Journal of Scientometric Research, 2024; 13(3):757-772.

https://www.jscires.org Research Article

Recycled Concrete Aggregates Utilization in Construction:

Publications Trends, Bibliometric Analysis, and Literature
Review, 2011-2021
Abubakar Sadiq Mahmoud1,2,*, Ahmed Shaban Omar2
1
Interdisciplinary Research Center for Construction and Building Materials, King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals,
Dhahran, SAUDI ARABIA.
2
Safety Technology, Dammam Community College, King Fahd University of Petroleum & Minerals, Dhahran, SAUDI ARABIA.

Correspondence:
ABSTRACT
Abubakar Sadiq Mahmoud
Recycled Concrete Aggregates (RCA) are the product of recycling Concrete and Demolition
Wastes (CDWs) from the construction industry. The practice aims to effectively dispose of, Interdisciplinary Research Center for
manage, and treat solid wastes that could pose health, safety, and environmental concerns. Construction and Building Materials,
To address these impending problems, CDWs are valorized into RCA as a substitute for Natural King Fahd University of Petroleum and
Aggregates (NA) during construction. Hence, various studies have been published on the use of Minerals, Dhahran, SAUDI ARABIA.
RCA as a partial replacement for NA in concrete as well as the properties of RCA-based concrete Email: [email protected]
mixes. This study employs scientometric analysis to quantitatively assess the scientific literature ORCID: 0000-0001-6000-5493
on Recycled Concrete Aggregates (RCA). The Systematic Literature Review (SLR) of Recycled
Concrete Aggregates (RCA) utilization in construction was critically examined using the PRISMA Received: 14-05-2024;
approach. VOSviewer was utilized for the bibliometric analysis to map co-authorship networks,
Revised: 05-06-2024;
keyword occurrence, and co-citation analysis. The bibliometric analysis reveals a substantial
Accepted: 27-07-2024.
increase in publications on RCA utilization over the 10 years, demonstrating growing interest and
awareness in sustainable construction practices, which translates to significant contributions in
areas such as performance enhancement, material properties, and environmental sustainability.
The SLR indicated that the partial replacement of fine or coarse NA with RCA in concrete improves
the physical durability, workability, and mechanical properties. It also reduces the industry's
overall carbon footprint and addresses environmental issues related to construction. Thus, the
study contributes to the understanding of RCA utilization in the construction industry and
provides valuable insights for researchers, practitioners, and policymakers seeking to promote
sustainability in the built environment. Future studies could look at novel composite materials,
the effects of RCA production on the environment, and the long-term effectiveness of RCA in
building applications.

Keywords: Recycled Concrete Aggregates (RCA), Construction and Demolition Wastes (CDWs),
Sustainable Construction Practices, Bibliometric Analysis, Environmental Sustainability, Circular
Economy in Construction.

INTRODUCTION existence, the construction industry is a significant contributor

to the environmental burden caused by various streams of solid
The socio-economic growth and infrastructural development
and fluid-based wastes.[5,6] One of the most common solid wastes
of global nations are strongly influenced by the construction
generated during the Construction, Demolition, and Renovation
industry.[1,2] The sector provides critical social infrastructure
Wastes (CDRW) is also known as Construction and Demolition
such as homes, hospitals, schools, roads, water, transportation,
Wastes (CDW).[7-9]
and sanitation, as well as improved standards of living through
job creation, social safety nets, and a peaceful environment for The CDW generally consists of four-fifths of excavated soils and
people to thrive.[3,4] Despite its immense contribution to human stone, along with waste plastics, bricks, concrete, metals, tiles,
glass, and wooden debris.[9-11] According to El Haggar,[10] CDW is
a heterogeneous mixture of building materials comprising wood,
DOI: 10.5530/jscires.20041311 aggregate, paper, metal, concrete, insulations, and glass but also
other constituents such as adhesives, fasteners, paints, insulation,
Copyright Information : dirt, and wall coverings. The CDW is typically generated from
Copyright Author (s) 2024 Distributed under
structural development, engineering works, and demolition or
Creative Commons CC-BY 4.0
tearing down processes of existing structures during renovations,
Publishing Partner : Manuscript Technomedia. [www.mstechnomedia.com] remodeling, and or construction works.[9] In addition, CDWs

