Performance and microstructure of concrete containing green and LCD glass sand as fine aggregates

Sung-Ching Chen

doi:10.2478/msp-2026-0005

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Performance and microstructure of concrete containing green and LCD glass sand as fine aggregates

Materials Science-Poland

Volume 44 (2026): Issue 1 (March 2026)

By: Sung-Ching Chen

Open Access

|Apr 2026

Figures & Tables

The natural accumulation of fine aggregates. (a) RS, (b) MS, (c) GG, and (d) TG.

XRD Atlas of two types of glass sand and river sand.

SEM Image of fine aggregate. (a) RS, (b) MS, (c) GG, and (d) TG.

Appearance of the specimen after sulfate attack. (a) RS, (b) MS, (c) GG20, and (d) TG20.

Drying shrinkage of concrete up to 180 days.

Different kinds of concrete water absorption.

Different kinds of concrete resistivity.

Integral curves for the distribution of pore sizes in different concrete.

Differential curve of pore size distribution of different concrete.

Pore size distribution of different concrete specimens.

SEM images of RS at (a) 3 days and (b) 28 days.

SEM images of MS at (a) 3 days and (b) 28 days.

SEM images of GG20 at (a) 3 days and (b) 28 days.

SEM images of TG20 at (a) 3 days and (b) 28 days.

Particle size distributions of fine aggregates_

Sieve size (mm)	1.18	0.60	0.30	0.15	0.075
RS (%)	33.0	54.7	80.2	95.4	99.0
MS (%)	35.0	46.6	87.6	98.3	99.6
GG (%)	25.1	49.1	80.5	81.8	98.4
TG (%)	31.5	50.3	75.0	91.6	98.2

The performance index of waste glass_

Aggregates	The specific gravity (SSD)	The water absorption (%)	Fineness modulus (F.M.)	Crush index (%)
River sand (RS)	1.7	1.5	2.5	11.8
Manufactured sand (MS)	1.5	1.8	2.6	5.4
Green glass (GG)	1.2	0.2	2.3	17.6
TFT glass (TG)	1.3	0.1	2.4	18.3

Test items and referenced standards

Test method	Specimen dimensions (mm) and types	Referenced standards
Methylene blue test	Fine aggregates	ASTM C 144-03 [33]
Slump test	Concrete mixture	GB/T 50080-2016 [34]
Flexural strength test	150 × 150 × 550 (concrete)	GB/T 50081-2019 [28]
Compressive strength test	150 × 150 × 150 (concrete)	GB/T 50081-2019 [28]
Dry shrinkage test	100 × 100 × 515 (concrete)	GB/T 50082-2009 [29]
Impermeability test	The upper diameter is 175 mm, the lower diameter is 185 mm, and the height is 150 mm (concrete)	GB/T 50082-2009 [29]
Sulfate resistance test	100 × 100 × 100 (concrete)	GB/T 50082-2009 [29]
Alkali aggregate reaction	25 × 25 × 280 (mortar)	JGJ 52-2006 [31]
Absorption test	100 × 100 × 100 (concrete)	GB/T 50081-2019 [28]
Surface resistivity test	150 × 150 × 150 (concrete)	ASTM D257-14 [30]
MIP	10 × 10 × 10 (paste)	ASTM D4404-10 [35]
SEM	<10 mm fragments (paste)	ASTM C1723-10 [36]

Impermeability of concrete

Mix no.	Impermeability grade	Penetration height (mm)
RS	P12	67
MS	P12	96
GG20	P12	83
TG20	P12	74

Concrete pore size distribution at 28 days

Mix no.	Porosity (%)	Average pore diameter (nm) (%)	Probable pore diameter (nm)	Pore size distribution (%)
Mix no.	Porosity (%)	Average pore diameter (nm) (%)	Probable pore diameter (nm)	<20 nm	20–50 nm	50–200 nm	>200 nm
RS	11.02	37.02	40.26	20.01	21.23	27.12	31.64
MS	15.51	40.12	40.27	22.72	22.58	26.21	28.49
GG20	12.43	27.84	32.40	28.22	23.32	25.86	22.60
TG20	12.09	30.21	38.26	24.24	22.86	25.91	26.99

Chemical compositions of fine aggregates (wt%)

Component	Al₂O₃	SiO₂	Fe₂O₃	MgO	K₂O	CaO	Na₂O	BaO	SrO	Cr₂O₃	Other	Loss
RS	6.4	84.3	1.8	0.4	0.3	3.1	—	—	—	—	3.5	0.2
MS	14.3	46.7	17.9	4.0	1.6	8.7	3.1	—	—	—	3.3	0.3
GG	3.0	66.6	2.3	1.8	0.9	10.6	12.6	—	—	0.5	1.2	0.5
TG	2.5	56.2	1.4	0.2	7.3	0.8	7.7	10.6	11.1	—	2.0	0.2

The properties of coarse aggregate_

Project	Apparent density (kg/m³)	Bulk density (kg/m³)	Crush index (%)	Needle content (%)	Water absorption (%)
Gravel	2,710	1,840	5.0	3.6	1.5

