General Concrete Info
Environmental Council Of Concrete Organizations (ECCO)
Members of the Environmental Council of Concrete Organizations are dedicated to improving the quality of the environment by working to increase awareness of the environmental aspects and benefits of concrete and concrete products.
Simply put, the concrete industry wants to spread the news that concrete is one of the single most environmentally friendly construction products currently available.
www.ecco.org
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Recycled Concrete Aggregates
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Construction materials are increasingly judged by their ecological characteristics. Concrete recycling gains importance because it protects natural resources and eliminates the need for disposal by using the readily available concrete as an aggregate source for new concrete or pavement subbase layers. According to a FHWA study, 38 states recycle concrete as an aggregate base; 11 recycle it into new portland cement concrete. The states that do use recycled concrete aggregate in new concrete report that concrete with recycled concrete aggregate performs equal to concrete with natural aggregates. Most agencies specify using the material directly in the project that is being reconstructed.
Recycling of concrete is a relatively simple process. It involves breaking, removing, and crushing existing concrete into a material with a specified size and quality. See ACI 555 (2001) for more information on processing old concrete into recycled concrete aggregates. The quality of concrete with recycled concrete aggregates is very dependent on the quality of the recycled material used. Reinforcing steel and other embedded items, if any, must be removed, and care must be taken to prevent contamination by other materials, such as: asphalt, soil and clay balls, chlorides, glass, gypsum board, sealants, paper, plaster, wood, and roofing materials which can be troublesome.
Recycled Concrete Aggregates |
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