Concrete recycling : a surveyal of the United States from a hazardous materials perspective

Abstract

As the construction continues to increase worldwide, there is a growing necessity to reuse material to minimize the environmental impact of the industry. One of the ways in which to do so might be to 3D print new concrete structures utilizing recycled concrete material with a focus on residential area sourcing. However, there are several hazardous materials that may be present in the material. This thesis aims to provide a framework of understanding of four key hazardous materials that may be present in the source concrete material used for recycling. The four key hazardous materials studied are asbestos, polychlorinated biphenyls or PCBs, hexabromocyclododecanes or HBCDs, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons or PAHs.

For each of the four hazardous materials analyzed, the impact, prevalence, legislation, and mitigation information are presented. This was done by searching through several published article/journal database search engines for relevant information for each material and subtopic. Relevant information was collected, combined, and presented in a format that aims to present a holistic understanding of the materials and their potential impact on the overall viability of recycling concrete in the United States.

Ultimately, all four of the key hazardous materials are very detrimental to the health of people and environment and are widely prevalent in the United States. In order to ensure environmental safety, the concrete source should be tested for each of the hazardous materials, as ideally the source material wouldn’t contain any of the hazardous materials. For source material contaminated by a hazardous material, mitigation efforts should be utilized, if the material is to be used at all for recycling.