Utilizing Alkali-Activated Recycled Concrete Aggregates from Demolished Structures to Investigate Concrete Properties in the Jeddah Region of Saudi Arabia

The construction sector in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has shown notable growth and progress as seen by the transformation of outdated neighborhoods into modern smart infrastructure that aligns with the 2030 vision of the nation. As a result of this development trend, which is led by the Jeddah region, many older buildings are being demolished, and a significant amount of concrete is being produced. Utilizing recycled aggregates from construction and demolition waste has been recognized as an effective approach to addressing the current environmental problems that our world faces. An appropriate process of treatment techniques must be incorporated into the production of recycled aggregate in order to enhance its properties and optimize its use. The purpose of this study is to determine the potential benefits of an alkaline Ca(OH)2 activated by fly ash Class F (FAF) for various concrete mixes composed using recycled concrete aggregate (RCA). Seven mixes were developed to determine the effects of several factors on the properties of recycled concrete aggregate (RCA), including the type of recycled aggregate, the activator used, and the impact of the filler material. The study assessed how different forms of recycled aggregate affected physical characteristics. The compressive strength, flexural strength, indirect tensile strength, and pull-out strength of the concrete mixes was measured. The aggregate water absorption of Jeddah concrete aggregate (JRCA) and variable concrete aggregate (VRCA) was evaluated. Activated JRCA water absorption drops to 1.7% while inactivated JRCA water absorption was 3.95%. The AIV values of JRCA rise to 18.4 while the AIV for NA is 13. The same trend complies with the findings, which demonstrated that the strength performance and other characteristics of the various concrete mixes under study were significantly impacted by the type of recycled aggregate utilized and the mix design. Among these, Jeddah recycled concrete aggregate (JRCA) showed promising results that could lead to a wider use of (JRCA) in civil engineering applications.