled bottles on the properties of hardened concrete namely: compressive strength and
modulus of elasticity. Also included, are the effect of recycled bottles on water-cement ratio,
quality and size of aggregates and consistency of the mix. Experiments shall be conducted to
acquire the necessary data needed in the analysis. Each experiment shall be conducted in
accordance with the standards which are applicable in our country, in which in our case,
specified by ASTM requirements.
The waste glass materials used throughout this experimental study were gathered
from the junkshops. These bottles are crushed into different particles sizes, as illustrated
in Figures 1 and 2.

Figure 1. Waste glass bottles as collected before crushing and sieving

The researcher used manually crushed and clean bottles and chosen bottles with the same
property for uniformity. The crushed samples were passed through sieve analysis to ensure

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that the size of the cullet will be less than 4.0 mm but greater than 2.0 mm with accordance to
ASTM standards.

Figure 2. Crushing of glass bottles to coarse sizes

The research concentrates on the effect of using recycled bottles as coarse aggregate and
not on its properties as an aggregate. The researcher used only Portland Pozzolanic Cement
(Type IP), which are commonly used in the field at present, for the specimens. This type of
cement has low hardening characteristics [14]. It will also cover the difference between the
common concrete cement and concrete recycled glass bottles in terms of its properties as a
coarse aggregate. The specimens are tested for compressive strength using UTM on its 7th,
and 28th day of curing. This will be the basis for the data.
The study focuses on compressive strength of broken glass and plain concrete. This study
also gives emphasis on the environmental concerns and not on its economic aspect. In
addition, study is also delimited to durability, creep, shrinkage and water tightness.
These four properties of hardened concrete are time-dependent properties which will entail so
much time to determine.

3. Results and Discussion

3.1. Cement
The physical properties of Ordinary Portland cement as determined are given in Table 1.
The cement satisfies the ASTM requirement. The specific gravity was 2.55 and fineness was
2400 cm2/g.

Table 1. Typical composition of ordinary Portland cement

Chemical Weight
Tri-calcium silicate -C3S 55
Di-calcium silicate -C2S 18
Tri-calcium aluminate -C3A 10
Tetra-calcium alumino ferrite -C4AF 6
Calcium sulphate dihydrate -CSH2 8

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3.2. Fine aggregate

Sand is a naturally occurring granular material composed of finely divided rock and
mineral particles. The composition of sand is highly variable, depending on the local rock
sources and conditions, but the most common constituent of sand in inland continental
settings and non-tropical coastal settings is silica (silicon dioxide, or SiO2), usually in the
form of quartz. Sand is used to make mortar and concrete and for making molds in foundries.

3.3. Coarse aggregate

Coarse aggregate are the crushed stone used for making concrete. The commercial stone is
quarried, crushed and graded. Much of the crushed stone used is granite, limestone and trap
rock. Crushed angular granite metal of 10 mm size from a local source was used as coarse
aggregate. The specific gravity of 2.4 and fineness modulus 6.12 was used.

3.4. Water
On addition of higher percentage of demolished waste the requirement of water increases
for the same workability. Thus, a constant slump has been the criteria for water requirement
but the specimens having 0% demolished waste, w/c of 0.40 has been used.

3.5. Cement
The cement content in the mix design is taken as 350 kg/m3 which satisfies minimum
requirement of 300 kg/m3 in order to avoid the balling effect. Good stone aggregate and
natural river sand of zone was used as coarse aggregate and fine aggregate respectively.
Maximum size of coarse aggregate was 12.5 mm. A sieve analysis conforming to ASTM was
carried out for both the fine and coarse aggregate .Concrete may be produced as a dense mass
which is practically artificial rock and chemicals may be added to make it waterproof or it can
be made porous and highly permeable for such use as filter beds.

Table 2. Physical properties of cement

Standard consistency Days 31%
Initial setting time 92 min
Final setting time 195 min
3 27.1 MPa
Compressive
7 38.1 MPa
Strength
28 80.0 MPa

3.6. Material properties

The materials were tested for their physical properties as per the relevant ASTM
Standards. The properties of cement, sand, and single seized coarse aggregates of 20 mm and
12.5 mm shown in Table 2, 3 and 4.

Table 3. Sieve analysis of aggregates

Material Percentage Passing
Sieve
40 20 10.5 10 4.75 2.36 1.18 0.6 0.3 0.15
Size
20 mm 100 90.8 11.2 0.0 0.0
12 mm - - 98.8 83.8 - 1.4 0.0 -
Sand - - - 100 100 93.2 65.2 38.9 12.5 0.8

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Table 4. Properties of aggregates

Property Sand Coarse Aggregate
20mm 12.5mm
Specific gravity 2.5 2.60 2.58
Bulk density
1425 1367 1389
(kg/m3)

It is observed that on replacing coarse aggregate by 5% waste glass bottles on average

shown in Table 5 and Figure 3, there is an increase in compressive strength at 7 days by
21.34% compared with plain concrete. However, at 28 days increase in compressive strength
is 7.9 % compared with plain concrete

Table 5. Compressive strength of broken glass and plain concrete in 7 days

Strength (MPa)
Curing sample Age (days)
5% Broken Glass 10% Broken Glass Plain Concrete
A 7 20.96 23.05 13.51
B 7 19.07 22.79 16.75
C 7 19.58 19.95 16.63
Average 19.87 21.93 15.63

Figure 3. Compressive strength of broken glass and plain concrete in 7 days

It is observed that when fine aggregate is replaced by 10% glass waste, the compressive
strength at 7 days is found to increase by about 28.7% on average shown in table 6 and figure
4. However, it is evident that decreased in compressive strength at 28 days is only 0% at same
replacement level.

