The Use of Waste Glass as Construction Material
1
Introduction
Waste glass is of great concern in some developed countries, particularly in the urban areas. This is because of the amount of waste material generated from both municipal and construction sources, and the lack of waste disposal areas to receive the material. Countries like Japan, the United States of America, and Australia have taken the initiative to invest in the recycling of glass in order to mitigate the ever increasing amount of waste glass generated over the years.
1.1 History of glass
According to (Lee, Jr. 2007), glass can occur naturally as volcanic deposits and fulgurite. It is also be manufactured from silica sand (SiO2) and a mixture of other compounds. Glass containers manufacturing dates back over 3500 years and evolved around 50 AD by the Romans using the mouth-blowing technique to form complex shapes. During this time, the mouthblowing technique transformed multi-coloured transparent glass into many shapes and sizes, but resulted in small quantities which were mostly used as stained window panes in churches (Guardian Glass Time n.d.). Europe was the first continent to benefit from the Italians advanced glass industry in the middle ages. At present, over 1000 chemicals formulas are used in the glass manufacturing industry (Lee, Jr. 2007). During the twentieth century, the modern era of glass brought forth magnificent skyscrapers redefining the skyline. In addition, glass cladding of buildings fulfils functional requirements of lighting, heat retention and energy saving. “The nature of glass – its visual appeal, interplay with light, a sense of openness and harmonious integration with the environment, facilitates interesting and creative uses both in the interiors and exteriors of any building” (Property Bytes 2013).
1.2 Uses of glass in the construction industry
The use of glass in the construction industry has increased over a number of years and recently has been incorporated into the structural elements of load
Introduction
Waste glass is of great concern in some developed countries, particularly in the urban areas. This is because of the amount of waste material generated from both municipal and construction sources, and the lack of waste disposal areas to receive the material. Countries like Japan, the United States of America, and Australia have taken the initiative to invest in the recycling of glass in order to mitigate the ever increasing amount of waste glass generated over the years.
1.1 History of glass
According to (Lee, Jr. 2007), glass can occur naturally as volcanic deposits and fulgurite. It is also be manufactured from silica sand (SiO2) and a mixture of other compounds. Glass containers manufacturing dates back over 3500 years and evolved around 50 AD by the Romans using the mouth-blowing technique to form complex shapes. During this time, the mouthblowing technique transformed multi-coloured transparent glass into many shapes and sizes, but resulted in small quantities which were mostly used as stained window panes in churches (Guardian Glass Time n.d.). Europe was the first continent to benefit from the Italians advanced glass industry in the middle ages. At present, over 1000 chemicals formulas are used in the glass manufacturing industry (Lee, Jr. 2007). During the twentieth century, the modern era of glass brought forth magnificent skyscrapers redefining the skyline. In addition, glass cladding of buildings fulfils functional requirements of lighting, heat retention and energy saving. “The nature of glass – its visual appeal, interplay with light, a sense of openness and harmonious integration with the environment, facilitates interesting and creative uses both in the interiors and exteriors of any building” (Property Bytes 2013).
1.2 Uses of glass in the construction industry
The use of glass in the construction industry has increased over a number of years and recently has been incorporated into the structural elements of load
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