Reuse of Construction Waste

The shortage of natural, non-renewable raw materials and the large amount of waste generated by the construction industry have worried authorities, governments, educational institutions and society in general and encouraged them to look for solutions to reuse these materials. One alternative that has been widely studied is the incorporation of this material into concrete, which is not only an alternative for reducing environmental impacts, but also an economic possibility. In order to contribute to and further leverage knowledge on the subject, this study was carried out with the aim of studying the properties and characteristics of concretes made with recycled coarse aggregate and the addition of rice husk ash as a pozzolanic material. Five substitutions plus a reference concrete were used to produce the concretes. The substitutions were both natural coarse aggregate for recycled coarse aggregate (25% and 50%) and cement for rice husk ash (20%). With the concrete in its fresh state, its workability was assessed. In the hardened state, its axial compressive strength and modulus of deformation were assessed.