Modified Cost-Benefit Analysis of the Production of Ready-Mixed Self-Consolidating Concrete Prepared with a Recycled Concrete Aggregate
Publication: Journal of Construction Engineering and Management
Volume 147, Issue 4
Abstract
Recycled concrete aggregate (RCA) is sustainable, recycled concrete waste that is used as a component of green concretes and that, in the long term, can be a substitute for natural aggregates, which, in turn, can result in the preservation of natural aggregates. The objective of this paper is to modify the cost-benefit analysis generation model of ready-mixed self-consolidating concretes made with RCAs. The model focuses on analyzing the financial effects that favor the production and delivery operations of RCAs rather than those of natural concretes. An inductive qualitative approach was adopted to conduct an inquiry into the cost-benefit assessment of ready-mixed self-consolidating concrete production prepared with recycled concrete aggregate. The study results indicate that the RCA price cannot fall below that of the natural concrete aggregate (NCA) regardless of the production plants used. The major finding of this paper is that production establishments of RCAs can be used for the large-scale production of recycled aggregate concretes at fair prices. Front-end loader and overhead bin plants for ready-mixed concrete may be used to reduce the increasing costs of RCA production. Nevertheless, recycled concrete pricing effects and demand and supply factors pose challenges that are barely accounted for.
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Data Availability Statement
All data, models, and code generated or used during the study appear in the published article.
Acknowledgments
This research has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Programme under Grant agreement No. 777823.
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Published In
Journal of Construction Engineering and Management
Volume 147 • Issue 4 • April 2021
Copyright
© 2021 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Apr 21, 2020
Accepted: Oct 28, 2020
Published online: Feb 11, 2021
Published in print: Apr 1, 2021
Discussion open until: Jul 11, 2021
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