MANAGEMENT AND CLASSIFICATION OF CONSTRUCTION AND DEMOLITION WASTE IN INDIA

Abstract

Construction and Demolition (C&D) waste have a huge potential to replace virgin materials. However, due to lack of management, its utilization has not been optimized. Issues like sharing of responsibilities among various stakeholders and classification of C&D waste are some of bottleneck on part of effective implementation of C&D waste management in India. This paper illustrates quantity and quality of C&D waste generation in India, regulatory framework, policy interventions and R&D work carried out to classify C&D waste aggregate for production of concrete. Experimental studies were carried out using two different sources of recycled concrete aggregates; one batch of aggregates are obtained from Burari Plant located in New Delhi and another batch of aggregates were created in laboratory by crushing concrete cubes of 20- 30MPa. Thereafter, recycled concrete aggregates were classified on basis of their physical properties like specific gravity and water absorption and their performance in concrete have been evaluated in terms of fresh properties like workability, air content, bleed water percentage and mechanical properties like compressive and flexural strength. Study indicates that air content in concrete mixes prepared from recycled coarse aggregate (RCA) is 5-20 % higher than that of corresponding control mix whereas admixture requirement for concrete mixes prepared with RCA was found to be slightly higher in comparison to that of control. Experimental study indicates that compressive strength as well as flexural strength of concrete mixes prepared with recycled concrete aggregate has been reduced drastically in comparison to control mixes without recycled coarse aggregate.