SARE4BE
SARE4BE
Incorporation of fine fraction from C&DW in roads and buildings concretes applications.
The sector of construction requires tremendous amount of concrete. The concrete is a mix of cement, aggregate and water which holds for 8% of the worldwide carbon footprint. Alongside with the carbon emissions, the increasing scarcity of raw materials like sand and gravel is also a major issue. Moreover, their extraction causes serious damages to ecosystems. In the meantime, tons of construction and demolition wastes are constantly produced. So far, most of the studies in the upcycling of C&DW focused on the production of coarse aggregates (>4mm). This is in this context that SARE4BE project takes place, it has started the 1st of December 2022 and will last two years. SARE4BE targets to implement fines produced from inert materials not just as a backfill material or road sublayer but as an alternative for natural sand in the composition of high-quality concrete used in the construction of roads or buildings. It aims to determine the best application and the maximum substitution rate for recycled sand. Three different fluxes of construction & demolition waste producing sand are under investigation:
- recycling of high-quality concrete by crushing,
- wet processing of C&D waste
- and the recycling of “returned concrete” from concrete plant.
Furthermore, the project's approach aligns with the circular economy objectives by involving stakeholders solely from Wallonia. The CRR (Centre de Recherches Routières) and Buildwise have screened all producers of recycled sand in Wallonia and selected the most relevant sources. Four different producers have been chosen. Alongside ULiège, they are currently assessing the chemical and physical properties of selected sands (grain size, organic matter content, density, water absorption, hydraulic activity, etc.). Eventually, these sands will be integrated into concrete formulations for roads and buildings and undergo testing. ULiège will also conduct the Life Cycle Assessment of concrete incorporating recycled sand. The findings will be utilized to evaluate the relevance of utilizing recycled sand and to support eco-design. SARE4BE is supported by the program Win4Collective.
