Top 5 challenges to get certified on granulated rubble

Concrete is together with steel and glass the most used building material in the world.  The annual global cement production has reached 2.8 billion tonnes and is expected to increase to some 4 billion tonnes per year. I think that it is likely that concrete will remain the key material for global housing and infrastructure. Concrete consumes a lot of energy and water consuming, so it should be more sustainable. A good way of making concrete more sustainable is the use of recycled concrete, also known as granulated rubble. It is possible to produce good quality concrete by the use of granulated rubbles, however there are some challenges.

These are the top-5 challenges I’ve seen in the concrete recycling industry.

1. Delivering high quality material

One of the top challenges is to deliver high quality material from recycled concrete. Recycling concrete requires cleaning, separation and grinding in order to be suitable for usages as concrete mortar.

2. Better usage of granulated rubbles in the market

I think the second life of granulated rubble can be improved, because it is mostly used as low-valued materials. Granulated rubble is often used as underlayer for roads while it can be used to produce sustainable concrete. The problem for this is that a lot of concrete plants don’t have the experience of knowledge to produce and transport concrete made from granulated rubble in a proper manner, which results in decreased quality. I think there is still a lot to win for organizations with granulated rubbles.

3. Acceptance regulations

Producers of recycled concrete must have procedures for the acceptance of stone rubbles in the form of an ‘’acceptance regulations’’ and should keep them up to date. The acceptance regulations must contain the following; Types of stone and/or rubble, their used acceptance criteria, the maximum permitted levels of contamination and how to deal with rejected batches of waste.

4. Safety

As on every workplace, safety is crucial. Clear safety rules are necessary in order to prevent accidents.

5. Sustainability

Of course, sustainability plays a big role in every industry. The processes of using granulated rubble should be sustainable. Organizations should adapt their processes and operations to a more sustainable manner. Organizations working with granulated rubble as binding material face challenges of processing the rubbles into high quality granulated rubbles. Also, waste after separating the rubbles should be handled in a sustainable way.

Do you have questions about granulated rubble or recycling concrete? Don’t hesitate to contact me!