Novel Mortar containing waste glass and clay brick powder for sustainable construction

Due to the increasing need for sustainability, the need for a cleaner environment and resources conservation has now become very important. This study investigates the possible utilization of waste glass powder combined with pulverized fired clay brick wastes as a partial replacement for Portland cement in the production of mortar. The fired clay bricks and glasses were sourced as waste materials and then crushed into powder form. It is then combined and used to partially substitute Portland cement in the mortar at replacement levels of 0, 5, 10, 20, 25, 30, 40 and 50% using a mix ratio of 1:2.75 at 0.5 water-binder ratios. Physical, chemical and morphological characterization was carried out on the pulverized materials. Further, the compressive strength test was carried out on casted 100 mm cube samples after curing by immersion in water. Obtained results revealed the pozzolanic reactivity potential of the blended waste glass and fired clay brick powder due to their amorphousness and high silica content, while also exhibiting similar oxides compositions. Moreover, the obtained compressive strength results of the blended mortar depict improved strength especially at an optimum value of 15% cement substitute with the blended fired clay brick and glass powder compare to the control. It is therefore suggested that blended mix of waste glass and fired clay brick powder with cement can be used in mortar component instead of open disposal in a landfill