Search

The use of recycled concrete aggregate (RCA) from construction and demolition (C&D) waste is a rational way towards better sustainability in the construction industry. By using concentrated solar energy for the heating, thermomechanical beneficiation of concrete waste has been shown here to produce high-quality RCA. In this pioneering study, demolished concrete was heated using solar radiation concentrated through large reflectors and cast iron receivers, and subsequently scrubbed to yield coarse and fine RCA, with properties similar to those of pristine aggregates and much better than those obtained from just mechanical crushing. The concrete produced using these beneficiated aggregates is seen to meet the requirements for typical structural applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reutilisation of the construction and demolition (C&D) wastes as aggregate in concrete is a vital step towards sustainability as it prevents depletion of natural resources as well as alleviates wastes. However, the attached mortar on the aggregate surface renders certain shortcomings like excessive water absorption, high porosity, and weak interfaces. Recycled aggregates can be treated to improve these shortcomings. However, the minimisation of the drawbacks involves huge energy, materials, and cost. Moreover, the efficacy of such adopted method is sometime questionable, and which needs further research. This study demonstrates bio-treatment of recycled coarse aggregate (RCA) as a means of upcycling and compares it with conventional cement slurry treatment. A novel spraying technique has been applied that significantly economises biocement treatment. The experimental results show that biocement treatment reduced the water absorption by 70%. The treatment has filled the pores of RCA and has prevented water absorption. In contrast, cement slurry coating treatment shows increase in water absorption of RCA by 19%. The compressive strength of concrete with 100% biocement treated RCA surpasses that of concrete with natural coarse aggregates. The genesis of this dramatic improvement in case of biocement has been established through micro-scale studies including scanning electron microscopy and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. The cost analysis demonstrates that RCA upcycled with biocement treatment is more economical than natural aggregates or cement treated ones. Findings of the present study led to the conclusion that 100% replacement of natural coarse aggregates can be achieved by upcycling C&D wastes as coarse aggregate through bio-treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Microwave assisted concrete recycling is highlighted by a large number of research groups all over the world due to its potential for significant process benefit. In this paper, systematic experiments are established to study the microwave heating and aggregate recycling of dried and saturated concrete, respectively, investigating the effect of moisture content on heating results. The heating characteristics, cracks propagation, concrete damage and micro-structure variations were demonstrated. The temperature was higher in dried concrete under microwave heating, while the concrete damage and mortar-aggregate interface debonding were firstly occurred in saturated concrete. Recycled aggregates could be obtained by the combinations of mechanical process and microwave treatment in dried sample. While in saturated concrete, aggregates could be easily separated under relatively sufficient microwave power input. The results show that water content has the vital influence on concrete heating and aggregate separation results. The properties of recycled aggregates were tested to evaluate its further applications. The experimental results can provide a new approach to improve the microwave-assisted concrete aggregate recycling efficiency through the increment of water content. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The growing difficulty in obtaining natural coarse aggregates (NCA) for the production of concrete, associated to the environmental issues and social costs that the uncontrolled extraction of natural aggregates creates, led to a search for feasible alternatives. One of the possible paths is to reuse construction and demolition waste (CDW) as aggregates to incorporate into the production of new concrete. Therefore, a vast and detailed experimental campaign was implemented at Instituto Superior Técnico (IST), which aimed at determining the viability of incorporating coarse aggregates from concrete and ceramic brick wall debris, in the production of a new concrete, with properties acceptable for its use in new reinforced and pre-stressed structures. In the experimental campaign different compositions were studied by incorporating pre-determined percentages of recycled coarse concrete aggregates and recycled coarse ceramic plus mortar particles, and the main mechanical, deformability and durability properties were quantified, by comparison with a conventional reference concrete (RC). In this article, these results are presented in terms of the durability performance of concrete, namely water absorption, carbonation and chlorides penetration resistance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]