Construction and demolition waste management in Korea: recycled aggregate and its application

Construction and demolition waste generated in the Republic of Korea accounts for about half of the annual waste. The generation of construction waste is expected to increase gradually due to obsolete structures and reconstructions that have reached the end of their service life. Considering the geographical characteristics of Korea, where the land area is small and about 70% of which is mountainous, landfilling of waste is absolutely limited. Therefore, resource circulation such as recycling of construction waste is an urgent and important task. This paper overviews the current status of construction waste generation, treatment, and the flow of government policies in Korea. Furthermore, the current status, limitations, and stakeholder efforts regarding recycling of recycled aggregate from construction waste were reviewed. Data used in this paper were mostly collected from government reports, construction waste regulations, and research papers. The results show that construction waste management systems have been enacted and revised in line with social needs, and each stakeholder is making an effort to use the construction waste practically. The findings can provide valuable examples for countries that lack construction waste management systems.

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Performance evaluation of structural concrete using controlled quality coarse and fine recycled concrete aggregate

This paper presents the fresh, mechanical, and durability performance, of a structural concrete mix classified as C-1, by the Canadian Standards Association (CSA) made with controlled quality Recycled Concrete Aggregate (RCA). Five mixes with water-to-cementing material (w/cm) ratio of 0.40 were produced with various RCA contents and tested against two 0% RCA control mixes made with General Use (GU) cement, and General Use Limestone cement (GUL). The RCA contents in the mixes were 10%, 20%, and 30% by coarse aggregate volume replacement, as well as 10% and 20% fine and coarse (granular) aggregate volume replacement. All evaluated mixes met the specifications from the CSA for fresh, mechanical, and durability properties. The coarse RCA mixes performed better than the granular RCA mixes in terms of flexural and splitting tensile strengths, linear drying shrinkage, water sorptivity, and rapid chloride-ion permeability, where the test results were significantly affected by the ultra fines present in the granular RCA.     

Properties of recycled aggregate concrete made with recycled aggregates with different amounts of old adhered mortars

This paper presents the experimental results of a study on comparing the difference in properties of recycled aggregates (RAs) with varying amounts of old adhered mortar obtained from different sources and evaluating the influence of the different RAs on the mechanical and durability properties of recycled aggregate concrete (RAC). Four concrete mixes (one with natural aggregate and three others with recycled aggregates) with 28 day target compressive strength varying from 30 MPa to 80 MPa are designed by using each RA to fully replace NA. The properties of RAC are also modeled by using the artificial neural networks (ANN) method.The experimental results show that the performance of RAs from different sources varied greatly and RA of good quality can be used to produce high strength concrete with hardened properties comparable to those of the corresponding natural aggregate concrete (NAC). The comparison of the predicted results based on the ANN models and the experimental values indicated that the ANN method could be used to evaluate the properties of RAC made with RAs derived from different sources. This will facilitate the wider application of RA in concrete.     

Mixture optimization of cement treated demolition waste with recycled masonry and concrete

Due to environmental reasons and the shortage of natural resources, it is greatly valuable to recycle construction and demolition waste (CDW) as much as possible. One of effective ways to reuse more CDW is to produce a cemented road base material. The recycled CDW however is a mix of recycled masonry and concrete with a wide variation in composition. This implies that the mechanical properties of cement treated demolition waste are not only determined by cement content and degree of compaction, but also by the ratio of crushed masonry content to crushed concrete content. In order to optimize its mixture proportioning, this paper explores the response surface and contour plot of the combined effect of mixture variables on the mechanical properties including the unconfined compressive strength (UCS), the elastic modulus (E) and their ratio. It has been recognized that optimizing the mixture proportioning of cement treated demolition waste should not only consider its material properties, but also needs to take into account its structural behavior as a pavement layer. Analytical results indicate that increasing the degree of compaction is an economic technique to obtain the required strength, but it is not an efficient method to enhance the admissible elastic strain (the ratio of UCS to E) and to improve the flexural rigidity of the road base layer. Obtaining a desired low flexural rigidity certainly needs adjusting of the masonry content and the cement content.     

