Novel separation process for obtaining recycled cement and high-quality recycled sand from waste hardened concrete

Separation is a fundamental step for concrete recycling, enabling not only the achievement of reliable and cleaner recycled aggregates but also the better re-use of the remaining concrete constituents. Recently, a new hydraulic binder produced from the hydrated cement paste contained in waste concrete, which is associated with lower processing temperatures and carbon dioxide emissions, has gained momentum in the history of concrete recycling. However, a decisive turning point for its application lies in the successful individualisation of the cement paste and aggregate initially contained in concrete debris. This paper describes a new patented method involving a mechanical comminution stage and a high-intensity magnetic separation process to obtain the cementitious fraction in concrete and retrieve cleaner fine aggregate. The efficiency of the proposed method was assessed through image analysis, thermogravimetry, X-ray diffraction and acid attack. In addition, cement pastes produced with the obtained recycled cement after thermal activation were characterised in terms of mechanical strength. Findings suggest that the proposed method effectively separated the main concrete constituents, especially when the waste material was reduced to the size range 150–500 μm. It was possible to obtain a recycled binder at the current laboratory scale with up to about 80% cement content by weight (nearly 90% in volume). Furthermore, a cleaner recycled fine aggregate, with minimal cement paste contamination, as low as less than 3 wt%, was also obtained. The mechanical strength of pastes with recycled cement retrieved from waste concrete was about 70% of that of reference pastes of equal water/binder produced with recycled cement from non-contaminated waste cement pastes.