A review of recycled aggregate in concrete applications (2000–2017)

Solid waste has been an inevitable by-product of the operations of industrialised societies. One result of economic growth is an increase in generation of solid waste which normally was dumped in landfills and caused contamination of soil, water and air from toxic substances such as polychlorinated bi-phenyls (PCB’s), asbestos, construction chemicals, heavy metals, but the scarcity of land-filling areas, industrial growth as well as strict environmental regulations in developed and developing economies has led to the global re-assessment of the methods employed to recycle and utilise construction and demolition (C&D) waste as recycled aggregate for civil engineering projects i.e. construction and infrastructure development. Depending on their quality, recycled aggregate produced from C&D waste can be employed in various civil engineering works, which can help in a long way the economic and environmental sustainability of respective countries. With further research and development into overcoming technical as well as market barriers, considerable increase in recovery rates can be achieved with the existing technologies in developed economies. The main aim of this study is to review the literature on the production and utilisation of recycled aggregate in concrete, concrete pavements, roadway construction, and other civil engineering works and some discussion on the savings on CO2 emissions have been included. The globally published data on recycled aggregate standards (normative documents) of various countries have been systematically analysed and evaluated, and some barriers mentioned. This review may help to alleviate the concerns of consumers and encourage and further promote the use of recycled aggregate on a larger scale in civil engineering projects.