Recycling and Reuse of Waste Material in Construction

1. INTRODUCTION
One of the greatest technological challenges of the present time is to utilize

the large amount of building and industrial wastes which are generated as a result of the

development of the modern society. Whether the waste originates from clearing areas

after natural disasters of from human controlled activities, the utilization of the waste by

recycling will provide opportunities for saving energy, time and natural resources.

Recycling and reuse of wastes such as building rubbles, concrete lumps

etc. generated in quite large amount at the construction and demolition sites may be

defined as the multiple use of materials or product for conserve natural resources and

avoid waste. It will also help in improving supplies of construction material and solving

problems of disposal of waste construction material. Within the frame work of sustainable

development of environment, the use of waste materials with minimum environmental

impact get much attention.

In Indian context a total system for sue of recycled aggregate in

construction has to be developed considering all aspects such as identification of source,

collection of construction wastes, aggregate preparation, mix design, design of structures

and use of proper construction techniques so that not only recycling but the aims of

proper utilization of building waste for obtaining strong and durable concrete structures

are also achieved.

At present a very limited amount of building wastes are recyled and the

major portion is being deposited or used as fill material. With the increase in construction

activities and shortage of suitable deposit sites, the building wastes are becoming a

serious problem, which has forced the civil engineering professionals and researches to

seriously think and develop methods of reuse of building waste in new construction. From

purely economic point of view, recycling of building waste is only attractive when the

C.O.E.&T., Akola 1
 Recycling and Reuse of Waste Material in Construction

recycled product is competitive with the natural resources in relation to cost and quality.

Recycled materials will generally be competitive, where there is a shortage of both raw

materials and suitable deposit sites. With the use of recycled materials economical saving

can also be achieved in the cost of transportation of building waste raw materials without

any compromise in the quality of end product, Environmental factors, i.e. noise and dust

pollution due to quarrying of natural aggregate make the need more important. Also

dumping grounds filled with building waste make the sites unfit for future construction

and block natural ground water recharge path.

In may densely population countries in Europe, where dumping is

becoming more and more difficult the recycling of concrete building debris has already

started.

Especially wherever combined projects involving demolitation, and new

construction are taken up the recycling of large amounts of building waste at the worksite

or nearby becomes and economical. The examples of the possible reuse of brick and

concreted waste materials given in Table 1.

C.O.E.&T., Akola 2
 Recycling and Reuse of Waste Material in Construction

Application Project Example Waste material

Aggregate in Concrete roads, runways, taxiways, RCC Crushed concrete
new concrete pipes and culverts, harbour constructions,
sewage/ water treatment plant, pumping
station, shallow storage tanks,
Garbage/refuse disposal plant, Building Crushed concrete/ brick
partition walls floors and foundation
Aggregate in Base course materials in pavements and Crushed concrete
new asphalt yards
Unbound base Runways, taxiways, parking lots and other Crushed concrete/brick
course yards
Fill material Cable trench Crushed concrete/brick or
recycled Aggregate
(<4.75 mm size)

C.O.E.&T., Akola 3
 Recycling and Reuse of Waste Material in Construction

2. RECYCLING OPERATION OF BUILDING WASTES IN

RECYCLING PLANTS
The recycling of building waste after a disaster or demolitation of old

concrete/masonry a feasible solution in rehabilitation or new construction process. The

sources of waste material for recycling can be obtained from

 Construction and debries

 Curbs
 Slabs
 Old roads and Highway
 Bridges
 Side walks
 Concrete yards

For planning and dimensioning of the recycling process and plant it is

necessary to know the quantity and quality of building waste that is expected to be

available at the plant. The quality of the available debris is very important as it affects the

quality of the recycled products and the possibilities of their use.

The installations of these plants have the following requirements as shown

in fig.1.

 A weighing bridge to record the weight of the debris received and the aggregate

produced.

 Sufficient storage spare to stock and sort out different types of debris and different

grades of recycled aggregates produced separately.

 Equipment for preprocessing the waste and to reduce big elements in size. (hammers,

hydraulic breaker, etc....)

 Necessary handling equipment to feed the installation and for loading and unloading

of debris and produced aggregate.

C.O.E.&T., Akola 4
 Recycling and Reuse of Waste Material in Construction

 Equipment for preliminary sieving to eliminant earth, gypsum sand etc. before the

material is fed into the crusher.

 Metal separator to remove metal part form debris.

 A primary crusher, generally a jaw crusher.

 Electric magnet system for separating steel pieces from debris.

 Sieving equipment for separating aggregates less than 4.75 mm in size.

