An Experimental Study on the Valorization of Crushed Concrete in Pavement Base and Sub-Base Applications

Due to booming in construction industries mostly in developing countries, the following problems are emerging in solid waste handling like reduction of landfill space, increasing disposal costs, etc. So, it becomes essential to identify the applications that involve the utilization of large volumes of construction and demolition (C&D) waste. This identification is also helpful in conservation of natural resources. Use of C&D waste in high-volume construction projects, besides alleviating the growing disposal problems, offers a promising way to help preserve dwindling naturally available building materials. One of the major components of C&D waste is crushed concrete (CC). This paper presents a laboratory experimental study of CC on its geotechnical aspects and its application in pavement base and sub-base applications. CC is collected from a site nearby EHCC hospital, Jaipur City, which was dumped as waste material. The material has been processed and graded according to size requirement of base and sub-base materials as per ‘MORTH Specifications for Road and Bridge Works, 5th revision’. A laboratory evaluation program is undertaken to determine the physical and engineering properties of CC. It is found that crushed concrete (CC) has a great potential to be used as pavement material based on the results of the experimental study. The present study that includes waste characterization and compaction studies will also open way to other research possibilities using C&D waste.