Assessment of the contaminants level in recycled aggregates and alternative new technologies for contaminants recognition and removal

One of the main challenging problems associated with the use of Recycled Aggregates (RA) is the level of mixed contaminants. For utilizing RA in high-grade applications, it is essential to monitor and minimise the content of the pollutants. To this extent the C2CA concrete recycling process investigates a combination of smart demolition,...

On the homogeneity of a thick layer of mixed granules in optical quality inspection

Optical inspection of a thick layer of granules for foreign particles does not directly reveal their true number and the more so if the layer is not homogenous. This raises questions such as “how do I know if the layer is homogenous?” and “what is the relation between the observable particles and the true number?” In this work a theory is...

Sensor-based quality inspection of secondary resources: Laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy

The quality control of materials from waste is an important step for acceptance in new high-quality products. Given the large volumes and complexity of waste streams, this requires advanced sensor technology such as the Laser Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (LIBS) investigated in this thesis. Recyclers often rely solely on manual sorting and...

Spatial variation pattern analysis of hydrologic processes and water quality in three gorges reservoir area

The Three Gorges Project (TGP) has greatly enhanced the heterogeneity of the underlying surface in the Three Gorges Reservoir Area (TGRA), thereby affecting the hydrologic processes and water quality. However, the influence of the differences of underlying surfaces on the hydrologic processes and water quality in the TGRA has not been studied...