Abstract
Social awareness aims to increase practical skills, such as sustainable development, which seeks to increase the use of different types of waste in construction activities. Although insufficient attention is sometimes given to these actions, it is essential to spread information regarding new studies in the field of waste recycling, which encourages and promotes waste use. Reusing and recycling construction waste in the creation of buildings and infrastructure are fundamental strategies to achieving sustainability in the construction and engineering sectors. In this context, the concept of waste would no longer exist, as waste would become a material resource. Therefore, this study analyses the behaviours of two unbound mixed recycled aggregates (MRA) in the structural layers of an unpaved rural road with low traffic (category T43). The sections were built on inappropriate soil (A-7-6) with a high degree of free swelling. The experimental road consisted of three sections: the first was made with natural aggregates (NA) that were used as a control, the second was composed of MRA in the subbase and NA in the base, and the third section was completely composed of MRA. The materials were characterised in the laboratory. The behaviours of the structural layers in the experimental road were determined by controlling compaction (“in situ” density and moisture) and measuring the deflections and load capacity (deflectometer) during the 18 months after construction. The results show that the sections made with recycled aggregates meet the technical specifications required by General Technical Specifications for Road and Bridge Works (PG-3). Therefore, the water-soluble sulphate content and Los Angeles abrasion coefficient limits can be increased for recycled aggregates without compromising the quality of this type of road with low traffic. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study regarding the use of unbound MRA made from construction and demolition waste (CDW) in the construction of an unpaved rural road with low traffic on an expansive clay subgrade.
Highlights
Waste management is an environmental, social and economic problem
A low-traffic unpaved road was built on an expansive clay subgrade
This material was classified as inappropriate according to PG-3 due to its high free swelling
Summary
Waste management is an environmental, social and economic problem. Increasing consumption and the development of economic activities continue to generate large amounts of waste that require greater effort to reduce and prevent. The current trends in waste management systems to replace removal with recycling and valorisation reflect the potential of waste as a resource rather than a problem. In 2012, the total amount of waste generated in the European Union (EU) by household activities amounted to 2514 million tons, Materials 2016, 9, 931; doi:10.3390/ma9110931 www.mdpi.com/journal/materials. Materials 2016, 9, 931 of which 33% (821 million tons) was construction and demolition waste (CDW), which is the largest waste stream generated in the EU. Spain generated a total waste of 119 million tons, of which 22% (26 million tons) was CDW [1]
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