Researchers at IIT Madras have developed a solar thermal treatment process to recycle construction and demolition debris, producing high-quality recycled concrete aggregate (RCA) suitable for structural applications. Led by Professor Ravindra Gettu, the team used concentrated solar radiation to heat waste concrete and create RCA that surpassed the quality of conventionally crushed aggregates. The technology was demonstrated at the India One Solar Thermal Power Plant, generating steam using 770 solar concentrators. The successful trials were published in the peer-reviewed journal, Materials and Structures, with co-authors Rohit Prajapati, Surender Singh, B K Jayasimha Rathod, and Prof Ravindra Gettu.
