The French National Project Recybéton, to bring the concrete world into circular economy

Abstract

France is currently producing about 17 Mt/year of demolished concrete, most of this material being used in road subbase courses or embankments. However, this flow should increase in the near future, although less and less new roads are to be built. Another 20 Mt of mixed demolition materials, a good part of it being concrete or natural rock is also available. Therefore there is a duty both for the society and the planet to make the best use of this resource, in order to preserve the natural resource and to avoid waste material landfill. Based on this reality, a national project, partially sponsored by the Ministry of Ecology, was set in 2012, gathering 47 partners among which representatives of all construction stakeholders. The paper aims at presenting the main outputs of the project, which will produce various deliverables: a scientific book (to be published), a guide (under preparation), a number of proposals to adapt standards and regulations, and, last but not least, five experimental constructions, including a parking lot, a bridge, various buildings and industrial constructions.