MAE prof and team develop glass-based concrete mixture for 3D printing

Glass waste can be perfectly recycled without any compensation in its quality. However, this material is the least recycled waste in Singapore.

Thankfully, MAE Professor Tan Ming Jen and his team has found a way to recycle glass waste by using is as a replacement of sand for 3D Printing for a more sustainable 3D printing, especially as the world faces a shortage of sand. They used a mix of recycled glass of different sizes, commercial cement products, water, and extra additives to 3D print their first concrete bench. The bench has passed various tests in terms of strength and buildability with 3D printing.

“Our team has come up with a feasible formula, demonstrating for the first time that glass can indeed be used to 3D-print a bench with excellent structural integrity. The research also exemplifies the concept of a circular economy, as glass is 70% made up of silicon dioxide/silica, which comes from sand." - Professor Tan Ming Jen.