Green Recycled Aggregate in Concrete: Feasibility Study.

Area of Science:

• Civil Engineering
• Materials Science
• Environmental Science

Background:

• Growing concrete production exacerbates CO2 emissions and natural resource depletion.
• Construction and demolition waste (CDW) presents a significant environmental challenge.
• There is a critical need for sustainable materials in the construction industry.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the feasibility of using recycled aggregates (RA) from CDW in concrete (RAC).
• To compare the sustainability of RAC against concrete made with natural aggregates (NA) and light artificial aggregates (LA).
• To evaluate RAC based on environmental, economic, public perception, aggregate quality, and concrete performance.

Main Methods:

• Life cycle assessment (LCA) framework.
• Proprietary scoring method for aggregate characteristics.
• Multidimensional analysis incorporating AI-assisted literature review.
• Evaluation of environmental, economic, public perception, aggregate quality, and concrete performance indicators.

Main Results:

• Recycled aggregates (RA) significantly outperformed NA and LA in environmental (over 80%), economic (over 65%), and public perception (over 80%) assessments.
• RA ranked second to NA in aggregate quality and concrete performance, with LA performing lowest.
• Recycled aggregate concrete (RAC) demonstrates satisfactory sustainability compared to natural aggregate concrete (NAC).

Conclusions:

• Recycled aggregate concrete (RAC) supports the circular economy by reducing waste, emissions, and resource consumption.
• Hybrid concrete, partially substituting NA with RA, offers a balanced solution, leveraging the strengths of both aggregate types.
• The use of RA in concrete is a viable strategy for enhancing construction sustainability.