Evaluation of Glass Powder-Based Geopolymer Stabilized Road Bases Containing Recycled Waste Glass Aggregate

Abstract

As the concept of sustainable pavement gains prominence, a growing number of industrial wastes and recycled materials have been utilized in the pavement industry to preserve natural resources. This study investigates the potential use of waste glass powder-based geopolymer cement as a stabilizing agent in recycled waste glass aggregate (GA) bases. Two recycled materials, waste glass powder (GP) and class F fly ash (FF), were used as the raw materials in the preparation of geopolymer. Virgin aggregate (VA) was replaced by GA at varying replacement ratios as the pavement base materials, and the mechanical behaviors before and after geopolymer stabilization were evaluated. Without stabilization, the incorporation of over 10% GA caused significant detrimental effects on the California bearing ratios (CBR) of base materials, which should be carefully managed in pavement construction. However, all geopolymer stabilized samples showed decent strength properties, indicating the effectiveness of geopolymer stabilization. The use of GA reduced the drying shrinkage of base samples, although the mechanical properties were compromised. During the sample preparation, a higher curing temperature and relative humidity resulted in better mechanical behaviors, and the surface of GA could dissolve in alkaline solution and involve in the geopolymerization at 40°C. The microstructure and minerology of geopolymer stabilizer of base materials were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X-ray defraction (XRD) analyses. This study confirmed the promise of using waste glass-based pavement base materials as the greener substitutes and the potential synergy between waste glass recycling and the pavement industry.

The Effect of Various Si/Al, Na/Al Molar Ratios and Free Water on Micromorphology and Macro-Strength of Metakaolin-Based Geopolymer

“…The geopolymer of each system showed excellent durability, especially the resistance to sulfate attack and acid attack [ 9 , 10 ], which was significantly better than traditional cement-based materials. Due to the excellent mechanical strength, fire resistance, corrosion resistance, low thermal conductivity, solidification of heavy metal ions, and energy conservation, its application was no longer limited to the construction field, but began to be used in high-performance composite materials [ 11 ], fireproof and high temperature-resistant materials [ 12 ], rapid repair concrete and subgrade aggregate materials [ 13 , 14 ], waterproof coating materials [ 15 ], the solidification of heavy metal waste [ 16 ], and aerospace and other fields [ 17 ].…”

Sustainable Valorisation of Silane-Treated Waste Glass Powder in Concrete Pavement

“…In addition, some research focused on the replacement of bitumen with glass powder in small ratios up to 10% [38,39]. However, not many studies discussed the incorporation of waste glass powder into concrete pavement in particular [40].…”

The Effect of Fine-Ground Glass on the Hydration Process and Properties of Alumina-Cement-Based Composites

“…Many works have proposed fine-ground glass instead of Portland cement [ 37 , 38 , 39 , 40 , 41 , 42 , 43 , 44 , 45 , 46 , 47 , 48 ] or geopolymer cement [ 49 , 50 , 51 , 52 , 53 , 54 , 55 , 56 ]. However, in the literature, there is a lack of knowledge concerning the influence of fine-ground glass on the properties of alumina cement.…”