Reducing/Separating Recoverable Demolition Wastes with Cavitating Water Jets

摘要

Results are presented of a project to determine the feasibility of using cavitating water jets to reduce the size of building debris, thus facilitating separation of materials for recycling. Slot cutting experiments were conducted on blocks of concrete containing steel reinforcing bars, which were taken from recently demolished buildings. Slot configurations were determined as a function of the pressure, water flow, and rate of translation for various nozzles. The results suggest that a 208 kW cavitating jet system should be capable of separating steel re-bar and concrete debris at an effective average rate of at least 41 tons per hour, at a cost of about $1.42 per ton.