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Currently, construction uses a vast array of materials that, while serving the same purpose, differ only slightly in their properties. This complicates the substitution of one material for another, significantly expanding the product range when considering operating conditions, necessitating expanded warehouse space. Therefore, preference should be given to universal materials that, while maintaining the same chemical composition, can change their properties by altering the ratio of their components. This study addresses this issue by evaluating the potential of glass composites containing powdered waste glass as alternatives to selected conventional construction materials. The results demonstrated that the rheological properties of the composites can be effectively controlled by adjusting the ratio of water glass to waste glass powder, enabling the achievement of viscosity values suitable for both plastering and installation mortars. In addition, the composites exhibited markedly higher adhesion strength than conventional gypsum mortars under high-humidity conditions, confirming their applicability as adaptable, substrate-specific materials with geopolymer-like characteristics.

In recent decades, replacing clinker in cement with mineral additives has become increasingly common, and the range of such additives continues to expand. An example is the growing number of cement types defined in European standards. Some of these standards allow the use of fine recycled concrete waste as an active additive in amounts up to 35%.. Finely ground waste glass, whose quantity steadily increases worldwide, can also be classified as an active additive. Due to its relatively high silica content, finely ground waste glass is a potential supplementary cementitious material. However, the high alkali content in glass limits its use in cementitious products to 5–10% of the binder mass. Considering that silicate binders (water glass) with high alkali activity are also used in construction and influence the hydration process of cement, it can be assumed that waste glass likewise has a significant impact on the properties of cement composites, particularly on hardening parameters and the development of mechanical strength. However, scientific literature lacks data on the synergistic effect of alkaline components of finely ground waste glass and water glass on the cement hydration process, its hardening, and the strength of cement products. Therefore, this study aimed to analyze the mechanism of the influence of a glass-based composite, consisting of waste glass additives and water glass, on the physicochemical and mechanical properties of cement composites.

This study investigates the use of waste glass as an active aggregate in glass polymers based on water glass, aiming to enhance the sustainability of construction materials by utilizing recyclable waste. Methodologically, the research employs a combination of water glass as a binder with waste glass, analyzing their chemical interaction and the resulting mechanical properties. The primary findings reveal that the inclusion of finely ground waste glass not only promotes the polycondensation and hardening processes of water glass but also significantly influences the adhesive and cohesive strengths of the developed glass polymers. After 7 days of hardening, the tensile strength of these materials exceeds that of standard concrete with values reaching up to 4.11 MPa, indicating strong adhesion capabilities that could pull out fragments of the concrete substrate. Conclusively, the study underscores the potential of waste glass in improving the structural and economic efficiencies of building materials, contributing to a reduction in landfill waste and offering a promising avenue for the innovative use of recyclable materials in construction.

The concept of the alkaline activity of powdered materials introduced into cement compositions has been proposed, along with methods for its determination. The possibility of using waste glass as an active additive to Portland cement was evaluated from the standpoint of alkaline activity. Replacing the Portland cement component with glass waste in the form of glass powder at amounts from 1 to 35% made it possible to maintain the cement composition’s alkaline activity at a level that met the standard requirements. The previously unknown effects of mixed alkali in Portland cement in the presence of glass waste are described. Portland cement has a high potassium alkaline activity; however, container glass has a high sodium alkaline activity and a fairly low potassium alkaline activity. When glass waste is introduced into the structure of cement compositions, potassium alkaline activity is reduced.

This article presents a study of the effect of water glass and its introduction on the hydration of Portland cement and its properties in plastic and solid states. The introduction of sodium water glass into the mixing water extends the setting time of Portland cement by 35%, while introduction into the cement paste reduces it by 24.4%; for potassium water glass, the respective values are 10.8% and 10.8%. The introduction of sodium water glass into the mixing water decreases its consistency by 17.6%; its introduction into the cement paste reduces its consistency by 97%. Based on microcalorimetric studies and using the modelling method, mechanisms of the processes occurring in the cement paste, for various methods of introducing water glass admixtures, and their influence on the properties of cement are proposed. The important implications of the obtained results are that, using various methods for introducing admixtures of water glass, it is possible to regulate the setting of cement slurries within significant limits that are important during their transportation.

A feature of silicate materials is that they can exist in two antagonistic states—amorphous and crystalline. In both cases, alkalis, which are always present in chemical compositions, play an important role. A feature of alkalis in the composition of silicate materials is that at certain stages of the synthesis of products, they play a positive role, reducing the temperature of synthesis, but worsening the properties of these products at the stage of their operation. Synthesis products should be understood as important building materials such as building glass and cement. It is known that the performance properties of glass and cement can be improved by the extraction of alkalis. In the first part of the article, the issues of extraction of alkalis in amorphous silicate materials-inorganic glasses were considered. This article presents the results of studies on the extraction process of alkalis in crystalline silicate materials-cement.

This paper discusses studies regarding the impact of fine-ground glass additives on the hydration and properties of alumina cement pastes and mortars. Fine-ground glass was added to pastes and mortars instead of high-alumina cement and calcium aluminate cement in quantities of 5% and 10%. The findings are inconclusive as to the impact of glass on the properties of tested alumina cement types. The effect produced via the addition of glass instead of cement depends on the type of alumina cement used. Adding fine-ground glass to high-alumina cement enhances the paste’s density while improving paste and mortar strength. Using the same additive for calcium aluminate cement reduces its density and strength. The addition of glass to high-alumina cement adversely affects its strength at higher temperatures.

The paper determines the properties of geopolymer pastes based on metakaolin and soda-lime waste glass. The density, alkaline activity, strength and microstructure of the reference geopolymer, as well as geopolymers with a 10%, 30% and 50% soda-lime waste glass content instead of metakaolin, were tested. The experimental results indicate that the properties of the geopolymers with waste glass largely depend on the ratio of the liquid to solid substance. Increasing the content of waste glass causes an increase in the fluidity of the geopolymer paste, which in turn allows the amount of water glass, i.e., an activator during the obtaining of geopolymers, to be reduced. On the basis of the conducted tests, it was found that the strength of geopolymers can be increased by adding up to 50% of soda-lime waste glass instead of metakaolin and by having a lower content of water glass.

Application of nano-materials in cement products significantly, improves their properties. Of course, the effectiveness of the materials depends on their quantity and the way they are introduced into the system. So far, amongst nano-materials used in construction, the most preferred was nano-silica. This research investigated the effect of synthetic precipitated nano-silica on the cement hydration as well as, on the physical and mechanical properties of pastes and mortars. Obtained results showed that admixture of nano-silica enhanced flexural and compressive strength of cement after 2 and 28 days, however, only when admixture made up 0.5% and 1.0%. On the other hand, the use of nano-silica in the amount 2% had some limitations, due to its ability to agglomerate, which resulted in deterioration of the rheological and mechanical properties.