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 Mahmoud and Omar: Trends in Recycled Concrete Aggregates

are generated from natural catastrophic events including but not The production of RCA involves the two-stage process of crushing
limited to hurricanes, floods, tsunamis, or earthquakes, among and then the removal of contaminants (e.g., dirt, plaster, gypsum,
others.[10] and other building wastes) before screening.[20] According to
Purnell and Dunster,[22] RCA is also produced by crushing
Typically, the constituents and quantity of CDW generated are
reinforced as well as plain (non-reinforced) concrete, which
a function of various factors, including the building structure
indicates that it consists of graded inorganic particles. Typically,
typology, selected building materials, and structure lifespan.[10]
the RCA is processed into similar coarse aggregate sizes to natural
For example, it is estimated that the quantity of CDWs generated
crushed rock aggregates. Hence, the surface texture of RCA
overall is between 1.0 ton/m2 to 2.0 ton/m2 of the total area of
particles appears to be slightly rougher than natural aggregates
the ground level. Specific estimates for the CDWs generated from owing to the adhering cement mortar.[22] The production and
domestic buildings range between 1.3 ton/m2 and 1.6 ton/m2 of extended use of RCA present numerous opportunities. For
the structural area of the ground floor, whereas, for industrial example, RCA lowers the environmental burden of CDWs as well
structures, it is between 1.5 ton/m2 to 2.0 ton/m2 of the entire as its associated challenges.[20] Furthermore, RCA is considered
area under demolishing.[10,12] The data shows that large quantities a reliable alternative that could help preserve natural aggregate
of CDWs are generated from the industry annually, which could resources when used during construction.[23]
pose grave risks to human health, occupational safety, and
environmental stability. Against this backdrop, analysts estimate However, RCA has some drawbacks, such as the presence of
that the construction industry is reportedly responsible for 8% extraneous materials such as glass, metals, plastic, and wood
of the total GHG emissions and about 40% of energy-related particles, among others, and high quantities of masonry.[22]
emissions of Greenhouse Gases (GHG) released annually into Furthermore, RCA is highly hydrophilic, which results in
increased water absorption due to the high porosity of the
the planet.[13,14]
observed mortar.[24-27] According to Katz[28] and Martín-Morales
With the growing demand for critical social infrastructure and et al.,[29] the water absorption capacity of RCA is 3-12% higher
building structures around the world, it is projected that volumes than the fine and coarse portions of NA. Hence, RCA-based
of solid waste streams and GHG emissions generated by the concretes are prone to mechanical and durability issues,[30] as
construction industry will soar exponentially in the coming years well as physical properties and workability.[22] Recently, Dhir et
if no action is taken. The short- and long-term challenges posed al.,[31] reported that the addition of RCA to concrete increases
by waste streams from the construction industry require urgent the water absorption capacity at rates directly proportional to the
global attention. Given this, the COP21 (conference of parties) additive content. Given these challenges, the utilization of RCA
or the Paris Agreement was ratified in the year 2015 by signatory in many countries is either restricted or prohibited for health,
nations who pledged to drastically cut down Greenhouse Gas safety, and environmental reasons. For example, the replacement
(GHG) emissions from 50 billion tonnes from various sectors to of RCA is restricted to 20% in structures in countries such as the
limit global warming to 1.5°C by the year 2050.[15,16] Therefore, Netherlands, Britain, and Spain.[23]
the proper disposal and effective management of these streams Over the years, numerous studies have been carried out to
could reduce GHG emissions and pollutant materials and further examine the potential of RCA and to address the
safeguard human health and the environment. Alternatively, challenges associated with its utilization in the construction
many researchers have examined the valorization of CDWs into industry. Other studies have also examined the potential human
alternative building materials and construction inputs for the health, occupational health, and environmental impacts of RCA
construction industry.[17-19] production, utilization, and end life. The Elsevier Scopus data
One of the most notable products from the valorization of CDW is shows that 2,131 documents have been published from 1977
Recycled Aggregates (RA). Recently, the process of recycling has to date based on the TITLE-ABS-KEY search criteria of the
been championed as a practical approach to address the problems keywords search query ("recycled concrete aggregate*"). However,
of various forms of solid waste such as CDWs in the industry. this large data set of materials cannot be effectively analyzed to
Hence, the high concrete compositions of most CDW streams examine the research growth and technological developments
present opportunities for the production of valuable products in the subject area. Therefore, this study has adopted the results
such as recycled concrete aggregates, or RCA for short. In theory, TITLE search criteria to examine the research landscape and
RCA is aggregates produced by recycling concrete wastes either scientific developments on Recycled Concrete Aggregates (RCA)
utilization in the scientific literature. It is envisaged that the
onsite, stationary/mobile recycling, or processing facilities.[20]
findings will avail newcomers and established researchers with
According to the British standard BS 8500-2 BSI 2006, RCA is
comprehensive developments on the subject area.
described as RA comprising 5% maximum masonry/fines, 0.5%
maximum lightweight material/asphalt, and 1% maximum other Several tools and techniques have been proposed to methodically
foreign materials.[21] identify, filter, and evaluate the state of research and scientific

