WRAP Highlights Report on Recycled Aggregates

Proof of the benefits of using recycled and secondary aggregates is now available due to the Aggregates Research Programme, jointly run by the Department of Trade and Industry and the Waste & Resources Action Programme.

Established three years ago, the research program was set up to identify and address barriers to the specification and application of RSAs with the aim of expanding the market for these materials. Traditionally, RSAs have been used as low value fill materials, and the DTI/WRAP research aims to encourage wider adoption of RSAs which are both higher quality and higher value.

The need to increase the use of RSAs is made clear by figures which show that, in the United Kingdom today, around 275 million metric tons of aggregates are used each year as raw construction materials. Currently only 65 million metric tons (around 23%) of this total is derived from recycled or secondary sources. While the UK leads the rest of Europe in this regard, the aggregates sector needs to increase the use of RSAs significantly if it is to continue to meet demand and remain competitive. All indications are that the UK will need an additional 20 million metric tons of aggregates per year by 2012.

From April 2005, responsibility for the continuation of recycled and secondary aggregates research lies entirely with WRAP as an integral part of its Aggregates Programme. The latest research, which has just been launched, builds on the findings of the previous research work and focuses on projects that address either a significant waste stream or a significant technical barrier to RSA use. These include, for example, projects designed to investigate the potential for increased use of RSAs in hydraulically bound materials and concrete, and the role of RSA use in relation to the reduction of CO2 emissions.

The projects funded in the latest round of research are:

* increasing the use of foamed concrete incorporating recycled and secondary aggregates;

* investigating the effects of recycled and secondary aggregates on the engineering properties of concrete;

* testing of concrete produced with recycled and secondary aggregates to determine the effect on ground water and the environment;

* the development of new performance test methods for hydraulically bound materials (HBM) mixtures;

* the development of durability tests for HBM mixtures;

* good practice guidance on the use of HBM in working platforms and other new applications;

* the promotion of the benefits of recycled and secondary aggregates (RSA) use in the reduction of CO2 emissions;

* the promotion of the benefits of recycled and secondary aggregates to the SME sector of the construction industry; and

* an assessment of the potential of redundant airfields in England as a resource for recycled aggregates.

These projects will last between nine and 21 months, with the results of each available via the AggRegain website. This will further add to the already comprehensive range of information contained within the site designed to help those looking to produce, specify or use RSA.