Recycling in construction sector - from material characterisation to contribution in the circular economy

Concrete, owing to its availability, easy preparation and fabrication, is the most popular construction material. Today, concrete is the second most used material after water, with nearly three tonnes used annually for each person on earth. Due to the vast amount of concrete being produced and the huge amount of demolition waste from old concrete structures, the reuse of concrete waste by the construction industry is becoming increasingly important. This is motivated not only by the environmental protection, but also by the conservation of natural aggregate resources, the shortage of waste disposal land, and the increasing cost of waste treatment prior to disposal. The aim of this project is to develop tailor-made concretes by using recycled concrete aggregate (RCA) for structural applications to promote the increased use of RCA in civil infrastructure projects, particularly in marine environment which is currently restricted. This workshop is a deliverable in WP3 of the TRAC project, which is to test and analyse the material characterisation of recycled aggregate concretes with SCMs.