furnace slag.
Blast furnace slag is either air-cooled (slow cooling in the open) or granulated
(formed by quenching molten slag in water to form sand-sized glass-like particles). If the
granulated blast furnace slag accesses free lime during hydration, it develops strong hydraulic
cementitious properties and can partly substitute for portland cement in concrete. Steel furnace
slag is also air-cooled. In 2006, according to the USGS, air-cooled blast furnace slag sold or
used in the U.S. was 7.3 million tonnes valued at $49 million, granulated blast furnace slag sold
or used in the U.S. was 4.2 million tonnes valued at $318 million, and steel furnace slag sold or
used in the U.S. was 8.7 million tonnes valued at $40 million. Air-cooled blast furnace slag sales
in 2006 were for use in road bases and surfaces (41%), asphaltic concrete (13%), ready-mixed
concrete (16%), and the balance for other uses. Granulated blast furnace slag sales in 2006
were for use in cementitious materials (94%), and the balance for other uses. Steel furnace slag
sales in 2006 were for use in road bases and surfaces (51%), asphaltic concrete (12%),
for fill(18%), and the balance for other uses.
Glass aggregate, a mix of colors crushed to a small size, is substituted for many construction and
utility projects in place of pea gravel or crushed rock, often saving municipalities like the City
of Tumwater, Washington Public Works, thousands of dollars (depending on the size of the
project). Glass aggregate is not sharp to handle. In many cases, the state Department of
Transportation has specifications for use, size and percentage of quantity for use. Common
applications are as pipe beddingplaced around sewer, storm water or drinking water pipes to
transfer weight from the surface and protect the pipe. Another common use would be as fill to
bring the level of a concrete floor even with a foundation. Use of glass aggregate helps close the
loop in glass recycling in many places where glass cannot be smelted into new glass.[4]
Aggregates themselves can be recycled as aggregates. Unlike deposits of sand and gravel or
stone suitable for crushing into aggregate, which can be anywhere and may require overburden
removal and/or blasting, "deposits" of recyclable aggregate tend to be concentrated near urban
areas, and production from them cannot be raised or lowered to meet demand for aggregates.
Supply of recycled aggregate depends on physical decay of structures and their demolition. The
recycling plant can be fixed or mobile; the smaller capacity mobile plant works best for asphaltaggregate recycling. The material being recycled is usually highly variable in quality and
properties.
Many aggregate products of various types are often recycled for other industrial purposes. In Bay
City, Michigan, for example, a recycle program exists for contractors and their own unused
products. These piles are composed of unused mixed concrete, block, brick, gravel, pea stone,
and other used materials. Composed of several alternating piles that grow to hundreds of feet in
height and diameter. These piles are then crushed to provide gravel for roads and driveways,
among other purposes. This program has huge economic and environmental benefits to the local
and surrounding area. Contractors save on disposal costs and less aggregate is buried or piled
and abandoned.[citation needed]
According to the USGS in 2006, 2.9 million tonnes of Portland cement concrete (including
aggregate) worth $21.9 million was recycled, and 1.6 million tonnes of asphalt concrete
(including aggregate) worth $11.8 million was recycled, both by crushed stone operations. Much
more of both materials are recycled by construction and demolition firms not in the USGS survey.
For sand and gravel, the USGS survey for 2006 showed that 4.7 million tonnes of cement
concrete valued at $32.0 million was recycled, and 6.17 million tonnes of asphalt concrete valued
at $45.1 million was recycled. Again, more of both materials are recycled by construction and
demolition firms not in this USGS survey. The Construction Materials Recycling Association
indicates that there are 325 million tonnes of recoverable construction and demolition materials
produced annually.
Many geosynthetic aggregates are also made from recycled materials. Being polymer based,
recyclable plastics can be reused in the production of these new age of aggregates. For
example, Ring Industrial Group's EZflow[5] product lines are produced with geosynthetic
aggregate pieces that are more than 99.9% recycled polystyrene. This polystyrene, that would
have otherwise been destined for a landfill, is instead gathered, melted, mixed, reformulated and
expanded to create low density aggregates that maintain high strength properties while under
compressive loads. Such geosynthetic aggregates replace conventional gravel while
simultaneously increasing porosity, increasing hydraulic conductivity and eliminating the fine dust
"fines" inherent to gravel aggregates which otherwise serve to clog and disrupt the operation of
many drainage applications.
Recycled aggregate production in the UK[edit]
Recycled aggregate in the UK is defined as aggregate resulting from the processing of inorganic
material previously used in construction. To ensure the aggregate is inert, it is manufactured from
material tested and characterised under European Waste Codes.[6]
In 2008, 210 million tonnes of aggregate were produced in the UK of which 67 million tonnes was
recycled product, according to the Quarry Products Association (QPA).[7] The Waste and
Resource Action Programme (WRAP)[8] has produced a Quality Protocol for the regulated
production of recycled aggregates.[9] The recycled aggregate is delivered with documentation that
states it has been produced using a quality assured system for the manufacturing process to
ensure an aggregate that conforms to the relevant European standards. [10]
