Recycled Aggregate

  Recycled aggregate is generally produced by two  

stages crushing of demolished concrete , screening and removal of contaminants such as reinforcement, wood, plastic etc. Concrete made with such aggregate is called as Recycled aggregate concrete.


  RILEM Committee 121-DRG has published recommendations for the use of recycled aggregate , classifying them into three groups.

Group 1- Aggregate mainly from masonry rubble.

Group 2- Aggregate obtained mainly from concrete rubble.

Group 3- A mixture of natural aggregate (>80%) and rubble from the other two groups ( with up to 10% of group 1).

Some salient features of these Recycled concrete Aggregate are:

i) The method of crushing of parent concrete has significant effect on properties of recycled concrete aggregate​.

ii) Particle shape of recycled concrete aggregate is more irregular than natural aggregate and presents a coarser surface.

iii) Recycled aggregate concrete require more amount of water for same amount of workability than normal concrete.

Advantages of Recycled Aggregate:-

✓ Environmental gain: Reduction of use of natural aggregates and less amount of land filling.

✓ Save Energy: Energy can be saved by producing the aggregate on site itself. Mobile crushers can be used for the same. 

✓ Sustainability: The amount of waste material used for land filling can be reduced which can now accolade for LEED points.