Reuse of coarse aggregates recovered from demolished concrete through the jigging concentration process in new concrete formulations

Abstract

Construction and demolition waste (CDW) is the most significant portion of solid waste generated throughout the European Union (EU). CDW represents more than a third of the waste generated, considering the waste generated by all economic activities and household waste. The central reuse of CDW is as a base for roads, and in specific cases, it can be reused as recycled coarse aggregates (RA) in the manufacture of precast concrete, new building blocks, bricks, and as RA on new concrete formulations, among other activities. This work aims to enable the concentration of the aggregates mixed in the CDW with the jigging process. The recovered RA was replaced in the concrete, and four different replacement levels (25%, 50%, 75%, and 100%) were analyzed for reuse in new C30/40 concretes. Physical characterization of the material was performed, and compressive strength tests were conducted to verify the RA replacement’s influence on the concrete. The work tests allowed us to observe the positive variation of the material’s physical properties according to the jigging processing and the efficiency of recovering the aggregates. After analyzing the results obtained in the strength force tests, it is possible to conclude that the RA generated can be a substitute for natural aggregates (NA) in new C30/40 concrete formulations. When 100% RJA is used as a replacement, the 28-day compressive strength reaches 33.2 MPa, which is only 6% lower than that of the NA group, reducing the environmental liabilities inherent in the aggregate mining process and generating an economically viable material.