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Recycling of concrete from construction and demolition waste

In this project, construction and demolition waste (C&DW) concrete will be 100% recycled and reused for the re-manufacture of new construction products, moving from a linear to a circular economy, and highlighting the importance of secondary raw materials and maintaining the value of concrete waste at the end of life through reuse and recycling as a central part of a successful circular economy.

A new holistic technique and management framework to recycle concrete will be established for the development of a zero-waste concrete life cycle and subsequent production of high value-added raw materials for re-manufacturing. The recovered coarse (>5 mm) and fine (<2 mm) aggregates will match the quality and performance of their virgin counterparts while the recovered cementitious paste will be implemented in CO2 capture technology. The research will be demonstrated at the laboratory level, with the supply chain optimised for both the UK and Indian markets for the potential scaling up of the technology.

Integrated, eco-friendly circular construction solution developed at Brunel
Integrated, eco-friendly circular construction solution developed at Brunel

Read more

Ram, V.G., Prajapati, R., Poulose, M.K (2019). "Challenges and Prospects of Demolition Waste Recycling in India." The Indian Concrete Journal.


Meet the Principal Investigator(s) for the project

Professor Xiangming Zhou
Professor Xiangming Zhou - Please note World Academy of Science, Engineering and Technology (WASET) has listed me as a member of the scientific committee/organisation committee of many of their conferences without my knowledge. I have not involved in any conference organised by WASET. I would like to recommend you to take a look at the page on Wikipedia about WASET as following: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Academy_of_Science,_Engineering_and_Technology   quoting "WASET is a predatory publisher of open access academic journals. The publisher has been listed as a "potential, possible, or probable" predatory publisher..." Scopus Profile BEng, MEng(Res), PhD, PGCE, FHEA, FICT, SMRILEM Xiangming is a Professor and Head of Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering, College of Engineering, Design and Physical Sciences at Brunel University London. He joined Brunel in October 2008 as a lecturer and was promoted to Senior Lecturer in 2011, Reader in 2016 and Professor in 2018. Before joining Brunel, he was a Lecturer and then Senior Lecturer in Structural Engineering at the University of Greenwich from January 2007 to September 2008. He conducted post-doctoral research at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology and Hong Kong Polytechnic University from January 2005 to January 2007. At Hong Kong Polytechnic University, he received University Post-doctoral Fellowship. He received his PhD in Civil Engineering from the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology in December 2004. He also holds two degrees, BEng in Civil & Structural Engineering and MEng (Res) in Structural Engineering awarded in 1997 and 2000, respectively, both from Tongji University, Shanghai, China. Xiangming’s research covers a broad range of fields in Construction Materials and technology, with a focus on cement and concrete, and structural engineering. In the area of Construction Materials and technology, he focuses on advanced concrete technology such as extrusion, 3D printing, additive manufacturing, low carbon and energy-efficient (through encapsulated phase-change materials (PCMs)) cementitious materials and energy-efficient buildings, cementless but cement-like materials such as magnesium oxychloride cement and geopolymer / alkali-activated cement made from metakaolin, calcined clay, pulverised fly ash (PFA), mining waste and/or ground granulated blast furnace slag (GGBS) etc., valorization of construction and demolition waste (CDW) and mining waste, carbon adsorption via cement and concrete, testing and modelling of rheology and early-age engineering properties of cement-based materials for extrusion and 3D printing, fracture testing and modelling of concrete, restrained shrinkage cracking of concrete, synthetic and/or natural fibre reinforced concrete, cement-based smart and functional materials for infrastructure, applications of nanotechnology in cement-based materials etc. In Structural Engineering, his research interest falls in seismic testing, analysis and design of steel-concrete composite high-rise buildings, performance-based multi-hazards mitigation of building structures under extreme loadings, precast concrete segmental bridges, fibre-reinforced concrete ground slabs, impact and fracture of natural fibre reinforced concrete, structural-function integrated structural panels and numerical modelling of fracture and structural behaviour of concrete and concrete structures which brings his expertise in Construction Materials & Technology and Structural Engineering under one umbrella. Xiangming has a sustained track record of high-quality research publications in construction materials and structural engineering. He has published papers in referred mainstream civil and structural engineering journals, such as the Journal of Materials in Civil Engineering, ASCE; Journal of Engineering