Bricks Made from Glass Residues: a Sustainable Alternative for Construction and Architecture

Abstract

The reuse of glass discarded as waste contributes to minimising pollutants in the environment, especially in water and air, in the first case by reducing the presence of glass in the receiving bodies, and in the second by reducing CO2 emissions into the air by ceasing to manufacture glass. Therefore, the objective of the research was to elaborate bricks having as constituent components cement, coarse sand and recycled glass waste previously conditioned by crushing to a suitable granulometry and characteristics as established in the Peruvian Technical Standard E.070 Masonry for the manufacture of bricks. With 252 kg of the aforementioned material, 180 bricks were made, testing different proportions of constituent material, the best result being 1:3:2 (cement, coarse sand and glass). Bricks were obtained that complied with the characteristics of dimensions, warpage, absorption and compression. The elaboration of this type of bricks will contribute to a sustainable construction activity and an environmentally sustainable architecture.