Like energy, many building materials are non-renewable resources. Further, they are being continually depleted to support a growing world population. When buildings are demolished to allow new construction, most wreckage waste becomes a disposal problem for our environment. This demolition waste is a potential building materials resource if proper reprocessing methods can be invented. This project will study the past history of building materials reprocessing, what has been accomplished in parallel industries (wood, metal, concrete, etc.), and the status of reprocessing today. It will characterize major sources of materials for reprocessing by: (a) their ability to be separated from each other, and (b) their quantity in the U.S. building stock (e.g., how much is brick with wood spanning members, etc.). Other issues investigated will be: the need for testing and quality control to assure good engineering properties and the relative benefits in embodied energy by reprocessing. A candidate list of reprocessing methods will be developed. The methods will be prioritized by screening against the previously mentioned factors. If a limited number of high priority building materials reprocessing methods emerges, Phase 11 will examine the technical viability of developing practical, useful, and costeffective methods for commercial applications. The benefits to society could be very great in providing new building material resources which result in lower cost buildings and less negative environmental impact.The potential commercial application as described by the awardee: This research is directed to the discovery of new methods for reprocessing the waste materials from building demolition. If the methods developed are technically and economically sound, there should be widespread commercial applicability. Existing building material producers and building wrecking contractors are two groups that would likely initiate commercial application.
