Post-Demolition Autoclaved Aerated Concrete: Recycling Options And Volume Prediction In Europe

Autoclaved aerated concrete (AAC) is an increasingly used building material due to its exceptional thermal properties. Post-demolition AAC is mainly disposed in landfills because of lacking established recycling processes. However, the growing demand for sustainable products, greenhouse gas reduction, decreasing landfill capacities and new legal frameworks require recycling options for post-demolition AAC.
Current research includes using post-demolition AAC recycling in the production of lightweight aggregate concrete, lightweight mortar, no-fines concrete, and floor screed. Even closed-loop recycling could be achieved by adding finely ground post-demolition AAC in the AAC production process or by producing belite cement clinker from post-demolition AAC as a substitution for Portland cement.
Predicting the generation of post-demolition AAC volumes is crucial for a recycling and circular management of AAC. But, post-demolition AAC volumes in Europe are currently neither recorded in statistics nor investigated in comprehensive studies. Therefore, a post-demolition AAC prediction model is presented that quantifies post-demolition AAC on a national and European level. ... mehrResults show low volumes in South East, Western, and Southern Europe as well as Scandinavia due to small market sizes. In North West and Central Europe, especially the UK (700,000 m³) and Germany (1,200,000 m³) in 2020 drive post-demolition AAC volumes. The most significant post-demolition AAC volumes occur in Eastern Europe, especially in Poland (1,800,000 m³) and Russia (3,900,000 m³) in 2020. While relative volumes between the regions stay similar, the absolute post-demolition AAC volumes in Europe will nearly double in the next decade from 12.3 to 22.0 million m³.