waste recycling system
The use of recycled aggregates to fill road platforms is already widespread: 80% of demolition concrete is recovered in the road. But this remains very limited in the building. To go further, we must work on recycling concrete into concrete. The main challenge is to show that we can use more concrete from recycling without modifying its implementation compared to traditional concrete.récupération de béton What work and projects have you carried out to achieve this? Our research and development program is structured around 5 themes: processing and manufacturing processes for recycled materials; characterization of materials and design of structures; impacts in terms of sustainable development; regulatory and normative aspects; and finally, the recovery of recycled concrete in construction. To verify the technical and industrial feasibility of recycling concrete, we conducted several projects, with incorporation rates varying from 0 to 100%. In 2017, we will publish a summary book and prepare guides aimed at developing the use of recycled concrete and changing the regulations. How do you see the future of recycled concrete? Today, all mature industries recycle their end-of-life materials, and the same will soon be true for the concrete industry. By following the treatment and formulation recommendations resulting from our work, it will soon be possible to produce recycled concrete with the same level of resistance and durability as conventional concrete. RECYBETON will thus have succeeded in initiating the “concrete in concrete” loop, and one can imagine that in the long term many constructions will use a part of aggregates from old structures. During construction sites on buildings or structures, large volumes of rubble are produced and many materials are mixed together. The stakes of recycling are therefore considerable to ensure its treatment in a logic of circular economy. Depending on the nature and extent of the work or site, 2 solutions exist: sorting of waste directly on the site with suitable machinery; collection of concrete rubble by specialized companies before being transported to a dedicated sorting center. A sorting takes place to then direct the waste to the right sector and proceed to the recycling of these tons of concrete. Isolated from other waste, recovery can begin. Either way, the process is the same. Once the waste has been sorted and separated, the concrete is crushed, iron removed and then sifted. Additional treatments can take place if you want to make the final material even purer. After these operations, the concrete is found in the form of gravel or rubble. It undergoes a laboratory check to check the composition of the finished product and rule out any risk of pollution. Concrete can be recycled very well and finds a second life on the roads where it is used as an underlayment or for earthworks. About 80% of concrete from recycling is recovered in this way. A tiny part (about 2%) can be used to manufacture new concrete if the quality and fineness of the grains obtained allow it.