Cost-benefit analysis of the production of ready-mixed high-performance concrete made with recycled concrete aggregate: A case study in Thailand

Abstract

In the current green concrete structures, recycled concrete aggregate is used as recycled concrete waste. In this process, concrete waste is collected and crushed using a recycling procedure in order to produce crushed concrete which is then used in structural concrete where it replaces natural aggregate which is coarse. The recycled aggregate concrete is a sustainable concrete waste which in the long term can replace the demand for natural aggregate, a process which would, in turn, lead to its preservation. However, most concrete industries have been observed to be reluctant in the production of recycled aggregate concrete and utilization in its maximum potential. Industries are yet to embrace it not only due to its uncertain material performance but also due to its unexplored manufacturing plant operations which are yet to be established. This research aims to use of a cost-benefit analysis model of the production of ready-mixed high-performance concrete made with recycled concrete aggregate in Thailand. The model focuses on the evaluation of the financial effects which favor the recycled aggregate concrete manufacturing operations instead of the ordinary concrete. Research findings indicate that regardless of the manufacturing plant used, the price of recycled concrete aggregate cannot decrease below the price of natural aggregate concrete. The key result of this research is that recycled concrete aggregate manufacturing set-ups can be used in the industrial-scale manufacture of recycled concrete and at low prices. In addition, overhead bin type and front-end loader type of plants can be used to lower the incremental costs of recycled concrete aggregate. However, the demand and supply factors and the pricing effects of recycled concrete pose various difficulties which are hardly accounted for.

Keywords: Civil engineering; Cost-benefit analysis; Energy; Front-end loader plant; Industrial engineering; Overhead bin plant; Ready-mixed concrete; Recycled aggregate concrete; Recycled concrete aggregate; Systems engineering.