The construction sector is responsible for some of the highest energy and natural resources consumption. In this context, new materials and solutions are created aimed at developing sustainable alternatives. While the literature presents papers that evaluate the mechanical and durability properties of concrete with glass waste powder and account for its environmental impact, no papers have executed the evaluation considering the retrofit of bridges. Furthermore, no papers evaluating the materials, construction, and maintenance could be found. Hence, this study proposes a technical and sustainable solution for the retrofit of the Third Bridge of Vitoria, an important intercity urban connector. This study evaluates both the technical and the environmental performance of structural concrete elements, considering the partial substitution of cement with glass waste powder and a baseline scenario with conventional concrete. The environmental impacts were evaluated through the life cycle assessment tool. The results indicate that incorporating waste glass powder in the prestressed hollow-core slabs as a partial cement replacement can improve the durability-related properties and mitigate environmental impact. It also shows that the manufacturing phase is the most impactful and that glass powder can significantly reduce the impact of maintenance.

The search for the application of alternative materials, that can partially replace cement and increase the service life of concrete structures, is necessary from the environmental and technological point of view. In this context, the partial substitution of cement in concretes by pozzolanic additions can be performed as ternary mixtures, such as the combined incorporation of glass powder and metakaolin, enabling the reduction of cement consumption and the minimisation of the CO₂ emissions and the natural resources consumption. Therefore, this research evaluated the incorporation of glass powder and metakaolin in an isolated and combined way, as partial substitutes for cement in concretes. The compressive strength and the chloride penetration resistance were evaluated by means of electrical resistivity, chloride permeability, steady-state chloride migration test and chloride diffusion test, obtaining the diffusivity and chloride contaminated depth by the colorimetric method. The alkali–silica reactivity test was also conducted, because of the alkali content of the waste glass being higher than the standard requirements. It was concluded that the combined use of ground glass powder and metakaolin in concrete allowed the replacement of up to 20% of the cement, promoting microstructural improvements and increasing properties related to durability and compressive strength already available at 28 days. Furthermore, it increased the estimated service life up to five times, working as an alternative for the reduction of cement use and concrete properties' improvement.

The main cause of concrete structures deterioration is related to the resistance against the penetration of aggressive agents. Aiming at increase the impermeability and reduce the diffusivity of concrete elements, making it less susceptible to the ingress of chloride ions, the use of crystalline catalyst emerges as a good alternative. Its mechanism of autogenous healing enhances the natural pore-filling process of concrete. The aim of this study is to investigate the influence of the use of crystalline catalyst on the chloride ions penetration and service life prediction of concrete. For the concrete mixtures production, it was used blast-furnace slag blended cement, three different water/cement (w/c) ratios (0.45; 0.55; 0.65), with and without crystalline catalyst, totaling six different mixtures. The concrete specimens were cured in a moist chamber and tested at 28 and 91 days. It was performed tests of compressive strength, rapid chloride permeability (ASTM C1202:12), and silver nitrate colorimetric indicator. The results show that, compared to the reference mixture, the use of crystalline catalyst conserved the compressive strength and reduced the chloride ions penetration up to 30%, increasing service life up to 34%.

The incorporation of waste glass as a partial replacement for cement in concrete can provide an alternative destination for the waste, reduce the consumption of cement (minimizing CO2 emissions and consumption of natural resources), and improve the concrete performance. Thus, this research evaluated the performance of concrete incorporating waste glass sludge (GS), resulting from the process of stoning and polishing of soda-lime flat glass, as a supplementary cementing material. Mechanical strength and durability properties were assessed through compressive strength, alkali-silica reactivity, electrical resistivity and chloride permeability, diffusivity and migration tests. Mixtures containing metakaolin (ME) were also evaluated. The results indicated that the use of the waste ground to an adequate size can replace up to 20% of cement. At this content, it caused a reduction of chloride penetration of over 80%, reduced ASR and conserved compressive strength. The combination of waste with metakaolin replacing 20% of cement also improved all the concrete properties, increasing the compressive strength up to 12% at 28 days.

This study aims to evaluate the chloride diffusion coefficient and the service life (SL) of concretes containing metakaolin and high-slag blast-furnace cement (HSBFC). Accelerated methods of chloride ion diffusion and migration (RCPT, RMT, BDT and multiregime test method) were used. To produce the specimens, HSBFC resistant to sulphates (CPIII 40 RS) was partially replaced by metakaolin in the contents of 4%, 8% and 12%. Statistical analysis was performed by means of Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) and Tukey's Test to the chlorides diffusion coefficients obtained from different test methods. Similarity between diffusion by immersion (BDT) and non-stationary migration test (RMT and multiregime method) results was noted, however, with differences regarding to the stationary regime. The average diffusion coefficient obtained in the concrete specimens with 8 and 12% metakaolin as HSBFC partial replacement was 40-45 % lower than the reference mixture, providing an SL increase of approximately 70%. The most efficient metakaolin content obtained for overall mechanical and durability properties of concrete was 8%. This study also showed that HSBFC partial replacement by metakaolin can be beneficial even at later ages, as in 150 days.