 A secondary crushing and sieving installation for further reduction of aggregates in

required size and split up in different fraction.

C.O.E.&T., Akola 5
 Recycling and Reuse of Waste Material in Construction

TYPICAL LAYOUT OF RECYCLING PLANT

Construction and Demolition

waste

Separation of Selection of materials

wood, steel
and other

Shifting of selected
debris to plant

Breaking of debris to an acceptable

size

Remove sand,
Sieve
Earth, gypsum

First crusher

Sieve 0/50 min Aggregate > 50

mm

Remove Sorting of impurities

paper plastic, mannually
wood

Electric magnet Scrap

Aggregate 0/50 min

Aggregate < Sieve 0/4.75 mm

4.75

Second crusher

Aggregates >
Sieves
40 mm

Land fill
Recycled Aggregate

0/20 mm 20/40
mm

C.O.E.&T., Akola 6
 Recycling and Reuse of Waste Material in Construction

CRUSHING PROCESS

The crushing process consists of breaking the fractured concrete prices to

the required sizes and then stockpiling.

a) Crushing and Screening :

The salvaged concrete is brought to

the crushing plant where it is reduced to the

maximum size called for in the specifications. The

equipment used to crush and size the existing

concrete is also of common type e.g. a jaw. or

cone crusher, the primary jaw crushed breaks

down the material to maximum size of 3 inches.

The secondary crusher then further breaks the

particle down to maximum size required as per

specification. After crushing the material is screened and stockpiled separately.

b) Stock pilling :

The stock piling should be accomplished a manner that will prevent

segregation and continuation by foreign materials, Vehicles for stock piling or moving

aggregates should be clean of foreign materials.

c) Aggregate Preparation :

Usually is not necessary to wash the crushed recycled aggregate unless

they are contaminated with base or subbase materials.

d) Reinforcing Steel :

Any reinforcing steel not removed previously must be separated from the

recycled concrete after being processed through primary crusher. Reinforcing steel pieces

are removed manually as well as electromagnetically.

C.O.E.&T., Akola 7
 Recycling and Reuse of Waste Material in Construction

3. CHARACTERIZATION OF BUILDING-RELATED
CONSTRUCTION AND DEMOLITION DEBRIS
IN THE UNITED STATES
The purpose of this report is to characterize the quantity and composition of

building-related construction and demolition (C&D) debris generated in the United

States, and to summarize the waste management practices for this waste stream. C&D

debris is produced when new structures are built and when existing structures are

renovated or demolished. Structures include all residential and nonresidential buildings as

well as public works projects, such as streets and highways, bridges, piers, and dams.

Many state definitions of C&D debris also include trees, stumps, earth, and rock from the

clearing of construction sites.

The focus of this report is on building-related wastes, including construction,

demolition, and renovation of residential and nonresidential buildings. Road and bridge

debris, land clearing debris, etc. are not covered in detail in this report. They are,

however, discussed briefly. Waste sampling and weighing at a variety of construction and

demolition sites) to estimate the amount of building-related C&D debris produced

nationally.

Definitions

(For purposes of this report, following is a working set of definitions)

I) Construction and Demolition (C&D) Debris is waste material that is produced

in the process of construction, renovation, or demolition of structures. Structures

include buildings of all types (both residential and nonresidential) as well as roads

and bridges. Components of C&D debris typically include concrete, asphalt,

wood, metals, gypsum wallboard, and roofing. Land clearing debris, such as

stumps, rocks, and dirt, are also included in some state definitions of C&D debris.

C.O.E.&T., Akola 8
 Recycling and Reuse of Waste Material in Construction

II) Generation of C&D debris, as used in this report, refers to the weight of materials

and products as they enter the waste management system from the construction,

renovation, or demolition of structures, and before materials recovery or

combustion takes place. Source reduction activities (e.g., on-site usage of waste

wood mulch or the on-site use of drywall as a soil amendment) take place ahead

of generation, i.e., they reduce the amount of waste generated.

III) Recovery of materials, as estimated in this report, includes the removal of

products or materials from the waste stream for the purpose of recycling the

materials in the manufacture of new products.

IV) Source reduction activities reduce the amount or toxicity of wastes before they

enter the waste management system. Reuse is a source reduction activity

involving the recovery or reapplication of a product or material in a manner that

retains its original form and identity. Reuse of products such as light fixtures,

doors, or used brick is considered source reduction, not recycling.

V) Discards include the C&D debris remaining after recovery for recycling

(including composting). These discards would presumably be combusted or

landfilled, although some debris is littered, stored or disposed on-site, or burned

on-site.

