Evaluation of environmental impact of construction and demolition recycled

Abstract

The management of an important volume of Construction and Demolition Waste (C&DW) in accordance with the applicable legal framework in Portugal and in European Union represents a significant source of concern for the producing companies and for the European countries. A research project aiming to contribute to the sustainable implementation of recycling of C&DW in road pavements is being developed by two Portuguese research institutions since 2010. The main purpose of the project is to respond to the issues raised by the national and international technical community through the development of research concerning the application of Construction and Demolition Recycled Materials (C&DRM) as unbound granular material in road pavements. The research plan includes an extensive experimental programme on several selected C&DRM and a natural aggregate (reference material). According to chemical characterization of waste defined by the Portuguese legislation, two recycled aggregates would have to be disposed at non-hazardous waste landfills. However, either the contents of leached analyses obtained in the compliance batch leaching tests or in the lysimeters tests indicate that C&DRM leachability is under the limit values defined by the Portuguese legislation regarding waste admissible for landfills of inert waste inert.