Mechanics, ASCE; Journal of Bridge Engineering, ASCE; ACI Structural Journal; ACI Materials Journal; Engineering Structures (Elsevier); Engineering Fracture Mechanics (Elsevier); Computers & Structures (Elsevier); Construction and Building Materials (Elsevier); Cement and Concrete Composites (Elsevier); Materials and Design (Elsevier); Materials and Structures, RILEM; Journal of Earthquake Engineering (Taylor & Francis); Engineering Failure Analysis (Elsevier), etc. Xiangming has been Principal Investigators of research projects funded by the UK Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), European Commission 7th Framework Programme, European Commission Horizon 2020 and Horizon Europe, British Council, UK-India Education & Research Initiative (UKIERI), Royal Society, UK Royal Academy of Engineering, etc. He has been the Scientific Manager of a European Commission 7th Framework Programme funded cooperation project, i.e. the FIBCEM project, with a budget of €2.75 million (European Commission contribution) and has led a consortium with 10 partners from 5 EU member state countries delivering the project. He has been the Coordinator of the Green INSTRUCT project (www.greeninstruct.eu) funded by the European Commission Horizon 2020 under the theme of NMBP - Energy Efficient Buildings and am leading a consortium with 14 partners from 8 EU member state countries delivering this €5.0 million (European Commission contribution) project. He has also been the PI of a UKIERI-funded project - A New Framework of High-value Added Zero-waste Recycling of Concrete from Construction and Demolition Waste - collaborating with IIT Madras and the PI of a British Council Researcher Links Workshop grant - Valorization of Construction and Demolition Waste for Sustainable Infrastructure Development - collaborating with Tongji University, China (co-funded by National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC). Prof Zhou is currently the PI of an MSCA Individual Fellowship grant - Nano-engineered aluminosilicate cementitious materials (i.e. NEASCMs) and the PI of the project - Biomimicry and carbon adsorbent eco-materials for a climate-neutral economy (i.e. CSTO2NE), project no.: EP/X04145X/1, funded by EPSRC, which is part of a Horizon Europe funded project CSTO2NE. Prof Zhou is also the UK lead of the project - Enhancement on carbon capture in recycling waste concrete for sustainable & resilient infrastructure,” project no.: IEC\NSFC\223146 - funded by Royal Society - National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC) Cost Share Exchange Programme (collaborating with Tsinghua University). Xiangming has also been a work package leader of another Horizon 2020-funded project, i.e. the REMINE project (https://reminemsca.wordpress.com/). Prof Xiangming Zhou is the pioneer and innovator of the elliptical ring test method for assessing the cracking tendency of cement-based materials at early ages. His research was funded by EPSRC via the project - A Novel Method for Assessing Cracking Tendency of Concrete at Early Ages, project no.: EP/I031952/1. Since then, with the intensive collaboration with Prof Wei Dong at the Dalian University of Technology, the elliptical ring test method for assessing the cracking potential of cement-based materials has been widely cited in the academic community and cement/concrete engineering practice. He has also led /participated in other national and international collaborative research projects. Xiangming has lectured structural design (concrete, steel, masonry, seismic and prestressed concrete), structural mechanics, structural dynamics, bridge design and assessment, construction materials, materials technology, sustainability in construction, civil engineering drawing, computer modelling in civil engineering etc. at Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, University of Greenwich and Brunel University London at undergraduate and postgraduate levels. He has been shortlisted as one of the three academics for the Student Led Teaching Award of Tutor/Supervisor of the Year 2016/17. As a member of the team, Civil Engineering Division received the Teach Brunel College Awards – Best Subject 2017 (one of the three subjects across the university). Xiangming has conducted peer review for grant proposals submitted to the EPSRC (first grant scheme, standard responsive mode, early career fellowship, Future Leadership Fellow, & engineering programme grants), UKRI Interdisciplinary Circular Economy Centres multi-million proposals, European Commission Horizon 2020 (with single proposal value to 15 million euros), Royal Society (Industrial Fellowship, Newton Advanced Fellowship), Hong Kong Croucher Foundation (Senior Research Fellowship), Hong Kong Research Grants Council (HKRGC) (including GRF, ECS, RIF, STG with single project asking budget of HK$38 million, etc.), Research Council of Norway (i.e. Collaborative projects to meet societal and industry-related challenges: Circular Economy (proposal value equivalent to €3 million each)), Cyprus’ Research and Innovation Foundation, Research Foundation Flanders (FWO), European Science Foundation, Austrian Science Foundation (FWF), and Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF), etc. He is a full member of EPSRC College and has also served EPSRC Engineering Programme Grants Interview Panel for multi-million grant decisions. He