C.O.E.&T., Akola 9
 Recycling and Reuse of Waste Material in Construction

4. REPRESENTATIVE GENERATION SOURCES OF C&D

SECTOR MATERIALS
1) Site clearance materials

(Brush, tree, and stumpage materials)

2) Excavated materials

(Earth, fill, and other excavated rock and granular materials)

3) Roadwork materials

Concrete slabs and chunks from concrete road construction Asphalt chunks and
milings from asphalt pavement Bridge/ overpass construction/ renovation materials.

4) New construction materials

Residential, commercial, and industrial project sources)

5) Renovation, remodeling or repair materials

(Residential, commercial, and industrial project sources)

State identifications for construction and demolition debris

1. California :

Construction and demolition (C&D) debris includes concrete, asphalt,

wood, drywall, metals, and many miscellaneous and composite materials. C&D debris is

generated by demolition and new construction of structures such as residential and

commercial buildings and roadways.

2. New York :

Construction and demolition (C&D) debris means uncontaminated solid

waste resulting from the construction, remodeling, repair and demolition of utilities,

structures and roads; and uncontaminated solid waste resulting from land clearing. Such

waste includes, but is not limited to bricks, concrete and other masonry materials, soil,

rock, wood (including painted, treated and coated wood and wood products), land

clearing debris, wall coverings, plaster, drywall, plumbing fixtures, non asbestos
C.O.E.&T., Akola 10
 Recycling and Reuse of Waste Material in Construction

insulation, roofing shingles and other roof coverings, asphalt pavement, glass, plastics

that are not sealed in a manner that conceals other wastes, empty buckets ten gallons or

less in size and having no more than one inch of residue remaining on the bottom,

electrical wiring and components containing no hazardous liquids, and pipe and metals

that are incidental to any of the above. Solid waste that is not C&D debris (even if

resulting from the construction, remodeling, repair and demolition of utilities, structures

and roads and land clearing) includes, but is not limited to asbestos waste, garbage,

corrugated container board, electrical fixtures containing hazardous liquids such as

fluorescent light ballasts or transformers, fluorescent lights, carpeting, furniture,

appliances, tires, drums, containers greater than ten gallons in size, any containers having

more than one inch of residue remaining on the bottom and fuel tanks. . . .

C.O.E.&T., Akola 11
 Recycling and Reuse of Waste Material in Construction

5. TYPICAL COMPONENTS OF CONSTRUCTION AND

DEMOLITION DEBRIS
Material
Components Content Examples
Wood Forming and framing lumber, stumps, plywood, laminates,
scraps
Drywall Sheetrock, gypsum, plaster
Metals Pipes, rebar, flashing, steel, aluminum, copper, brass,
stainless steel
Plastics Vinyl siding, doors, windows, floor tile, pipes
Roofing Asphalt & wood shingles, slate, tile, roofing felt
Rubble Asphalt, concrete, cinder blocks, rock, earth
Brick Bricks and decorative blocks
Glass Windows, mirrors, lights
Miscellaneous Carpeting, fixtures, insulation, ceramic tile

When buildings are demolished, large quantities of waste may be produced in a

relatively short period of time, depending on the demolition technique used. The

demolition project duration can vary depending on the technique used—implode a

structure with explosives, use a crane and wrecking ball technique, or deconstruct the

structure. In actual practice, the vast majority of demolition projects use a combination of

the last two basic techniques depending on the materials used in the original project, the

physical size of the structure, the surrounding buildings that cannot be disturbed or

impacted, and the time allocated for the project. One hundred percent of the weight of a

building, including the concrete foundations, driveways, patios, etc., may be generated as

C&D debris when a building is demolished. On a per building basis, demolition waste

quantities may be 20 to 30 times as much as construction debris.

Construction activities generally produce cleaner materials than demolition.

Demolitions may produce several types of materials bonded together or contaminated

C.O.E.&T., Akola 12
 Recycling and Reuse of Waste Material in Construction

with hazardous materials, such as asbestos or lead paint. Renovation projects can produce

both construction and demolition type wastes.