Mechanical properties and size effects in lightweight mortars containing expanded perlite aggregate

The study presented here investigates the effect of density in cementitious mortar on its mechanical properties under quasi-static loading. The reduction in density was achieved through the addition of expanded perlite as a lightweight aggregate into cement paste by volume replacement of cement in the ratio from 0 to 8. This yielded a range of densities between 1000 and 2000 kg/m³. The compressive and flexural response of these mixes were determined for geometrically scaled specimens to study the size effect. Some mixes were reinforced with polymer microfibres and the Mode I fracture toughness parameters were evaluated through flexural testing of notched beams. When compared with a reference Portland cement paste, the compressive strength and elastic modulus scaled as the cube of the density, while the fracture toughness varied linearly with it. The study shows that the specimen size effect on compressive and flexural strength decreases with a drop in the density of the mix and also with fibre reinforcement. On the other hand, the specimen size effect on the critical crack mouth opening displacement was more pronounced at lower densities.     

Determination of construction and demolition recycled aggregates composition,in considering their heterogeneity

This paper analyzes the influence of the mass sample and the sampling procedure on the composition determination error of recycled aggregates from construction and demolition (C&D) waste, as well as the criterion of classification of mineral materials, establishing new standard recommendations. The precise composition determination depends on the mass sample as stated by the Theory of Sampling. This mass should be higher than that recommended by the EN 932-1, especially for the determination of foreign materials such as gypsum and organic materials. Special sampling procedures should be considered. By the application of the oven-dry density distribution criterion the concrete aggregate studied could fulfill the requirements for concrete use due to a more accurate quantification of particles denser than 2.0 g/cm³ compared to the visual analysis. Thus, the use of such criterion results in a more objective and a better comprehensible classification.     

On the classification of mixed construction and demolition waste aggregate by porosity and its impact on the mechanical performance of concrete

The properties of recycled aggregate produced from mixed (masonry and concrete) construction and demolition (C&D) waste are highly variable, and this restricts the use of such aggregate in structural concrete production. The development of classification techniques capable of reducing this variability is instrumental for quality control purposes and the production of high quality C&D aggregate. This paper investigates how the classification of C&D mixed coarse aggregate according to porosity influences the mechanical performance of concrete. Concretes using a variety of C&D aggregate porosity classes and different water/cement ratios were produced and the mechanical properties measured. For concretes produced with constant volume fractions of water, cement, natural sand and coarse aggregate from recycled mixed C&D waste, the compressive strength and Young modulus are direct exponential functions of the aggregate porosity. Sink and float technique is a simple laboratory density separation tool that facilitates the separation of cement particles with lower porosity, a difficult task when done only by visual sorting. For this experiment, separation using a 2.2 kg/dm3 suspension produced recycled aggregate (porosity less than 17%) which yielded good performance in concrete production. Industrial gravity separators may lead to the production of high quality recycled aggregate from mixed C&D waste for structural concrete applications.     

Mechanical behaviour and thermal conductivity of mortars containing waste rubber particles

In the present paper an investigation of mechanical behaviour and thermal conductivity of a lightened building material containing either styrene butadiene rubber (SBR) or polyurethane (PU) waste particles or scraps coming from wasted rubber-shoe outsoles (SR, acronym of ‘sole rubber’) is presented. Several mortar mixtures were prepared by replacing quartz sand with 0%, 10%, and 30% of either SBR or PU or SR waste particles. The influence of rubber particle addition on fresh mortar behaviour, compressive and flexural strength of mortar as well as on mortar thermal conductivity was detected. An optimization of mortar mixture proportions was carried out by adding a limestone powder as filler. The experimental investigation showed that the addition of rubber particles reduces both the material unit weight and the thermal conductivity. The thermal insulating effect of rubber particles indicates a high and promising potential for future developments. On the other hand, the addition of limestone powder produced higher thermal conductivity as well as higher compressive and flexural strength.     

Factorial design used to model the compressive strength of mortars containing recycled rubber

This paper presents results from an investigation on the potential use of waste vulcanized rubber scrap (WRS) particles as aggregate in construction mortars. The investigation was carried out using a 3² factorial design of experiments and the response surface methodology. Mortar mixtures were prepared using WRS as fine aggregate (10, 20 and 30 vol.%) with water/cement ratios of 0.52, 0.55 and 0.60. Fresh mortar consistency index and hardened mortar 28-day compressive strength were evaluated. The influence of the WRS content on the physical and mechanical properties was established, and the suitability of WRS use in a mortar application was demonstrated.     

