Rio 2016 sustainable construction commitments lead to new developments in recycled aggregate concrete

The Brazilian construction industry is committed to delivering the venues and infrastructure of the Rio 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games with zero increase in carbon dioxide emissions, reduced consumption of raw materials, increased use of renewable materials and 100% local recycling of construction waste. This in turn has led to significant research and development into using cement replacements – particularly sugar-cane ash from local ethanol production – and recycled aggregates in concrete production. This paper reports on the initial and promising results for ecological concrete mixes using up to 20% sugar-cane ash and 50% cleaned recycled aggregates from demolition waste.