Sustainability Assessment of Reinforced Concrete Beam Mixes Containing Recycled Aggregates and Industrial By-products

A vast amount of construction and demolition (C&D) wastes are generated in Western Australia (WA) of which a major portion goes to landfills. The diversion of C&D waste from landfills would be the single most significant opportunity for WA to improve its recovery performance. C&D waste materials have already been investigated for their appropriateness and use in pavement and concrete. This work is the continuation of the authors’ previous work involving further experimental tests to prove the structural suitability of a building’s structural member (i.e., beam) made of recycled aggregates and industrial by-products. The concrete mixes considered in this study are 100NA+100 OPC (Control), 100RA+100OPC, 50RA+50NA+90OPC+10SF and 50RA+50NA+60OPC+30FA+10SF. The Reinforced Concrete (RC) beam made of 50RA+50NA+60OPC+30FA+10SF concrete mix was found to be the only eco-efficient option. This option has reduced the level of environmental impacts in a cost-competitive manner. The use of this eco-efficient option could also provide new employment opportunities and significant improvements in terms of land and energy resources conservation and bio-diversity enhancement.