A research team from Deakin University in Australia are looking into a potential use for old glass by grinding it up to make a type of concrete. The Deakin School of Engineering researchers, led by senior engineering lecturer Dr. Riyadh Al-Ameri, have discovered that ground recycled glass can be used instead of sand when making polymer concrete. Polymer concrete itself substitutes polymer resin for cement as a binding agent and is typically used in applications such as waterproof flooring.

According to the team, the addition of glass created a stronger product that was also less costly to produce because sand has to be mined, washed and graded while the glass does not.

The researchers cite a predicted shortage of natural, mined sands as the impetus for looking into alternatives for concrete. In contrast, while glass can be recycled, small fragments often do not go through the recycling process, leaving a lot of the material to be used in place of the sand.

To read the full article on the Deakin University website, click HERE.