A Critical Review on the Applications of Modified Recycled Coarse Aggregate in Conventional Concrete and High-Performance Concrete

Tao Liang; Ahmed Wisal; Zhenhua Duan; Zhengyao Qu; Bin Zhang; Dengwu Jiao

doi:10.1016/j.jobe.2025.112601

A Critical Review on the Applications of Modified Recycled Coarse Aggregate in Conventional Concrete and High-Performance Concrete

Tao Liang, Ahmed Wisal, Zhenhua Duan, Zhengyao Qu, Bin Zhang, Dengwu Jiao^*

^*Corresponding author for this work

Department of Architecture and Civil Engineering

Research output: Journal Publications and Reviews › RGC 21 - Publication in refereed journal › peer-review

6 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

The employment of construction and demolition (C&D) waste as a raw material to produce recycled coarse aggregate (RCA) presents a promising solution to mitigate the volume of C&D waste directed to landfills and decrease the consumption of natural coarse aggregate (NCA) in concrete applications. However, the presence of old adhered mortar with high porosity and poor performance on the surface of RCA results in higher water absorption and crushing value compared to NCA, which detrimentally affects the mechanical and durability performance of concrete. To address the potential misconception that RCA is only applicable to conventional concrete, this paper innovatively includes high-performance concretes (HPC) as one of the subjects. By critically discussing existing RCA modification methods, the study aims to provide a comprehensive overview of field advancements, identify current challenges, and outline future research directions, highlighting their influence on both conventional and high-performance concrete properties. It was revealed that carbonation and microbial-induced calcium carbonate precipitation are the most effective modification methods, which offer the most significant improvements in the mechanical properties of RCA-based conventional concrete. The mechanical treatment presents more potential to enhance the durability of conventional concrete, while ball milling treatment could enhance the compressive strength of HSC made with RCA. Yet, modifying RCA with strong acids or alkalis might yield even more impressive results, potentially boosting the splitting tensile and flexural strengths of RCA-based HSC beyond those of HSC made with NCA. For SCHPC, pre-soaking the RCA into the magnesium sulfate solution or hydrochloric acid could be the most effective way to improve the properties of fresh SCHPC incorporated with RCA.

© 2025 Elsevier Ltd. All rights are reserved, including those for text and data mining, AI training, and similar technologies.

Original language	English
Article number	112601
Journal	Journal of Building Engineering
Volume	106
Online published	9 Apr 2025
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jobe.2025.112601
Publication status	Published - 15 Jul 2025

Funding

The authors express their gratitude to the National Natural Science Foundation of China (52408295), Early Career Scheme (ECS) from Research Grants Council of Hong Kong SAR (CityU 21211024), Environment and Conservation Fund (No. 04/2023), and City University of Hong Kong (No. 9610661).

Research Keywords

Modified recycled aggregate
Mechanical properties
Durability
Rheological properties
Environmental impact

RGC Funding Information

RGC-funded

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10.1016/j.jobe.2025.112601

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Cite this

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title = "A Critical Review on the Applications of Modified Recycled Coarse Aggregate in Conventional Concrete and High-Performance Concrete",

abstract = "The employment of construction and demolition (C&D) waste as a raw material to produce recycled coarse aggregate (RCA) presents a promising solution to mitigate the volume of C&D waste directed to landfills and decrease the consumption of natural coarse aggregate (NCA) in concrete applications. However, the presence of old adhered mortar with high porosity and poor performance on the surface of RCA results in higher water absorption and crushing value compared to NCA, which detrimentally affects the mechanical and durability performance of concrete. To address the potential misconception that RCA is only applicable to conventional concrete, this paper innovatively includes high-performance concretes (HPC) as one of the subjects. By critically discussing existing RCA modification methods, the study aims to provide a comprehensive overview of field advancements, identify current challenges, and outline future research directions, highlighting their influence on both conventional and high-performance concrete properties. It was revealed that carbonation and microbial-induced calcium carbonate precipitation are the most effective modification methods, which offer the most significant improvements in the mechanical properties of RCA-based conventional concrete. The mechanical treatment presents more potential to enhance the durability of conventional concrete, while ball milling treatment could enhance the compressive strength of HSC made with RCA. Yet, modifying RCA with strong acids or alkalis might yield even more impressive results, potentially boosting the splitting tensile and flexural strengths of RCA-based HSC beyond those of HSC made with NCA. For SCHPC, pre-soaking the RCA into the magnesium sulfate solution or hydrochloric acid could be the most effective way to improve the properties of fresh SCHPC incorporated with RCA.{\textcopyright} 2025 Elsevier Ltd. All rights are reserved, including those for text and data mining, AI training, and similar technologies.",

