Can concrete be recycled?

Question

I just saw a dump truck hauling away a ton of broken highway concrete lane center dividers and this question just occured to me.

Does anyone know what they do with it? Do they pulverize it and then recycle the rebar that's inside it?

Answer 1

Yes they do, in fact most highway products are recycled. Concrete is simply aggregate (stone) mixed with cement (lime) and water. The used concete gets ground up to make a variety of things, including a gravel material for road base, "rip-rap" the stone pieces you see to slow down water flow off of a steep hill, and even new concrete.

Asphalt is also recycled this way, to make new asphalt.

Answer 2

I don't know what they do with the rebar. But I do know that they regrind the concrete and re-use it, as that self mix concrete stuff!

Answer 3

Yes exactly the start breaking up the cement and themn pull the rebar out. Steel isn't that expence but it will damage the pulverizing equipment. Turn it into powder or the will screen it to the correct size and use it for aggrigrate for roads.

Bill

Answer 4

Yes, it is recycled. they take it to a plant that seperates the rebar and other construction debris and recycle most of it. Steal rebar is salvaged and the concrete is ground up.

Answer 5

Yay!!! Finally a question right up my alley! I am the office manager of a concrete plant. And yes. You can recycle it. What they do, is they "pulverize it" as you say, and they seperate the rock and the sand from it.  The rebar can be taken to metal recycling plant....I feel so SMART right now!! GO ME!!

~SP

Answer 6

I think so, the same things as Terra cotta. They break it all up and reuse it so I would say that this could apply to concrete too!

Answer 7

It always seems like when they have something that I think isn't recyclable, that they make reefs for fish habitats out of it (or something like that).  I always wondered, where the fish were living before we dumped our man made junk in the ocean for them to call home.

Answer 8

Construction materials are increasingly judged by their ecological characteristics. Concrete recycling gains importance because it protects natural resources and eliminates the need for disposal by using the readily available concrete as an aggregate source for new concrete or pavement subbase layers. According to a FHWA study, 38 states recycle concrete as an aggregate base; 11 recycle it into new portland cement concrete. The states that do use recycled concrete aggregate in new concrete report that concrete with recycled concrete aggregate performs equal to concrete with natural aggregates. Most agencies specify using the material directly in the project that is being reconstructed.

I dont know if they pulverize it though...

Answer 9

Oh yeah, I know about this.  The government has a mafioso pay off to deliver the chucks of concrete to various "families" operating in the area.

And while the Italians usually prefer wet cement to plant their enemies in, they do like to keep a chunk of concrete on hand in the event they don't have time to let concrete dry.  They just tie their victim to they chunk of stone and drop'em into the Bay.