Evaluation of the pozzolanic activity index of glass powder in mortars

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.62407/ham24780

Keywords:

Activated glass, pozzolanic reaction, durability, hydrated calcium silicate, portlandite

Abstract

Crushed recycled glass can be used as a pozzolanic material in concrete mixtures to achieve good mechanical performance and durability while simultaneously reducing carbon dioxide emissions into the atmosphere. This study evaluated the effect of crushed glass as a pozzolanic material and sodium hydroxide (NaOH) as an alkaline activator in mortar mixtures. The consistency and compressive strength behavior of the mortar mixes was analyzed.

 

In the fresh mortar evaluation phase, it was observed that adding 5 % crushed glass increased the flow compared to the control sample. However, when the content was increased to 10 % and 15 %, workability decreased, especially when NaOH was incorporated. This behavior differs from previous studies, which reported that crushed glass improves the workability of mortar or concrete. Regarding compressive strength at 14 days, the results showed that, in all cases, the pozzolanic activity index (PAI) was equal to or greater than 75 % compared to the control sample, meeting the requirements of ASTM C1866/C1866M-20. The mixtures that were not activated with NaOH showed a decrease in PAI as the glass content increased, highlighting the importance of the activator in the pozzolanic reaction at early ages. The mixtures with 4 % NaOH achieved the highest compressive strengths and exhibited lower sensitivity to the glass content.

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Published

2026-03-24

How to Cite

López Poveda, L., & Hernández, E. F. (2026). Evaluation of the pozzolanic activity index of glass powder in mortars. Scientific Journal of Engineering and Architecture_iyA, 4(4). https://doi.org/10.62407/ham24780

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