Crumb rubber in concrete—the barriers for application in the construction industry

Abstract

This state-of-the-art review was aimed to conduct a comprehensive literature survey to summarize experiences of crumb rubber (CR) application in concrete within the last 30 years. It shows that certain gaps prevent obtaining a coherent overview of both mechanical behaviour and environmental impact of crumb rubber concrete (CRC) to object to the stereotypes which prevent to use of CR in concrete in the construction industry. Currently, four major barriers can be distinguished for a successful CR application in the concrete industry: (1) the cost of CR recycling, (2) mechanical properties reduction, (3) insufficient research about leaching criteria and ecotoxicological risks and (4) recyclability of CRC. The application of CR in concrete has certainly its advantages and in general cannot be ignored by the construction industry. CR can be applied, for example, as an alternative material to replace natural aggregates and CRC can be used as recycled concrete aggregates (RCA) in the future. A certain diversity for the CR application can be introduced in a more efficient way when surface treatment and concrete mix design optimization are properly developed for each type of CR application in concrete for possible field applications. The role of CRC should not be limited to structures that are less dependent on strength.