has been reviewing papers for more than 70 international academic journals. He is appointed an editorial board member of Advances in Concrete Construction: An International Journal of Sustainability and Innovation in Concrete Construction; an Associate Editor of the journal of Frontiers in Materials – Structural Materials / Frontiers in Built Environment – Structural Materials; an editorial board member of Scientific Reports (Engineering) and an editorial board member of the journal of Buildings. He has also served as Chair/Member of Technical Program Committee, International Scientific Committee, International Conference Committee, International Advisory Committee, etc. for around 40 conferences and he has also served as session chair in a number of international conferences. He chaired the 2nd International RILEM Workshop on Rheology and Digital Fabrication of Cement-based Materials and also chaired the UK-China Workshop on Valorisation of Construction and Demolition Waste for Sustainable Infrastructure jointly funded by the British Council and NSFC. He is a member of the Technical & Education Committee, Institute of Concrete Technology; a member of RILEM TC MRP – Measuring Rheological Properties of Cement-based Materials; and a member of RILEM TC DFC – Digital Fabrication with Cement-based Materials; a member of RILEM TC TES – Thermal Energy Storage in Cementitious Composites; a member of RILEM TC ADC – Assessment of Additively Manufactured Concrete Materials and Structures as well as a member of RILEM TC PFC – Performance Requirements and Testing of Fresh Printable Cement-based Materials. He was also an invited member of the UK Industrial Forum for Standards and Uses of Alkali Activated Cements. He has been an External Examiner for PhD theses at the University of Strathclyde (2), Manchester (2), Edinburgh Napier (3), Dundee, UCL (3), Brighton, Greenwich, Lancaster, Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Sheffield, and Coventry. He was the External Examiner of the MSc Advanced Structural Engineering (FT/PT) course at Edinburgh Napier University (09/2016~12/2021) and the External Examiner of BSc Civil Engineering at the University of Ulster (09/2019~08/2023). He is currently the External Examiner of the BEng Civil Engineering programme of Dundee International Institute of Central South University. He has also been an External Panel Member for course approval/validation in other UK universities. He has been an invited assessor of Research Excellence Framework outputs (UoA13) by Liverpool John Moores University. Prof Zhou has been invited as a Tenured Professorship external assessor for Riga Technical University, External Assessor for academic staff appointment and promotion at National Chiao Tung University, Taiwan, External Assessor for academic staff appointment at University of Macau, Independent Assessor for academic staff promotion at University of Surrey, etc. He has received the 1st Class Natural Sciences Award issued by the Chinese Ministry of Education for the research on Seismic Effects on Building Structures jointly with a group of recipients including academics and practicing engineers in mainland China and Hong Kong. Xiangming has developed a large research network in Europe and in China/Hong Kong. He has been appointed visiting professor at Dalian University of Technology, Jinan University, Hunan University, etc. Academic / Research Career Head of Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering, Brunel University London, since September 2018 Professor in Civil Engineering, Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering, Brunel University London, since 2018 Reader in Civil Engineering, Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering, Brunel University London, from 2016 to 2018 Senior Lecturer in Civil Engineering Design, School of Engineering and Design (Department of Mechanical, Aerospace and Civil Engineering from August 2014 to September 2016), Brunel University London, from 2011 to 2016 Lecturer in Civil Engineering Design, School of Engineering and Design, Brunel University London, from 2008 to 2011 Lecturer / Senior Lecturer in Structural Engineering, School of Engineering, The University of Greenwich, from January 2007 to September 2008 University Post-Doctoral Fellow, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, from April 2006 to January 2007 Visiting Scholar and Instructor, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, from January 2005 to March 2006 Education Postgraduate Certificate in Higher Education, University of Greenwich, March 2009 Doctor of Philosophy in Civil Engineering, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Hong Kong, December 2004 Master of Engineering in Structural Engineering (2.5 years research degree equivalent to MPhil + MSc), Tongji University, Shanghai, China, July 2000 Bachelor of Engineering in Civil & Structural Engineering, Tongji University, Shanghai, China, July 1997

Related Research Group(s)

structures

Resilient Structures and Construction Materials - RIMS research group brings together material scientists and structural engineers to deliver resilient infrastructure (buildings, bridges etc.) made of sustainable, advanced materials to perform under harsh natural environment and human-induced hazards.


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Project last modified 22/11/2023