Development of an automatic sorting robot for construction and demolition waste

Clean Technologies and Environmental Policy - An automatic sorting robot is designed in this report. The system makes use of height maps and near-infrared (NIR) hyperspectral images to locate the...     

Experimental investigation of drying shrinkage cracking of composite mortars incorporating crushed tile fine aggregate

Drying shrinkage is generally classified as an important hardened concrete property. It expresses the strain occurring in hardened concrete due to the loss of water. During the drying process, free and absorbed water is lost from the concrete. When the drying shrinkage is restrained, cracks can occur, depending on the internal stresses in the concrete. The ingress of deleterious materials through these cracks can cause decrease in the compressive strength and the durability of concrete. In this study, being as a fine aggregate in mortars, crushed tile (CT) effect on drying shrinkage and drying shrinkage cracking is investigated. Thus, compressive and flexural strength, modulus of elasticity, and free and restrained drying shrinkage tests are conducted on mortar specimens produced with and without crushed tile fine aggregate. The ring test has been used in order to investigate the cracks induced by restrained drying shrinkage. In this way, free drying shrinkage strain, along with the number and development of drying shrinkage cracks, of the crushed tile fine aggregate mortar composites are quantified and observed.     

Utilization of recycled glass derived from cathode ray tube glass as fine aggregate in cement mortar

Rapid advances in the electronic industry led to an excessive amount of early disposal of older electronic devices such as computer monitors and old televisions (TV) before the end of their useful life. The management of cathode ray tubes (CRT), which have been a key component in computer monitors and TV sets, has become a major environmental problem worldwide. Therefore, there is a pressing need to develop sustainable alternative methods to manage hazardous CRT glass waste. This study assesses the feasibility of utilizing CRT glass as a substitute for natural aggregates in cement mortar. The CRT glass investigated was an acid-washed funnel glass of dismantled CRT from computer monitors and old TV sets. The mechanical properties of mortar mixes containing 0%, 25%, 50%, 75% and 100% of CRT glass were investigated. The potential of the alkali-silica reaction (ASR) and leachability of lead were also evaluated. The results confirmed that the properties of the mortar mixes prepared with CRT glass was similar to that of the control mortar using sand as fine aggregate, and displayed innocuous behaviour in the ASR expansion test. Incorporating CRT glass in cement mortar successfully prevented the leaching of lead. We conclude that it is feasible to utilize CRT glass in cement mortar production.     

The effect of replacing sand with aggregate from sanitary ceramic waste on the durability of stucco mortars

Clean Technologies and Environmental Policy - During processing and transport, the ceramic industry generates big amounts of waste. In order to limit the number of landfills and to minimise...     

Static mechanical properties of waste rests of recycled rubber and high quality recycled rubber from crumbed tyres used as aggregate in dry consistency concretes

The following research is focused on establishing the differences in the re-use as aggregate in dry consistency concretes of two types of rubber obtained in the process of Tyre recycling, recycled rubber from tyres (RRT): granulated sizes (4–8 mm) of high quality recycled rubber (HQRR) and the waste of the recycling process: steel and textile fibers with rubber tracks (waste from recycled rubber, WRR). Both types were classified and added as aggregate in substitution of coarse aggregates from 20 to 100 % by volume. The physical and mechanical behavior of WRR in concretes was compared with reference concrete and series with HQRR for a future use in precast concrete pieces. In both samples a reduction of mechanical resistance occurs in proportion with the amounts of rubber of substitution, but less in serials with WRR with a successful combination of steel and textile fiber. WRR shows furthermore a reduction in properties such as workability and density, but also an increment in porosity. These facts facilitate new options for waste from RRT in concretes and therefore lower energy costs, achieving a success rate in the recycling process close to 100 %.     

