An investigation on the recycling of hydrated cement from concrete demolition waste

Construction and demolition waste (CDW) recycling is generally limited to the use of the coarser fraction as aggregate for new concrete. The recovery of fine aggregates requires a cleaning by removing the hydrated cement waste (HCW). In this paper, the possibility to use HCW extracted from CDW as alternative component for the production of new clinker is explored. A pure HCW sample was prepared and used in partial replacement of natural materials in raw admixtures for new clinker production. At a replacement degree of 30%, a new Portland clinker containing almost 50% of C₃S could be produced with a huge spare in the release of CO₂ (about 1/3 less). At higher HCW dosage a non-Portland clinker containing almost 80% of C₂S has been obtained: its use as supplementary cementing material in blended cements revealed satisfying long term performances.