Definitions
(For purposes of this report, following is a working set of definitions)
I) Construction and Demolition (C&D) Debris is waste material that is produced
in the process of construction, renovation, or demolition of structures. Structures
include buildings of all types (both residential and nonresidential) as well as roads
and bridges. Components of C&D debris typically include concrete, asphalt,
wood, metals, gypsum wallboard, floor tile, and roofing. Land clearing debris,
such as stumps, rocks, and dirt, are also included in some state definitions of C&D
debris.
II) Generation of C&D debris, as used in this report, refers to the weight of materials
and products as they enter the waste management system from the construction,
renovation, or demolition of structures, and before materials recovery or
combustion takes place. Source reduction activities (e.g., on-site usage of waste
wood mulch or the on-site use of drywall as a soil amendment) take place ahead
of generation, i.e., they reduce the amount of waste generated.
III) Recovery of materials, as estimated in this report, includes the removal of
products or materials from the waste stream for the purpose of recycling the
materials in the manufacture of new products.
IV) Source reduction activities reduce the amount or toxicity of wastes before they
enter the waste management system. Reuse is a source reduction activity
involving the recovery or reapplication of a product or material in a manner that
retains its original form and identity. Reuse of products such as light fixtures,
doors, or used brick is considered source reduction, not recycling.
V) Discards include the C&D debris remaining after recovery for recycling
(including composting). These discards would presumably be combusted or
landfilled, although some debris is littered, stored or disposed on-site, or burned
on-site.

C.O.E.&T., Akola 13
 Recycling and Reuse of Waste Material in Construction

6. RECOVERY OF C&D DEBRIS FOR RECYCLING

The six major constituents of C&D debris, if not too severely contaminated, have

all been recovered and processed into recycled-content products that have been marketed

somewhere in the United States. The materials most frequently recovered and recycled

are concrete, asphalt, metals, and wood. To a much lesser degree, gypsum wallboard and

asphalt shingles have been processed and recycled. The technologies to recover and

process these materials for reuse are available. The major barriers to increased recovery

rates at this time are:

A) Asphalt and Concrete Recycling

Concrete is made up of cement, water, and aggregate, such as crushed stone, sand,

or grit. Concrete can be recycled by first crushing it to remove any metals. The primary

use of crushed concrete is as a replacement for road-base gravel. Other applications

include use as an aggregate in asphalt or concrete. Concrete recycling is practiced in most

areas of the country. The practice is most prevalent in areas where landfill tipping fees are

high or aggregate is in short supply.

Asphalt pavements are made of asphalt concrete (AC), which consists of asphalt

(the bituminous binder) and aggregate. The aggregate makes up the bulk of the asphalt

concrete, while the asphalt binder comprises about 5 to 7 percent CIWMB 1997).

While no reports have been identified showing the amount of asphalt and concrete

recycled, some datapoints that provide indications of the amounts recycled are discussed

below (Brickner 1997).

As stated above, it is estimated there are more than 1,000 asphalt and concrete

crushing facilities in the United States. GBB estimates that potentially 50 million tons per

year of milled pavement in the United States is reused. Twenty to 50 percent goes back

into pavement as Reclaimed Asphalt Pavement (RAP), with the remainder finding its way
C.O.E.&T., Akola 14
 Recycling and Reuse of Waste Material in Construction

into aggregate base or subbase. GBB research in the Pacific Northwest, for example, has

estimated that for the State of Washington alone, the use of RAP is between 650,000 and

1,000,000 tons per year.

Based on data collected for the State of Washington from waste concrete

processors/recyclers, GBB has estimated that 1.4 to 1.5 million tons of waste concrete in

that state are recovered, crushed, and recycled on an annual basis.

In Anne Arundel County, Maryland, an area between Washington, DC and

Baltimore, Maryland, GBB field work in 1995 indicated that the concrete and asphalt

processors in that County alone were receiving, crushing and recycling over 850,000 tons

per year of these two types of materials (includes out-of-county generation).

In California, asphalt pavement and concrete are not reported separately. The state

estimated generation of “inert solid waste,” which consists of concrete, asphalt, dirt, brick

and other rubble, at 8.2 million tons per year. The estimated recycling rate for inert solid

wastes is 57 percent; the remainder is disposed of (CIWMB 1997).

B) Waste Wood Recycling

Wood waste produced at construction sites generally has a better potential for

reuse than wood from demolition sites due to the ease of separating the materials.

Demolition wood is often less desirable because of contamination and because of the

difficulty in separating the wood from other building materials.

Wood processing facilities have sprung up in many areas of the United States in

recent years, particularly in areas with high landfill costs. Many of these facilities accept

wood from C&D debris as well as other wood. Processed (chipped) wood is used as

mulch, composting bulking agent, animal bedding, and fuel. Wood waste from

construction or demolition is attractive as a fuel because of its low moisture content.

