Comprehensive study on the most sustainable concrete design made of recycled concrete, glass and mineral wool from C&D wastes

• Published in: Construction & building materials Vol. 273; p. 121697
• Main Authors: Gebremariam, Abraham T., Vahidi, Ali, Di Maio, Francesco, Moreno-Juez, J., Vegas-Ramiro, I., Łagosz, Artur, Mróz, Radosław, Rem, Peter
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier Ltd 01-03-2021
• Subjects: Circularity; Construction and demolition wastes; Mineral additions; Mineral fibers; Recycled aggregates; Recycled glass; Recycling concrete; Sustainability; PSD; RGU; Recycled glass; EoL; RCU; Recycled aggregates; RMF; RFA; RCA; C2CA; Mineral fibers; HCP; Sustainability; CDW; Circularity; Mineral additions; SEM; Construction and demolition wastes; Recycling concrete
• ISSN: 0950-0618; 1879-0526
• DOI: 10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2020.121697

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•The use of clean RCA and RFA in new concrete is a viable solution to assure circularity in the built environment.•RCA and RFA can totally replace natural aggregates and sand, despite high water absorption.•Recycled ultrafines are recommended as additives instead of cement replacement.•Addition of RMF improves the tensile strength and modulus of elasticity of recycled concrete.•RMF affect the workability of a concrete and are recommended at lower doses.
This study focuses on formulating the most sustainable concrete by incorporating recycled concrete aggregates and other products retrieved from construction and demolition (C&D) activities. Both recycled coarse aggregates (RCA) and recycled fine aggregates (RFA) are firstly used to fully replace the natural coarse and fine aggregates in the concrete mix design. Later, the cement rich ultrafine particles, recycled glass powder and mineral fibres recovered from construction and demolition wastes (CDW) are further incorporated at a smaller rate either as cement substituent or as supplementary additives. Remarkable properties are noticed when the RCA (4–12 mm) and RFA (0.25–4 mm) are fully used to replace the natural aggregates in a new concrete mix. The addition of recycled cement rich ultrafines (RCU), Recycled glass ultrafines (RGU) and recycled mineral fibres (RMF) into recycled concrete improves the modulus of elasticity. The final concrete, which comprises more than 75% (wt.) of recycled components/materials, is believed to be the most sustainable and green concrete mix. Mechanical properties and durability of this concrete have been studied and found to be within acceptable limits, indicating the potential of recycled aggregates and other CDW components in shaping sustainable and circular construction practices.