Concrete Recycling
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Basics
- Concrete is one of the most commonly used materials
- HOWEVER it is largely made using newly mined materials, which is not only Unsustainable, but also presses challenges to a Circular Economy / Sourcing Materials
- This page aims to cover the Status Quo, the State of the Art (in terms of lower TRL Research / Pilot Plants etc and outline areas OSE could pursue Development / Further Research
Internal Links
- Concrete
- Asphalt Concrete / Rubberized Asphalt Concrete (Can largely be milled up, remelted, and recycled in place, due to the Asphalt essentially being a Thermoplastic
- Asphalt Millings can be downcycled as a Construction Aggregate or Gravel Road material, albeit with some Micro/Nano Plastics (for the latter) + Hydrocarbon Leaching concerns for both
- Portland Cement / Fly Ash Cement based Concrete
- More common/conventional Concrete, however more complex to recycle, short of downcycling to aggregate
- Rebar
- Steel Rebar should be easily separated via Electromagnetic Separation
- Fiber Reinforced Polymer Rebar / Fiberglass Rebar / Carbon Fiber Rebar present some challenges in terms of M/NP Pollution, as well as difficulties in separation
- Thermal Recycling such as in a Calcining step may suffice
- Concrete Aggregate / Sand
- For information on Aggregate Parameters