One of the greatest assets on a demolition site is also one that may seem simple to ignore—concrete. After concrete serves its purpose, it has the potential to offset the costs of a project when reused or sold for recycling. Rather than send concrete from old buildings to landfills, forward-thinking Oregon demolition contractors crush it in to useful gravel or into an aggregate that you can use to make new concrete. As construction materials are increasingly evaluated by their ecological characteristics, recycled concrete continues to gain importance in the industry.

1. How to Crush Concrete
in Industrial Demolition
Concrete is a huge resource for construction—and a major source of demolition waste.
Oregon demolition companies are diverting more and more concrete from landfills by
crushing and reusing it, often right at the job site. Here’s how concrete crushing works.
STEP 2 Use cement crushers to reduce blocks to rubble.
Jaw crusher
Two vertical jaws crush concrete between them,
allowing only small rubble to pass through
Crushes
80-85%
of concrete down to
BENEFITS
Versatile
Low
maintenance
Can process
abrasive materials
Cone crusher
Two gyrating spindles squeeze concrete until it
breaks down enough fit through a narrow opening
Crushes with
60-80%
efficiency
Versatile
Easy part
replacement
Can sever wire
mesh and rebar
Impact crusher
Spinning rotors throw concrete against a hard surface
with enough force to break it along internal fissures
Some impact crushers
can tear through
500 tons
per hour
Low operation
costs
High
productivity
Easy to
adjust
STEP 1 Remove concrete from building in bite-size blocks.
3 in. or
smaller
BENEFITS
Diameter: 30 in. to 4 ft.
The construction industry uses
2 times
It’s the 2nd most-consumed
material in the world—after water
Many
buildings
contain
up to
80%concrete
• Wood • Steel • Plastic • Aluminum
as much concrete as all other
building materials combined
BENEFITS
500
TONS
STEP 3 Sort out larger chunks and re-crush until
small enough to use in:
Road base:
68%
High-value
riprap:
3%
Other:
7%
New
concrete
mixes:
6%
Asphalt hot
mixes:
9% General
fill:
7%
1
TON
1 ton of
recycled cement
can save:
1,360
gallons of water
900
kg of CO2
Recycling concrete can save Oregon demolition contractors up to:
25 cents
per ton per mile on
transportation costs
$100
per ton on
disposal costs
www.elderdemolition.com
Infographic by Mad Fish DigitalCopyright © 2017 Elder Demolition
SOURCES:
masabainc.com, powerscreen.com,
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Concrete_recycling,
concretenetwork.com