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AU - Liang, Tao

AU - Wisal, Ahmed

AU - Duan, Zhenhua

AU - Qu, Zhengyao

AU - Zhang, Bin

AU - Jiao, Dengwu

PY - 2025/7/15

Y1 - 2025/7/15

N2 - The employment of construction and demolition (C&D) waste as a raw material to produce recycled coarse aggregate (RCA) presents a promising solution to mitigate the volume of C&D waste directed to landfills and decrease the consumption of natural coarse aggregate (NCA) in concrete applications. However, the presence of old adhered mortar with high porosity and poor performance on the surface of RCA results in higher water absorption and crushing value compared to NCA, which detrimentally affects the mechanical and durability performance of concrete. To address the potential misconception that RCA is only applicable to conventional concrete, this paper innovatively includes high-performance concretes (HPC) as one of the subjects. By critically discussing existing RCA modification methods, the study aims to provide a comprehensive overview of field advancements, identify current challenges, and outline future research directions, highlighting their influence on both conventional and high-performance concrete properties. It was revealed that carbonation and microbial-induced calcium carbonate precipitation are the most effective modification methods, which offer the most significant improvements in the mechanical properties of RCA-based conventional concrete. The mechanical treatment presents more potential to enhance the durability of conventional concrete, while ball milling treatment could enhance the compressive strength of HSC made with RCA. Yet, modifying RCA with strong acids or alkalis might yield even more impressive results, potentially boosting the splitting tensile and flexural strengths of RCA-based HSC beyond those of HSC made with NCA. For SCHPC, pre-soaking the RCA into the magnesium sulfate solution or hydrochloric acid could be the most effective way to improve the properties of fresh SCHPC incorporated with RCA.© 2025 Elsevier Ltd. All rights are reserved, including those for text and data mining, AI training, and similar technologies.

AB - The employment of construction and demolition (C&D) waste as a raw material to produce recycled coarse aggregate (RCA) presents a promising solution to mitigate the volume of C&D waste directed to landfills and decrease the consumption of natural coarse aggregate (NCA) in concrete applications. However, the presence of old adhered mortar with high porosity and poor performance on the surface of RCA results in higher water absorption and crushing value compared to NCA, which detrimentally affects the mechanical and durability performance of concrete. To address the potential misconception that RCA is only applicable to conventional concrete, this paper innovatively includes high-performance concretes (HPC) as one of the subjects. By critically discussing existing RCA modification methods, the study aims to provide a comprehensive overview of field advancements, identify current challenges, and outline future research directions, highlighting their influence on both conventional and high-performance concrete properties. It was revealed that carbonation and microbial-induced calcium carbonate precipitation are the most effective modification methods, which offer the most significant improvements in the mechanical properties of RCA-based conventional concrete. The mechanical treatment presents more potential to enhance the durability of conventional concrete, while ball milling treatment could enhance the compressive strength of HSC made with RCA. Yet, modifying RCA with strong acids or alkalis might yield even more impressive results, potentially boosting the splitting tensile and flexural strengths of RCA-based HSC beyond those of HSC made with NCA. For SCHPC, pre-soaking the RCA into the magnesium sulfate solution or hydrochloric acid could be the most effective way to improve the properties of fresh SCHPC incorporated with RCA.© 2025 Elsevier Ltd. All rights are reserved, including those for text and data mining, AI training, and similar technologies.

KW - Modified recycled aggregate

KW - Mechanical properties

KW - Durability

KW - Rheological properties

KW - Environmental impact

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DO - 10.1016/j.jobe.2025.112601

M3 - RGC 21 - Publication in refereed journal

SN - 2352-7102

VL - 106

JO - Journal of Building Engineering

JF - Journal of Building Engineering

M1 - 112601

ER -

A Critical Review on the Applications of Modified Recycled Coarse Aggregate in Conventional Concrete and High-Performance Concrete

Abstract

Funding

Research Keywords

RGC Funding Information

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ECS: Active Control of Steel Fiber Orientation in Three-Dimensional Concrete Printing

Cite this

A Critical Review on the Applications of Modified Recycled Coarse Aggregate in Conventional Concrete and High-Performance Concrete

Abstract

Funding

Research Keywords

RGC Funding Information

Access Output

Other Access Options

Permanent Link

Other Files and Links

Fingerprint

Projects

ECS: Active Control of Steel Fiber Orientation in Three-Dimensional Concrete Printing

Cite this