Use of Recycled concrete Aggregate to Produce Concrete Masonry Blocks

Concrete—the most common construction material in the world—represents the main component of construction and demolition waste. The excessive extraction of virgin aggregate from Canadian lands and water bodies destroys the habitats of many species and affects the natural flow of streams in lakes and rivers. One solution to address the growing solid waste challenge and preserve natural aggregate resources from depletion is the adoption of large-scale recycling of concrete waste into aggregate. Concrete block is a very common building material that is used in almost every commercial and residential project. As such, it is critical to investigate the use of recycled concrete aggregate (RCA) in concrete blocks. This project focuses on developing techniques and design mixes for producing concrete blocks with RCA from masonry manufacturing waste. The Canadian Concrete Masonry Producers Association (CCMPA) is the representative voice of the Canadian concrete block manufacturing industry. The scientific data resulting from this study will allow the CCMPA’s members to produce concrete blocks made with RCA that have similar strength and durability as those made with natural aggregate.

Faculty Supervisor:

Mark Green

Student:

Salah Sarhat

Partner:

Canadian Concrete Masonry Producers Association

Discipline:

Engineering - civil

Sector:

Construction and infrastructure

University:

Queen's University