Recycled aggregates and their properties

The objective of this chapter is to describe the main chemical and physical properties of some granular materials, which due to their nonhazardous and mainly inert nature can be used in the manufacture of concrete. The initial sections present the characteristics of the main aggregates obtained from construction and demolition waste (recycled aggregates from concrete waste and recycled ceramic aggregates). Then, the following sections expose the most important properties of some others that have been significantly studied and applied as aggregates but have different origins (industrial waste, municipal solid waste, etc.). These include blast furnace slag, electric arc furnace slag, coal fly ash, scrap tires, solid waste ash, inert sewage sludge, urban plastic waste, waste glass, and foundry sand.