Recyled Concrete Aggregate (RCA) in Structural Concrete of Developing Nation: A Cace Study of Ethiopian Construction Industry

Today, the booming construction in Ethiopia is leading to an increased demolition of concrete structures whereby these demolished structures are disposed at landfills. The current practice is creating a huge amount of waste which is environmentally unfriendly and is becoming the main source of pollution in communities. This paper discusses the potential use of demolished concrete from site tested specimens as a recycled aggregate material for new structural concrete. The mechanical, physical and chemical properties of RCA are studied to understand the suitability in the production of recycled concrete. Tests including gradation, unit weight, soundness, density, and abrasion will be conducted to assess RCA properties. Since the percentage of RCA govern the strength of concrete, a C25 concrete is mixed by the ratio of 25%, 50% & 100% RCA with and without water reducing admixture and a control mixture composed of natural aggregate. The output of this study will highly impact the growing construction industry and communities in Ethiopia thereby reducing waste, saving cost, conserving natural aggregates, building capacity and setting quality standards.