UBC-Okanagan researchers develop new concrete with glass
Shahria Alam and Anant Pargh's concrete is up to 60% stronger than previous forms
Glass wasting away in Kelowna's landfill may have new life, thanks to some UBC-Okanagan researchers.
Associate professor of engineering Shahria Alam and PhD student Anant Parghi have created concrete made using glass, and they say it's up to 60 per cent stronger than previous glass-using forms.
A UBC release says researchers have been doing experiments for some time adding powdered glass to concrete because it can partially replace the cement normally needed to make concrete.
"Cement is a … contributor of making large amounts of greenhouse gas emissions because its production is related to a huge amount of fossil fuel," Alam told Radio West host Audrey McKinnon.
"We wanted to see if we could replace it and make concrete a little bit greener."
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The challenge is that glass usually causes a reaction when it's added to concrete. It expands and causes what's called "concrete cancer," and makes the concrete crack and degrade.
According to the release, by adding a water-based, synthetic rubber polymer, fly ash, and silica powder to the concrete, Alam and Parghi were able to neutralize the concrete cancer and cut out 25 percent of the cement used in their concrete.
"Twenty-five percent replacement is quite a big amount," Alam said. "This is the most-used construction material on earth. So 25 per cent consumption can take lots of glass from the landfill."
Alam says the next step is to conduct long-term durability testing on the concrete, which will take about a year.
With files from CBC Radio One's Radio West
To hear the full story, click the audio labelled: Fragile as glass? Researchers develop new concrete with glass as a main ingredient