The physical properties of cement_

Property	Value
Specific surface area (m³/kg)	358
Initial setting time (min)	151
Final setting time (min)	220
28 day compressive strength (MPa)	48.6
28 day flexural strength (MPa)	8.5

Slump of concrete

Mix no.	Slump (mm)	Cohesion	Water retention
RS	83	Good	None
MS	58	Good	None
GG20	64	Good	None
TG20	71	Good	None

Accumulated sieve allowance of gravel_

Sieve size (mm)	Sieve size (mm)
Sieve size (mm)	2.5	5.0	10	16	20	25
Gravel (%)	99.8	78.2	53.4	21.5	2.3	0

j_msp-2026-0005_tab_001

Symbol/Abbreviation	Definition	Unit
ASR	Alkali–silica reaction	—
C–S–H	Calcium silicate hydrate	—
GG	Green Glass	—
ITZ	Interfacial transition zone	—
K _f	Sulfate resistance coefficient	%
LCD	Liquid crystal display	—
MIP	Mercury intrusion porosimetry	—
MS	Manufactured sand	—
RS	River sand	—
SEM	Scanning electron microscopy	—
SSD	Saturated surface dry	—
TG	LCD Glass	—
ρ	Electrical resistivity	kΩ cm
ф	Porosity	%

Chemical composition of cementitious materials (wt%)_

CaO	SiO₂	Al₂O₃	Fe₂O₃	MgO	TiO₂	SO₃	Other	Loss
56.5	23.1	7.6	3.4	1.9	0.7	2.2	2.8	1.8

Mechanical properties of concrete (average value ± standard deviation)

Mix no.	Compressive strength (MPa)			Flexural strength (MPa)
Mix no.	3 days	14 days	28 days	3 days	14 days	28 days
RS	29.4 ± 1.0	40.2 ± 1.1	46.3 ± 0.9	3.6 ± 0.3	4.3 ± 0.3	4.9 ± 0.4
MS	30.2 ± 1.4	42.4 ± 0.8	48.4 ± 0.6	3.9 ± 0.3	5.1 ± 0.5	5.6 ± 0.4
GG20	32.1 ± 1.1	46.1 ± 1.0	51.8 ± 0.8	4.3 ± 0.4	5.5 ± 0.2	6.1 ± 0.3
TG20	30.8 ± 1.5	45.3 ± 1.2	50.1 ± 1.1	4.1 ± 0.2	5.2 ± 0.3	5.9 ± 0.4

Sulfate resistance of concrete (after 15 wet-dry cycles)

Mix no.	Compressive strength (MPa)		Sulfate resistance coefficient (%)
Mix no.	Control specimen	Sulfate wetting-drying cycle	Sulfate resistance coefficient (%)
RS	42.6	47.0	90.5
MS	45.1	52.4	86.0
GG20	50.3	57.2	87.9
TG20	47.1	53.1	88.6

Mixture proportions of concretes (kg/m3)

Mix no.	Cement	River sand	Manufactured sand	Green glass	TFT glass	Gravel	Water
RS	413	658	—	—	—	1,209	178
MS	413	—	658	—	—	1,209	178
GG20	413	—	526	132	—	1,209	178
TG20	413	—	526	—	132	1,209	178

Stone powder content of mixed sand

Mix no.	MB	Stone powder (%)
RS	0.2	1.02
MS	1.3	2.20
GG20	1.0	1.61
TG20	0.9	1.53

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DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/msp-2026-0005 | Journal eISSN: 2083-134X | Journal ISSN: 2083-1331

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Language: English

Page range: 67 - 82

Submitted on: Jan 14, 2026

Accepted on: Apr 1, 2026

Published on: Apr 21, 2026

Published by: Wroclaw University of Science and Technology

In partnership with: Paradigm Publishing Services

Publication frequency: 4 issues per year

Keywords:

Green waste glass,

LCD glass sand,

Manufactured sand concrete,

Mechanical properties,

Durability,

Microstructure

Related subjects:

Materials sciences,

Materials sciences, other,

Nanomaterials,

Functional and smart materials,

Materials characterization and properties

© 2026 Sung-Ching Chen, published by Wroclaw University of Science and Technology
This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 License.

Volume 44 (2026): Issue 1 (March 2026)

Performance and microstructure of concrete containing green and LCD glass sand as fine aggregates

Figures & Tables

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Figure 6

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Figure 8

Figure 9

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Figure 17

Figure 18

Particle size distributions of fine aggregates_

The performance index of waste glass_

Test items and referenced standards

Impermeability of concrete

Concrete pore size distribution at 28 days

Chemical compositions of fine aggregates (wt%)

The properties of coarse aggregate_

The physical properties of cement_

Slump of concrete

Accumulated sieve allowance of gravel_

j_msp-2026-0005_tab_001

Chemical composition of cementitious materials (wt%)_

Mechanical properties of concrete (average value ± standard deviation)

Sulfate resistance of concrete (after 15 wet-dry cycles)

Mixture proportions of concretes (kg/m3)

Stone powder content of mixed sand

Paradigm

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