By: Franyi Sarmiento, Ph.D., Inspenet, August 16, 2022
Engineers at RMIT University in Australia have discovered a way to replace 100% of conventional aggregates in concrete, such as gravel and crushed rock, with rubber from discarded tires that complies with building codes, making it more environmentally friendly and lightweight.
The RMIT University team says the new concrete promises to significantly reduce manufacturing and transportation costs, as well as boost the circular economy.
Small amounts of rubber particles from tires are already used to replace these aggregates in concrete, but efforts to replace all aggregates with rubber have produced weak concretes that did not meet the required standards, until now.
A process for manufacturing lightweight structural concrete in which the traditional coarse aggregates in the mix are completely replaced by rubber from used tires.
Lead author and RMIT University School of Engineering PhD researcher Mohammad Momeen Ul Islam said the findings dismantled a popular theory about what could be achieved with recycled rubber particles in concrete.
Study co-author and team leader Professor Jie Li said this manufacturing process will enable environmental and economic benefits, including low-cost housing projects in rural and remote areas around the world.
Following the success of the workshop tests, the team is studying concrete reinforcement to see how it can work in structural elements.
This material from rmit.edu.au and ecoinventos.com was edited for clarity, style and length.
Sources: https://www.rmit.edu.au/news/all-news/2022/august/rubber-concrete – https://ecoinventos.com/hormigon-con-caucho-de-neumatico-reciclado/
Photos: Mohammad Islam, RMIT
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