Advances in Concrete Demolition Technologies: A Review of Conventional and Emerging Methods for Sustainable Waste Management

Abstract

The demolishing of concrete structures such as bridges, tunnels, buildings, and pavements has become a common activity due to reasons such as renovation, rehabilitation, retrofitting, or simply ending the service life of these structures. This upsurge has brought major challenges in managing construction demolition waste (CDW). Traditional demolition techniques are often characterized by high environmental impacts, inefficiency in waste management, and safety concerns. This paper critically reviews traditional and emerging concrete structure demolition technologies in terms of efficiency, safety, environmental impact, waste minimization, and material recyclability. A detailed review of manual demolition, mechanical demolition, implosion, and relatively new techniques such as static blasting, diamond wire sawing, soundless chemical demolition agents, hydro demolition, electrical discharge technology, demolition robots, and microwave heating is conducted. The key findings of this paper are that various alternative technologies have significant advantages over their traditional counterparts by offering minimum environmental pollution, improvements in on-site safety, and a possibility for materials to be reused and recycled. For instance, hydro demolition and diamond wire sawing are very efficient and accurate, meaning that actual waste management is highly improved. This paper underlines that the choice of demolition methods adapted to project needs is crucial for the development of sustainable CDW management. Such findings are useful to practitioners and policymakers who have to make fully informed decisions to promote environmental sustainability and resource conservation goals.

Keywords

• demolition concrete
• manual demolition
• mechanical demolition
• robotic demolition