Development of an Innovative Technique for Demolition Concrete Up-cycling : a Response to Mitigate GHG's Emissions and Natural Resources Depletion

Sylvain Guignot (1) , Yannick Menard (1) , Solène Touzé (1) , Kathy Bru (1)

1 BRGM - Bureau de Recherches Géologiques et Minières (BRGM)

The present study describes a high-voltage pulsed-power process of concrete fragmentation which enables to recover clean aggregates and hydrated cement paste (HCP). This HCP conveys valuable elements - Ca, Si, Fe, Al - that would potentially reduce energy and natural resources consumption as well as CO2 emissions of the clinker making process, if it were introduced in the raw mix of the clinker kiln. Overall environmental benefits of this up-cycling chain depend on the mineralogical composition of the cement paste, which in turn depends on the operational conditions of the concrete fragmentation process. To date, only scarce data are available to assess this recycling scheme. In this framework, our study tackle the subject by putting forward an experimental investigation of the pulsed-power process, coupled with a calculation methodology to assess the environmental benefits associated with the recycling of the obtained hydrated cement paste in clinker manufacturing. The proposed methodology leads the way to a comprehensive environmental assessment of concrete recycling schemes, based on a forthcoming LCA study that will make use of the results presented.

Mots clés: concrete; cement paste; aggregates; CO2; recycling; fragmentation; pulsed power

Domaines: Génie chimique

Sylvain Guignot, Yannick Menard, Solène Touzé, Kathy Bru. Development of an Innovative Technique for Demolition Concrete Up-cycling : a Response to Mitigate GHG's Emissions and Natural Resources Depletion. International Mineral Processing Congress (IMPC 2012), Sep 2012, New Delhi, India. ⟨hal-00714422⟩