Researchers at IIT Madras have developed and demonstrated a treatment process that uses solar thermal energy to recycle waste concrete from construction and demolition debris. The researchers also discovered that the quality of concrete produced using this method was superior in quality compared to the recycled concrete obtained through mechanical crushing.
The researchers demonstrated the technology at the India One Solar Thermal Power Plant in Rajasthan. The plant has 770 solar concentrators that are used to produce electricity using steam generated at high pressure. The researchers used two of these concentrators during the trial.
The researchers used the large reflectors of the solar concentrators to heat concrete rubble from demolition sites in cast iron receivers. After this, they mechanically scrubbed the material to yield coarse and fine recycled concrete aggregate (RCA)….
IIT Madras researchers use solar energy to recycle waste concrete
