STUDIA UBB CHEMIA, LXII, 4, Tom II, 2017 (p. 343-356) (RECOMMENDED CITATION) DOI:10.24193/subbchem.2017.4.29 STUDY OF (PB, BA) - CRT GLASS WASTE BEHAVIOUR AS A PARTIAL AGGREGATE REPLACEMENT IN CEMENT MORTARS LILIANA HORNEA a , MARIA GOREA b , NICOLAE HAR a * Abstract: This study investigates the usability of the cathode ray tube (CRT) glass waste in a binder system. The raw materials – glass waste, river sand and cement were characterised. CRT waste was added in the amount of 30, 40 to 50 weight percent, as replacement for river sand. Glass chemical composition shows a high content in lead and alkaline oxides. Mortar prisms were prepared and kept under humid conditions. The mechanical properties were studied after 7, 28 and 90 days respectively. SEM with additional EDS was used in order to investigate the microstructure of the samples. All the samples containing glass waste achieved higher compressive strength than the control mortar. After 14, 28 and 42 days of maintaining the mortar in water no evidence of Pb was detected in the solutions. Key words: cement, mortar, CRT glass waste, compressive strength INTRODUCTION It is well known that the process of recycling represents the trend of the modern world. This process is closely related to the quantity of products removed from the market [1-5]. The electronic and electro-technical fields go through changes every day since the beginning of rapid technological achievements [6]. Good examples are computer monitors and TV sets that are composed of cathode ray tube (CRT) glass. If 25 years ago, these products were recycled, being used to create new devices, at present, their market demand is non-existent, given the superiority of liquid crystal display (LCD) and light emitting diode (LED) technology [7]. a Babeş-Bolyai University, Faculty of Biology and Geology, Kogălniceanu str., 1, RO-400084 Cluj-Napoca, Romania. E-mail: liliana.hornea@gmail.com; nicolae.har@bioge.ubbcluj.ro b Babeş-Bolyai University, Faculty of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, 11 Arany Janos str., RO- 400028, Cluj-Napoca, Romania, mgorea@chem.ubbcluj.ro *Corresponding author: nicolae.har@bioge.ubbcluj.ro