Construction and demolition activities create a lot of waste, such as concrete and asphalt. In the past, much of this waste has ended up in landfills, harming the environment and using up resources. However, advanced technology has now allowed us to transform this waste into valuable materials. Metso's range of equipment and expertise can help turn your waste into wealth.
Regulations around the world are pushing for more recycling of construction waste. For example, the EU has had a law since 2008 requiring 70% of non-hazardous C&D waste to be recycled, recovered, or reused by 2020. At the first glance, this might feel like a challenging target, but separating materials like bricks, concrete, and iron can make recycling very effective. Once separated, concrete and bricks can be crushed and reused.
Recycling not only has positive effects on the environment, but it can also lead to cost savings. Recycled aggregates can be sold or reused, minimizing the need to buy new materials. Metso's practice shows that separating stones from recycled concrete can be cost-effective, lowering equipment usage and transportation costs.
Metso's equipment, like track-mounted and portable crushers and screens, and stationary jaw crushers and screens, can help make recycling more efficient. These machines are known for their versatility and are designed to handle multiple types of feeds. They can be equipped with recycling features such as feeding arrangements, efficient separation of steel and light construction materials, and dust and noise control.
Metso's HRC™ high-pressure roll crusher - Opens in a new window can reprocess different concrete-related waste streams. Suitable aggregate-production by-products can be processed into concrete sand or manufactured sand with controlled gradation and particle shape. At Hawaiian Cement - Opens in a new window, HRC™ 8 processes wet quarry by-products into ASTM C33 concrete sand.
For pre-crushed concrete waste, HRC™ can serve a different purpose. After primary crushing, it can help separate the original aggregate from the cementitious material without unnecessarily breaking the aggregate. The recovered aggregate can then be evaluated for reuse in fresh concrete mixes, depending on its quality and the applicable requirements.
For operations that need a portable solution, Nordwheeler™ NW8HRC - Opens in a new window combines HRC™ 8 technology with a wheel-mounted plant that can be relocated between sites. It can be used to reprocess waste materials and produce high-quality sand and aggregate products.
For asphalt and demolition waste, Metso's mobile Lokotrack® and Nordtrack™ crushers and screens offer a solution that moves with the job. Approximately half of all Lokotracks in the field engage in recycling jobs in some phase of their life cycle. These machines are efficient in separating stones from bitumen and other materials. Metso's Lokotrack® Urban™ Series - Opens in a new window is ideal for urban areas where noise and dust are concerns. Mobile impact crushers, for example Lokotrack® LT1213S™ and diesel-electric Lokotrack® LT400RS - Opens in a new window are equipped with advanced features such as a pan feeder under the crusher, a wind shifter for separating lighter materials and a hydraulically adjustable magnet. These features allow them to handle high-capacity demolition tasks with ease.
Mobile jaw crushers, such as Lokotrack® LT106™, high compression power is required for crushing concrete on demolition sites. These machines feature reinforced conveyor belts and magnetic separators, making them well-suited for demanding demolition applications where separation of materials is crucial. Lokotrack® mobile screens have the user friendly IC control system ensuring seamless communication when used together with other Lokotrack units. In stand-alone applications, multi-use screeners such as ST2.8 have high stroke and a wide range of screening media providing excellent screening efficiency.
Metso Nordtrack™ mobile crushers, screens, and conveyors are well-suited for recycling and demolition purposes. Their cost-effectiveness and reliability make them an ideal choice for recycling contractors.
Nordtrack™ jaw crushers work best on tougher applications and are ideal for short-term contract jobs where productivity matters. Nordtrack™ horizontal shaft impact crushers, such as Nordtrack™ I908S or I1011, work most effectively on C&D waste and concrete recycling jobsites. Due to the wide selection of different blowbars, they can handle tougher and more hard-wearing applications such as asphalt crushing. Nordtrack J90 - Opens in a new window mobile jaw crushers wide feed opening suits especially well with concrete payment slabs recycling. Nordtrack scalper screens can work on more versatile roles on the jobsite – from pre-scalping to more robust end product screening. Nordtrack product screens are strong-build units for effective final product screening –whether it is aggregates, topsoil or mulch, coal or C&D waste.
Construction and demolition waste can become a useful source of aggregates when the right crushing, screening and separation process is in place. The best setup depends on the material, required end products and how your operation works.
Concrete, asphalt and slag can all be processed into new aggregate products. Explore recycled aggregates, common applications and Metso crushing and screening solutions on our Recycled aggregates - Opens in a new window page.
* Source: US EPA (2020) ‘Advancing Sustainable Materials Management: 2018 Fact Sheet’. Available at Advancing Sustainable Materials Management: Facts and Figures Report | US EPA
** Sources: Silva, R.V., de Brito, J. and Dhir, R.K. (2017) ‘Availability and processing of recycled aggregates within the construction and demolition supply chain: A review’, Journal of Cleaner Production, 143, pp. 598–614. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2016.12.070
Wang, B. et al. (2021) ‘A Comprehensive Review on Recycled Aggregate and Recycled Aggregate Concrete’, Resources, Conservation and Recycling, 171, p. 105565. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.resconrec.2021.105565