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Reduction of the Cement Content by Incorporation of Fine Recycled Aggregates from Construction and Demolition Waste in Rendering Mortars

The construction sector is responsible for one third of the total wastes produced in the EU. Finding solutions for the reuse or recycling of these wastes is one of the major environmental concerns of modern times. The replacement of sand or cement in specific construction materials, such as concrete or mortars, is a possible solution for these wastes’ management. By using construction and demolition wastes in construction materials, namely on buildings, the cycle of circular economy is closed, increasing the life cycle of the wastes in the same sector. In this research, a reduction of cement content in rendering mortars is analysed. This reduction is achieved by a decrease of the cement/aggregate ratio simultaneously with the incorporation of very fine recycled aggregate from construction and demolition waste. Two recycled aggregates were studied: recycled concrete aggregate (RCA) and mixed recycled aggregate (MRA). The fresh and hardened state properties of the mortars were analysed. Several tests were carried out to evaluate the mortars’ performance, such as mechanical strength tests, water absorption tests, drying tests and shrinkage. It was noticed that the incorporation of RCA led to a better behaviour than in the reference mortar, in terms of mechanical strengths and protection against water.