Characterization of Three Types of Recycled Aggregates from Different Construction and Demolition Waste: An Experimental Study for Waste Management

Abstract

Achieving sustainable management and efficient use of natural resources stands out as one of the goals included in the Goals for Sustainable Development in the 2030 Agenda. The construction sector is currently far from presenting an efficient model in terms of treating waste generated by it. Variations in the physical and chemical properties of recycled aggregates coming from construction and demolition waste are one of the main reasons of their limited use in the production of construction materials. This research presents a physicochemical characterization of three different types of recycled aggregates coming from different types of waste: concrete, ceramic and mixed. Physical characterization shows that recycled concrete aggregate has better physical properties compared with mixed recycled aggregate and ceramic recycled aggregate, which makes it more suitable for use in masonry mortars and concrete, due to its higher dry density (2210.33 kg/m3), its lower content of fines (5.17%), its lower friability coefficient (24.60%), and its water absorption coefficient (6.70%). Chemical characterization shows that none of the tested recycled aggregates contains traces of harmful chemical agents that exceed the limits established by the reference regulations. Finally, the statistical analysis shows good homogeneity for these raw materials, obtaining low coefficients of variation and values within the recommended in each of the calculated confidence intervals.

Potential of Waste Material as Coarse Aggregates for Lightweight Concrete Production: A Sustainable Approach

“…Fly ash and ferrochrome ash, which have progressively higher SiO2 and Al2O3 contents, are the sources of C2S [62]. Masilamani et al [114] looked at the physical and mechanical characteristics of steel slag concrete aggregates from Energy Optimized Furnace (EOF) as an alternative to traditional natural aggregates.…”

Characterization and Environmental Evaluation of Recycled Aggregates from Construction and Demolition Waste in Belgrade City Area (Serbia)

“…Although there have arisen disputes on whether the recycling chain causes higher energy consumption than landfilling [22,23], it turns out that processing CDW into added-value products (recycled aggregates) leads to environmental savings mainly through landfill avoidance, landscaping benefits, and nonrenewable resources preservation [16]. Various properties of CDW have been analyzed [12][13][14]17,20], partly comparing to natural aggregates [15,16], which has led to its detailed characterization for many aspects of its use, and classification of recycled aggregates into several types depending on CDW origins [24].…”