Page 22 - New Trends in Eco efficient and Recycled Concrete

Foreword

New Trends in Eco-efficient and Recycled Concrete is a stand-by-itself, unique
book on eco-efficient concrete in the sense that it is focused mostly on fundamental
issues that have not been tackled in previous related books: eco-efficiency evalua-
tion, non-exploited research fields and upscaling the use of new eco-efficient con-
crete types. Therefore, it is useful to all stakeholders involved in the concrete
industry: authorities, promoters, designers, contractors and maintenance managers,
as well as the entire academic community.
The book comprises four sections: (1) Materials recycled in concrete production,
where stabilised knowledge on the use of various waste types is summarised;
(2) life cycle analysis of recycled aggregate concrete, which deals with the funda-
mental scientific demonstration of the sustainability of every concrete variety;
(3) new trends in recycled aggregate concrete research, where the most promising
research lines involving eco-efficient concrete are presented; and (4) upscaling the
use of recycled aggregate concrete, showing the path from research to day-to-day
application of more sustainable and eco-friendly concrete.
Many wastes have been tried as replacement of various components of concrete:
aggregates, fillers, binders and reinforcement. The most common ones are construc-
tion and demolition waste, various types of ashes, plastics, rubber, glass, slags and
bio-wastes. The book presents the state-of-the-art on the use of these wastes in con-
crete, which is now fairly established. In other words, the technical feasibility of
recycled aggregate concrete has been demonstrated beyond reasonable doubt.
Quite often, it is claimed that a given concrete mix is ‘sustainable’. However, in
most cases, this claim lacks scientific demonstration. That is why the second section
of this book is dedicated to life cycle analysis, starting with the basics and existing
comparative studies, and moving on to fundamental issues in sustainability assess-
ment, such as the definition of an equivalent functional unit and leachability.
Not everything has been sufficiently researched in recycled aggregate concrete.
The book presents some of the issues from this area that the contributors consider
still have a great research potential: alkali-activated waste materials, microstructural
and mesostructural studies, sequestration of carbon dioxide and sulphur content.
The book ends with a contribution to the most pressing issue of eco-efficient
concrete today: applying the knowledge generated from research into current prac-
tice. The authorities, promoters, designers, contractors and all the remaining stake-
holders on concrete’s use need guidance on how to apply, in a reliable manner,
these sustainable materials. Therefore, the final section of the book addresses such
issues as legal regulations on the use of these materials, simple-to-use guidance to