Performance evaluation of asphalt mixtures containing recycled concrete aggregates

Abstract

To evaluate the feasibility of using Recycled Concrete Aggregates (RCA) in asphalt mixtures, the coarse RCA and fine RCA were prepared as a partial replacement of the natural aggregates (NA). Different amounts of replacement of NA with RCA were investigated, and the mechanical properties and pavement performance of asphalt mixtures containing different proportions of RCA were analysed based on laboratory tests. The results indicated that with increasing the RCA percentage, the optimum asphalt content increased and the bulk density of mixtures decreased as well. Mixtures containing 40% coarse RCA or 20% fine RCA both showed satisfactory performance. Besides, the mixture containing 40% fine RCA had the highest asphalt content, but gave much better performance compared to the virgin mix except for its bad resistance to permanent deformation. Finally, the pavement performance of mixtures containing 60% coarse RCA and 50% coarse RCA were unacceptable.     

Effect of recycled coarse aggregate on damage of recycled concrete

This study evaluates the possibility of measuring the damage of the recycled concrete. In this way, two conventional concretes with a w/c ratio of 0.55 and 0.65 were designed. Based on them, six recycled concretes with different percentages of replacement of natural coarse aggregates with recycled coarse aggregate (20, 50 and 100%) were obtained. To take into account the high absorption capacity of the recycled aggregates, before using them they were pre-wetted for 10 min. The results concluded that scalar damage mechanics (based on the variations of the elastic modulus) and volumetric strains curves can be use to quantify the damage of the recycled concrete. The results from both approaches indicated that the damage to concrete depended on the percentage of replacement, increasing with higher replacement percentages. Additionally, values of the damage, that are quantified using the critical stress and according to the scalar damage mechanics, are given.     

Assessing relationships among properties of demolished concrete, recycled aggregate and recycled aggregate concrete using regression analysis

Recycled demolished concrete (DC) as recycled aggregate (RA) and recycled aggregate concrete (RAC) is generally suitable for most construction applications. Low-grade applications, including sub-base and roadwork, have been implemented in many countries; however, higher-grade activities are rarely considered. This paper examines relationships among DC characteristics, properties of their RA and strength of their RAC using regression analysis. Ten samples collected from demolition sites are examined. The results show strong correlation among the DC samples, properties of RA and RAC. It should be highlighted that inferior quality of DC will lower the quality of RA and thus their RAC. Prediction of RAC strength is also formulated from the DC characteristics and the RA properties. From that, the RAC performance from DC and RA can be estimated. In addition, RAC design requirements can also be developed at the initial stage of concrete demolition. Recommendations are also given to improve the future concreting practice.     

掺超细羰基铁粉的导电功能集料制备与性能

将超细羰基铁粉按一定比例与经粉磨处理的粘土粉等原材料混合,压制成型后经煅烧、破碎制备得到了导电功能集料;采用XRD、SEM等测试手段研究了导电功能集料的矿物相及微观结构,同时对其导电性能、气孔率和吸水率,以及其对碳纤维混凝土导电性能所起的作用等进行了研究。结果表明,超细羰基铁粉可作为导电相存在于陶质基体之中,电子通过隧道跃迁效应而在铁粉微粒间形成电流,6.5%的体积掺量是形成导电通路的逾渗阈值;超细羰基铁粉在煅烧过程中通过影响液相的形成而影响集料的气孔率和吸水率等;在同样碳纤维掺量下,导电功能集料与普通不导电集料相比可显著降低混凝土的体积电阻率。     

Utilization of ceramic waste as fine aggregate within Portland cement and fly ash concretes

The aim of this research work was to investigate the feasibility of using ceramic waste and fly ash to produce mortar and concrete. Ceramic waste fragments obtained from local industry were crushed and sieved to produce fine aggregates. The measured concrete properties demonstrate that while workability was reduced with increasing ceramic waste content for Portland cement concrete and fly ash concrete, the workability of the fly ash concrete with 100% ceramic waste as fine aggregate remained sufficient, in contrast to the Portland cement control concrete with 100% ceramic waste where close to zero slump was measured. The compressive strength of ceramic waste concrete was found to increase with ceramic waste content and was optimum at 50% for the control concrete, dropping when the ceramic waste content was increased beyond 50%. This was a direct consequence of having a less workable concrete. However, the compressive strength in the fly ash concrete increased with increasing ceramic waste content up to 100%. The benefits of using ceramic waste as fine aggregate in concrete containing fly ash were therefore verified.