Comparison of the energy consumption in the production of natural and recycled concrete aggregate: A case study in Kerala, India

Abstract

Abstract The growth of construction sector in India is gaining pace to cater to the overwhelming demands of the rising urban population and this has in turn resulted in overexploitation of natural resources for production of natural aggregates (NA). The prospects of recycling demolition debris to produce recycled concrete aggregate (RCA) is little explored, due to the underestimation of actual data on the construction and demolition (C&D) waste generated in India. The different stages involved in the production of NA and RCA were investigated by field study in an aggregate quarry and a demolition site in Kerala, India. The energy consumption involved in the recycling of the demolition debris from a reinforced concrete (RC) structure and the production of NA was determined. The energy consumed to produce 1 tonne of NA and RCA was determined as 21112 KJ/tonne and 16178 KJ/tonne respectively. The production of RCA showed a 30.5% savings in the energy consumption compared to that of NA. A specific sensitivity analysis suggested that the energy consumed to produce RCA was less than that to produce NA for a maximum distance of 13.5 km. As the energy consumption was evaluated based on the diesel consumption of the machinery involved, the reduced diesel consumption and its subsequent cost savings could also add to the prospects of using RCA. Although the results are site specific, such local case studies could contribute to the development of C&D waste recycling infrastructure in the country.