No abstract

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate the potential use of construction and demolition waste materials (C&DWM) as an alternative for natural fine aggregates (NFA), in view to solve the disposal problems caused due to landfills. In addition, to evaluate its suitability as a sustainable material, mechanical and durability properties have been performed on different proportions of concrete blending and the results recorded were compared with the reference concrete values. Design/methodology/approach In this research, the NFA were replaced at the proportion of 25%, 50%, 75% and 100% of C&DWM with a constant slump range of 130 mm–150 mm. This parameter will assess the consistency of the fresh concrete during transportation process. The characteristics of the end product was evaluated through various tests conducted on hardened concrete samples, namely, compressive strength, flexural strength, depth of penetration of water under pressure, rapid chloride penetration test, carbonation test and ultrasonic pulse velocity (UPV) test. All results recorded were compared with the reference concrete values. Findings The results demonstrated that the use of C&DWM in concrete portrayed prospective characteristics that could eventually change the concept of sustainable concrete. It was noted that the compressive and flexural strength decreased with the addition of C&DWM, but nevertheless, a continuous increase in strength was observed with an increase in curing period. Moreover, the increase in rapid chloride penetration and decrease in UPV over time period suggested that the concrete structure has improved in terms of compactness, thus giving rise to a less permeable concrete. The mechanical tests showed little discrepancies in the final results when compared to reference concrete. Therefore, it is opined that C&DWM can be used effectively in concrete. Originality/value This study explores the possible utilisation of C&DWM as a suitable surrogative materials in concrete in a practical perspective, where the slump parameter will be kept constant throughout the experimental process. Moreover, research on this method is very limited and is yet to be elaborated in-depth. This approach will encourage the use of C&DWM in the construction sector and in the same time minimise the disposal problems caused due to in landfills.

The construction industry is searching for a more ecological material which can provide a good sustainability and also have the eco-friendly label. The quest to protect the environment has enabled researches to find alternate materials which can fit the concrete matrix to produce a concrete that can meet the demand of the construction industry. The purpose of this research is to substitute traditional materials with construction and demolition waste by keeping the same slump value and by replacing natural fine aggregates (NFA) with Construction and Demolition Waste (C&D) materials and investigate their properties on fresh and hardened concrete. To determine and compare the properties, different tests were performed to evaluate the workability, density, compressive strength, flexural strength and absorption of each concrete mix. The results demonstrated that, construction and demolition waste materials with a define slump range decreases the compressive strength and flexural strength, and the water absorption increases with increasing C&D content.