Recycled Concrete Aggregates Utilization in Construction: Publications Trends, Bibliometric Analysis, and Literature Review (2011-2021)

Recycled Concrete Aggregates (RCA) are the product of recycling Concrete and Demolition Wastes (CDWs) from the construction industry. The practice aims to effectively dispose of, manage, and treat solid wastes that could pose health, safety, and environmental concerns. To address these impending problems, CDWs are valorized into RCA as a substitute for Natural Aggregates (NA) during construction. Hence, various studies have been published on the use of RCA as a partial replacement for NA in concrete as well as the properties of RCA-based concrete mixes. This study employs scientometric analysis to quantitatively assess the scientific literature on Recycled Concrete Aggregates (RCA). The Systematic Literature Review (SLR) of Recycled Concrete Aggregates (RCA) utilization in construction was critically examined using the PRISMA approach. VOSviewer was utilized for the bibliometric analysis to map co-authorship networks, keyword occurrence, and co-citation analysis. The bibliometric analysis reveals a substantial increase in publications on RCA utilization over the 10 years, demonstrating growing interest and awareness in sustainable construction practices, which translates to significant contributions in areas such as performance enhancement, material properties, and environmental sustainability. The SLR indicated that the partial replacement of fine or coarse NA with RCA in concrete improves the physical durability, workability, and mechanical properties. It also reduces the industry’s overall carbon footprint and addresses environmental issues related to construction. Thus, the study contributes to the understanding of RCA utilization in the construction industry and provides valuable insights for researchers, practitioners, and policymakers seeking to promote sustainability in the built environment. Future studies could look at novel composite materials, the effects of RCA production on the environment, and the long-term effectiveness of RCA in building applications.