Concrete Recycling & Its Myriad Uses

In the post-building scenario or concrete crushing for demolition, the generated rubble has no other function but to become a part of the ever-growing landfills. However, today, economic and environmental reasons have compared the construction industry to consider other options for such waste material. One of the best ways to deal with it in an eco-friendly manner is through proper recycling. For this, first of all collection of concrete waste from the demolition site occurs. After this, it is crushed for preparation of aggregate used in new concrete formation.

There are various uses of this recycled concrete especially in,

• Construction of new buildings
• Various application at airports
• Construction of new roadways

So, what is the process involved in recycling concrete successfully?

a) Initial breakup

In order to recycle concrete the first step is in demolition. For achieving this, a number of traditional methods are popular including use of explosives, jackhammers, and wrecking balls. Through this method, it is possible to get concrete chunks in the size of 30"-4 ft. However, during demolition it is important to ensure that these concrete chunks remain mostly free from different materials such as glass, trash, or wood. After this, broken concrete comes to the recycling plants for undergoing various recycling processes.

b) Crushing of concrete

In the recycling plants, operators use a bulldozer to pick up the large chunks of concrete and place them in the first stage rock crushers. These come with different adjustments for taking any rubble of varied sizes. Within the crusher are present several rollers with interlocking teeth cover. The function of the teeth is to crush large size rubble into smaller and usable pieces. After this sorting of concrete pieces occurs based on size. Those two large will go through another crusher stage while the smaller pieces come out through the filter.

c) Filtering concrete rubble

In the post-crushing stage, filtering of the crushed concrete occurs for taking out the smaller pieces, which can be reused by the construction industry. Crushed concrete comes out through a conveyor belt where electromagnets pick out pieces containing iron rebar. Recycling of Rebar occurs in separate facilities and hence the need for taking them away. After the separation of Rebar, it is time to free the crushed concrete of contaminants. In order to do this, it passes through water chamber where light materials such as wood, paper, and other impurities float away. After this, visual inspection and use of air electronic blowers helps in persistent waste removal.

d) Reusing the concrete

Concrete aggregate, the final output from the process that started with use of concrete crusher can now be used in a variety of construction processes. For this, it is important to mix up this aggregate with some virgin aggregate, cement, sand, and water for preparation of fresh concrete material. The typical use of this concrete is in preparation of construction projects sub-base layer. This concrete aggregate being stronger and lighter lowers both environmental impact and construction costs.

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About The Author

Dale Adams is an expert in rock crushing processes and quarry procedures and recommends ScreenMachine.com as the best and most trusted supplier of portable rock crushers. You will also find his articles as a great source of information about many aspects related to the industry.