The recycling of waste glass is a major problem for municipalities worldwide. The problem concerns especially colored waste glass which, due to its low recycling rate as result of high level of impurity, has mostly been dumped into landfills. In recent years, a new use was found for it: instead of creating waste, it can be recycled as an additive in building materials. The aim of the study was to evaluate the possibility of manufacturing sustainable and self-cleaning cement mortars with use of commercially available nanomaterials and brown soda-lime waste glass. Mechanical and bactericidal properties of cement mortars containing brown soda-lime waste glass and commercially available nanomaterials (amorphous nanosilica and cement containing nanocrystalline titanium dioxide) were analyzed in terms of waste glass content and the effectiveness of nanomaterials. Quartz sand is replaced with brown waste glass at ratios of 25%, 50%, 75% and 100% by weight. Study has shown that waste glass can act as a successful replacement for sand (up to 100%) to produce cement mortars while nanosilica is incorporated. Additionally, a positive effect of waste glass aggregate for bactericidal properties of cement mortars was observed.
In the last decade, nanotechnology has been gathering a spectacular amount of attention in the field of building materials. The incorporation of nanosized particles in a small amount to the building materials can influence their properties significantly. And it can contribute to the creation of novel and sustainable structures. In this work, the effect of nano-Fe3O4 as an admixture (from 1 to 5 wt.% in mass of the cement) on the mechanical and microstructural properties of cementitious composites has been characterised. The study showed that Fe3O4 nanoparticles acted as a filler which improved the microstructure of a cementitious composite and reduced its total porosity, thus increasing the density of the composite. The presence of nanomagnetite did not affect the main hydration products and the rate of cement hydration. In addition, the samples containing nanomagnetite exhibited compressive strength improvement (up to 20 %). The study showed that 3 wt.% of nano-Fe3O4 in the cementitious composite was the optimal amount to improve both its mechanical and microstructural properties.
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