Table 6. Compressive strength of broken glass and plain concrete in 28 days

Strength (MPa)
Age
Curing sample 10% Broken Plain
(days) 5% Broken Glass
Glass Concrete
A 28 25.8 20.8
B 28 24.31 26.05
C 28 25.75 24.04
Average 25.29 23.63

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Figure 4. Compressive strength of broken glass and plain concrete in 28 days

3.7. Compressive strength

As shown in Figure 5, the observed compressive strength of the concrete samples is higher
than the control sample (plain concrete). The compressive strength required in accordance
with ASTM C-39-86 is 20.68 MPa. The average compressive strength of the 5% broken glass
concrete specimen in 28 days reached 25.29 MPa passing the requirements of the ASTM.

Figure 5. Average compressive strength of concrete specimens

Figure 6. Testing of concrete specimen

6. Conclusion
After determining the value of the results of the forgoing findings, the following
conclusion were drawn: a) Waste glass bottles as coarse aggregate replacement, 7days
strength is found to marginally increase up to 5% replacement level; b) The use of recycled
bottles as coarse aggregate decreases the unit weight of concrete; c) Waste glass bottles can
effectively be used as coarse aggregate replacement; d) The optimum replacement level of
waste glass bottles as coarse aggregate is 10%; f) There is a positive projection in the
availability of glass bottles due for its demands and flexibility in use.

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References
[1] A. P. Luz and S. Ribeiro, “Use of glass waste as a raw material in porcelain stoneware tile mixtures”,
Ceramics international, vol. 33, no. 5, (2007), pp. 761-76.
[2] F. S. Smith, “Foundation of Materials Science and Engineering”, 3rd ed., New York, (2004).
[3] W. Callister Jr., “Fundamentals of Material Science and Engineering”, 5th ed., Rosewood, (2001).
[4] Powers, Treval Clifford. The physical structure and engineering properties of concrete, no. 90, (1990).
[5] J. E. Srawley, “Wide range stress intensity factor expressions for ASTM E 399 standard fracture toughness
specimens”, International Journal of Fracture, vol. 12, no. 3, (1976), pp. 475-476.
[6] J. W. Summers, B. K. Mikofalvy, H. Boo, J. M. Krogstie, W. A. Sell and J. C. Rodriguez, “Examples of
recycled vinyl products”, Journal of Vinyl Technology, vol. 14, no. 3, (2004), pp. 166-170.
[7] T. U. Ganiron Jr., “Influence of Polymer Fiber on Strength of Concrete”, International Journal of Advanced
Science and Technology, vol. 55. (2013), pp. 53-66.
[8] D. P. Bentz and K. A. Snyder, “Protected paste volume in concrete: Extension to internal curing using
saturated lightweight fine aggregate”, Cement and Concrete Research, vol. 29, no. 11, (1999), pp. 1863-1867.
[9] H. Donza, O. Cabrera and E. F. Irassar, “High-strength concrete with different fine aggregate”, Cement and
Concrete Research, vol. 32, no. 11, (2002), pp. 1755-1761.
[10] T. U. Ganiron Jr., “An Investigation of Moisture Performance of Sawdust and Banana Peels Ply board as
Non-Veneer Panel International Journal of u- and e- Service, Science and Technology”, vol. 6, no. 3, (2013),
pp. 43-54.
[11] Tavakoli, Mostafa and P. Soroushian, “Strengths of recycled aggregate concrete made using field-demolished
concrete as aggregate”, ACI Materials Journal, vol. 93, no. 2, (1996).
[12] T. U. Ganiron Jr., “Recycled Window Glass for Non-Load Bearing Walls, International Journal of
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Author

Dr. Tomas U. Ganiron Jr

This author obtained his Doctor of Philosophy in Construction
Management at Adamson University (Philippines) in 2006, and
subsequently earned his Master of Civil Engineering major in Highway
and Transportation Engineering at Dela Salle University-Manila
(Philippines) in 1997 and received Bachelor of Science in Civil
Engineering major in Structural Engineering at University of the East
(Philippines) in 1990. He is a registered Civil Engineer in the Philippines
and Professional Engineer in New Zealand. His main areas of research
interest are construction engineering, construction management, project
management and recycled waste materials. He has been the resource
person in various seminars in New Zealand (like in Auckland University
of Technology, University of Auckland and University of Canterbury).
He was connected with Advanced Pipeline System in New Zealand as
Construction Manager wherein he supervised the sewerage and

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waterworks projects. He was the former Department Head of Civil

Engineering in FEATI University (Manila) and former Department Head
of Physics in Emilio Aguinaldo College (Manila). He is also very active
in other professional groups like Railway Technical Society of
Australasia and Australian Institute of Geoscientists where he became
committee of Scientific Research. He has received the Outstanding Civil
Engineer in the field of Education given by the Philippine Media
Association Inc. (1996), ASTM Award CA Hogentogler (2008) by
IPENZ in New Zealand and Outstanding Researcher (2013) in Qassim
University, Buraidah City

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