The crushing of reinforced concrete and magnetic separation — key stages in its processing that yield recycled aggregate and steel reinforcement whilst reducing waste — are being automated and will form the basis of the construction industry’s circular economy.
The crushing of reinforced concrete and magnetic separation are key stages in the processing of construction waste; they work in perfect harmony to transform old reinforced concrete into valuable secondary resources, solving the problem of disposal and conserving natural materials.
The crushing of reinforced concrete is the first stage of processing; specialised crushers carefully break down the monolithic blocks, separating the concrete matrix from the steel reinforcement, whilst adjustable crushing parameters ensure that fractions of the optimum size are produced for subsequent separation, without damaging the valuable components.
Magnetic separation relies on the difference in the magnetic properties of the components of reinforced concrete; the steel reinforcement is attracted to strong permanent or electromagnets, whilst the non-magnetic concrete aggregate passes freely by, This technology is highly efficient, removing more than 95% of metallic inclusions from the crushed material.
Combining crushing and magnetic separation makes it possible to produce two separate high-quality products: clean recycled aggregate for road construction and concrete mixes, as well as re-meltable steel reinforcement, which reduces the volume of landfill waste by more than 80% and minimises the environmental impact.
In modern facilities, these processes are automated, with systems introduced to monitor particle size and magnetic field strength, which improves the accuracy of separation and reduces energy consumption; In the future, this integrated approach will form the basis of the circular economy in the construction sector, fully closing the recycling loop for reinforced concrete waste.
