The granular material that is mainly used as raw material in construction is called aggregate.
Aggregate differs from other materials in its chemical stability and mechanical resistance, and is characterized by its size. Those mineral substances used as raw materials in industrial processes due to their chemical composition are not considered aggregates.
Guys
Depending on its origin, the aggregate can be natural, artificial or recycled.
Natural aggregate is that which comes from working a deposit and has been subjected only to mechanical processes.
Regarding their shape, they are distinguished as rounded (or rolled) and from crushing. The latter presents angular shapes due to the mechanical fracturing necessary to obtain it.
The rocks from which natural aggregates are extracted are:
Artificial aggregate is that which comes from an industrial process and has been subjected to some physical-chemical or other type of modification (such as clay).
Recycled aggregate is that which results from the recycling of demolition or construction waste and rubble.
Processes
The aggregate extracted from a quarry does not usually have the properties required on site, such as a defined granulometry, a maximum size or being free of fines, so it must be subjected to several processes for its implementation:
Application
Aggregates are used for:
Restoration
The aggregates are obtained through a temporary intervention on the environment, which aims to obtain mining exploitation. It is, therefore, a temporary landscape impact produced while the extractive tasks are carried out and until the completion of the execution of the corresponding restoration program, authorized and supervised in Spain by the Autonomous Administration.
Aggregate recycling
Introduction
The granular material that is mainly used as raw material in construction is called aggregate.
Aggregate differs from other materials in its chemical stability and mechanical resistance, and is characterized by its size. Those mineral substances used as raw materials in industrial processes due to their chemical composition are not considered aggregates.
Guys
Depending on its origin, the aggregate can be natural, artificial or recycled.
Natural aggregate is that which comes from working a deposit and has been subjected only to mechanical processes.
Regarding their shape, they are distinguished as rounded (or rolled) and from crushing. The latter presents angular shapes due to the mechanical fracturing necessary to obtain it.
The rocks from which natural aggregates are extracted are:
Artificial aggregate is that which comes from an industrial process and has been subjected to some physical-chemical or other type of modification (such as clay).
Recycled aggregate is that which results from the recycling of demolition or construction waste and rubble.
Processes
The aggregate extracted from a quarry does not usually have the properties required on site, such as a defined granulometry, a maximum size or being free of fines, so it must be subjected to several processes for its implementation:
Application
Aggregates are used for:
Restoration
The main objective of the restoration program is to return the land affected by the exploitation to its initial uses, or to adapt it to the new needs of the territory and the community.
This implies that before the start of the activity, companies have to have an approved restoration program and have to deposit a significant amount of money as a deposit to guarantee that the restoration will be carried out. Currently, Catalan extractive companies have more than 60 million euros deposited as guarantees.
Catalonia is the pioneer Spanish autonomous community in having a restoration law (1988). Over recent years, the entire Spanish extractive sector has acquired a sustainable awareness. In this way, the concept of restoration has been established in the vast majority of Spanish territory.
Integrated restoration:
This concept consists of taking advantage of the earthworks that generate the same extractive activity to simultaneously restore already exploited areas. In this way, it is restored as the land is exploited and does not wait until the activity is finished. It is a very effective system for the recovery of the natural environment. At the end of the restoration work, a productive use of the land can be achieved and, there are even cases in which the natural environment is improved as a result of the restoration process.
Several examples of restoration could be the conversion of the quarry into:.
Importance
Aggregates are an essential raw material in the construction of buildings and infrastructure in a country. They are the second most consumed raw material, after water. In 2002, consumption in Spain was 9.7 tons per inhabitant, higher than the European average (8 t/inhabitant).
The aggregates are obtained through a temporary intervention on the environment, which aims to obtain mining exploitation. It is, therefore, a temporary landscape impact produced while the extractive tasks are carried out and until the completion of the execution of the corresponding restoration program, authorized and supervised in Spain by the Autonomous Administration.
The main objective of the restoration program is to return the land affected by the exploitation to its initial uses, or to adapt it to the new needs of the territory and the community.
This implies that before the start of the activity, companies have to have an approved restoration program and have to deposit a significant amount of money as a deposit to guarantee that the restoration will be carried out. Currently, Catalan extractive companies have more than 60 million euros deposited as guarantees.
Catalonia is the pioneer Spanish autonomous community in having a restoration law (1988). Over recent years, the entire Spanish extractive sector has acquired a sustainable awareness. In this way, the concept of restoration has been established in the vast majority of Spanish territory.
Integrated restoration:
This concept consists of taking advantage of the earthworks that generate the same extractive activity to simultaneously restore already exploited areas. In this way, it is restored as the land is exploited and does not wait until the activity is finished. It is a very effective system for the recovery of the natural environment. At the end of the restoration work, a productive use of the land can be achieved and, there are even cases in which the natural environment is improved as a result of the restoration process.
Several examples of restoration could be the conversion of the quarry into:.
Importance
Aggregates are an essential raw material in the construction of buildings and infrastructure in a country. They are the second most consumed raw material, after water. In 2002, consumption in Spain was 9.7 tons per inhabitant, higher than the European average (8 t/inhabitant).