Optimization of self-compacting recycled concrete manufactured with waste and byproducts

Abstract Precast companies produce high amounts of waste due to the excess of fresh concrete not used during the manufacturing of the pieces or the rejection of elements with aesthetic or geometric defects. In recent years, because of the increased environmental awareness and to get a greater sustainability in the precast factories, this waste has not been deposited in landfills but crushed to obtain recycled concrete aggregate (RCA). This sustainable and quality aggregate can be incorporated as raw material to produce high-performance concrete, such as the recycled self-compacting concrete (SCC), whose main characteristic is its high flowability in the fresh state. This chapter analyzes the performance of SCC with RCA, to be used in the precast industry, throughout an extent bibliographic review, which includes both the earliest and the most recent studies on this topic. In the introduction, the main aspects regarding the sustainability in this sector are explained. Subsequently, the optimum design of an SCC incorporating RCA is developed and, finally, its in-fresh state behavior, its mechanical and durability properties, and the performance of real precast elements manufactured with these mixes are analyzed, with the aim of demonstrating the suitability of the SCC manufactured with RCA, for its use in the precast industry.