An Experimental Study on the Impact of Incorporating Glass on the Photocatalytic Capacity of Concrete Blocks

Abstract. Today’s world is more concerned about the preservation of natural sources. Consumption of less amount of natural resources in construction activities is equally important as energy saving after construction. To combine both the aspects, one such thing tried in this work is translucent concrete. As everyone knows, concrete is termed as traditional material for a building. The important property hidden in this concrete is light emission. When light hits the concrete, some amount light gets transmitted to the other side of concrete. This characteristic is achievable when optical fibers are included in concrete. Optical fiber is a medium where it is associated with the transmission of information as light pulses along the fiber. In addition, the use of glass as a coarse aggregate is also studied and it also plays a major role in strength of the concrete. Concrete blocks containing glass particles as a partial replacement for coarse aggregates are casted and tested for mechanical properties and light transmission. Results shows the blocks transfer light in an efficient manner without major changes in the strength aspects.