Utilization of recycled aggregate of construction and demolition waste as a sustainable material

Abstract

The issues of sustainability are of prime concerns these days as we use large amount of natural resources for producing materials such as concrete. Depletion of natural resources and demand for aggregates has seen an increase, which we need to address in an efficient manner. On the other hand, Construction and Demolition (C&D) waste, which constitutes more than 30% of the solid waste stream in India is not given proper attention and loses its recycling potential. Thus, recycling and reuse of these wastes may reduce the usage of natural resources and it can also serve towards the demand of environment. The most important research findings over the past few years regarding the material aspects on recycled aggregate was stated in this study which involves numerous tests for aggregates in order to compare Recycled Aggregate (RA) and Natural Aggregate (NA). An experimental program was conducted on fresh and hardened concrete made with partial replacement of reclaimed concrete aggregate waste from lab tested concrete samples. The main aim was to understand the proper utilization rate of C&D waste using Recycled aggregate and Recycled aggregate concrete. It also attempts to conduct more focused research on efficient use of RA as a replacement material and to identifies why it is limited to Non-structural applications in India. The practical problems with application of recycled aggregate in concrete are also discussed.