Depending on the wood waste boiler system design and the state/regional air pollution

C.O.E.&T., Akola 15
 Recycling and Reuse of Waste Material in Construction

permit requirements for the facility, a level of quality control may be necessary at the

wood processing plant to reduce and/or avoid the processing of treated and/or painted

wood if used as a fuel source in a combustion process.

The American Forest & Paper Association (AF&PA) has located 315 wood

processing facilities in the United States that process C&D debris, as shown in Table A-20

of the Appendix. These facilities were included in the estimate of 500 wood processing

plants as discussed above. The leading states for these wood processing plants are North

Carolina (44), Oregon (35), and California (34). Quantities of wood processed are not

given in the AF&PA report.

C) Metals Recycling

Metals have the highest recycling rates among the materials recovered

from C&D sites. Good markets for ferrous metals, as well as copper and brass, have

existed for many years. The Steel Recycling Institute estimates the recycling rate for

C&D steel is about 85 percent (18.2 million tons out of 21.4 million tons generated).

These numbers include not only scrap steel from buildings but also from streets, bridges,

and highways (Heenan 1996). The percentage of metals coming from roads and bridges is

unknown.

A 1997 survey of North American aggregate producers by Vanderbilt

University and C&D Recycling Magazine found that the markets for waste rebar removed

from the concrete rubble appear to have increased from 1994 to 1997 (Deal 1997).

Twenty-one percent of the 1994 recyclers depended on disposal for their rebar compared

to 4 percent in 1997.

C.O.E.&T., Akola 16
 Recycling and Reuse of Waste Material in Construction

7. EXAMPLE OF HIGH QUALITY RECYCLED

AGGREGATE

"Cyclite" is the name of a high quality recycled aggregate, the first

technology approved by the building centre of Japan.

Methods of manufacturing "cyclite" :

The system of manufacturing cyclite comprises of two stages - The

pretreatment which crushes scrap

concrete waste and removes other

components in mixture and the grinding

which processes the surface of lumps of

crushed concrete. It is carried out by

means of an eccentric rotor - type

processing unit. The lumps of crushed

concrete are fed between the outer and

inner cylinder which rotates eccentrically grinding one lump against another, with only

unnecessary cement and mortar being removed from aggregate surface. The resultant

material is then put over a sieve, with cyclite being recovered.

Energy Requirement :

The only energy required for manufacture is electricity required to move

the crushing and grinding machinery. There is no heating or chemical treatment, which

means it consumes around the same energy consumption as ordinary broken stone

production.

C.O.E.&T., Akola 17
 Recycling and Reuse of Waste Material in Construction

Quality of cyclite :

The quality of cyclite satisfies the standards for natural aggregate and

crushed stone concrete prepared using cyclite has same performance of that created using

ordinary concrete.

Example of Application :

Takenaka was the first company to use cyclite concrete in the structure of

building (part of first floor, aprox 100sq.m) in Osaka, Japan in November last year. Some

30cu. m of concrete was laid, with weight of cyclite being 30 tons.

Cost :

At this point of time, cyclite concrete, is more expensive than concrete that

uses material aggregate, but adding the cost of disposing of scrap concrete into equation

there is adequate economic merit in the product.

Information :

The first recycled aggregate for architectural structure in Japan is

"Diagate" which has quality equal to that of natural aggregate. Efforts being made to

commercialize it.

C.O.E.&T., Akola 18
 Recycling and Reuse of Waste Material in Construction

8. CONCLUSION

Recycling and reuse of building wastes has been found to be an

appropriate solution to the problems of dumping hundreds of thousand tons of debris and

hauling natural aggregate from great distances. However, more research and field

experimentation is needed to modify our design procedure and specification for adoption

recycled aggregate concrete in construction projects and form Indian Standard

specification and code on this subject.

Efforts should be made to reuse the entire rubble available as a result

earthquake in Gujart are occurring on 26th Jan. 2001 at least for subgrade preparation and

non structural concrete. Hence, we conclude with a hope to expand the number of

building in which recycled aggregates are used, improve efficiency of recycling and work

to further reduce the cost.

C.O.E.&T., Akola 19
 Recycling and Reuse of Waste Material in Construction

8. REFERENCES

1. Internet references : http://www.epa.gov/epaoswer/hazwaste/sqg/c&d-rpt.pdf

2. http://www.presidentofindia.nic.in/scripts/sllatest1.jsp?id=349

3. Engineering material – Rangawala.

4. New Building material and construction world, Vol. 123 (1999).

02402-C.O.E.T.Akola. page no. 58-59.

C.O.E.&T., Akola 20