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advancements in many fields. The Bibliometric Analysis METHODOLOGY

Technique (BAT) is one of the most often utilized methods. Thus,
The publications trends, bibliometric analysis, and systematic
the study uses bibliometric analysis to evaluate the scientific
literature review of Recycled Concrete Aggregates (RCA)
literature on Recycled Concrete Aggregates (RCA) spanning
utilization in construction were examined in this study using the
between 2001 and 2021 from published documents retrieved
PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and
from the Elsevier Scopus database. Bibliometric analysis is a
Meta-Analyses) technique. It involves a four-phase flow diagram
scientific method employed to quantitatively evaluate the impact for identification, screening, eligibility, and inclusion to ensure
and dissemination of research within a particular field. It also a comprehensive and unbiased selection of relevant literature.
entails the statistical analysis of articles, citations, and other The detailed procedures of the PRISMA technique are adequately
metrics to map the networks of collaboration between researchers described in the scientific literature.[32-35] To improve the reliability
and institutions, assess the impact of research publications, and and transparency of systematic reviews, PRISMA techniques are
identify new research trends. This approach is especially helpful used.to identify, screen, and analyze all the related literature on
for understanding how scientific fields have evolved, changed, RCA utilization published and indexed in the Elsevier Scopus
and affected society over time. database as shown in Figure 1. The Scopus database is selected for

Figure 1: PRISMA methodology for published documents recovery on RCA (2011-2021).

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Figure 2: Publication trends analysis on RCA Utilization (2011-2021).

Figure 3: Source titles for articles published on RCA Utilization (2011-2021).

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the study due to the vast coverage of high-quality peer-reviewed utilization. The criteria for screening and final selection for SLR
literature in the fields of science, medicine, technology and social were based on documents with 100 or more citations, which is
sciences ensuring the reliability of the data. Scopus's extensive considered the topmost and sufficient for critical analysis.[36]
indexing of journals, conference proceedings, and academic
sources ensures a broad view of the research landscape. In RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
addition, Scopus provides detailed citation data, facilitating Publication Trend Analysis
thorough bibliometric analysis, and sophisticated search tools
Figure 2 shows the growth trends in published documents on the
and filters for effective retrieval of relevant articles. These
utilization of RCA in the construction industry over the years
characteristics make Scopus a good option for carrying out an from 2011 to 2021. The findings show that 807 documents have
exhaustive and precise scientometric examination. been published in the subject area during the 10 years examined
Firstly, the published documents on RCA utilization were in this study. As observed in Figure 2, the publication trends of
identified by designing an appropriate search string based on the RCA-related research from 2011 to 2023 increased from 34 in
title keywords, “recycled concrete aggregates”). Consequently, 2011 to 137 in 2021. This trend indicates growing interest and
the search query ((TITLE (“recycled concrete aggregate*”) AND awareness in the field of sustainable construction practices. The
PUBYEAR > 2010 AND PUBYEAR < 2022)) was executed in surge (302.94%) in publications can be attributed to increased
the Scopus database to recover related documents on the subject environmental concerns and the need for sustainable waste
theme in the literature. Next, the documents were screened to filter management solutions in the construction industry.
any unrelated documents in the dataset before the final analysis. Table 1: Document types for RCA publications (2011-2021).
The recovered documents were subsequently analyzed to examine Document Total Percentage of Total
the publication trends, significant stakeholders, and top-cited Type Publications Publications (%TP)
documents on RCA utilization. The co-authorship network was (TP)
mapped using VOSviewer to identify collaborations between Article 581 72.00
researchers and academic institutions. The VOSviewer assisted in Conference 175 21.69
visualising the keyword co-occurrence network revealing major Paper
research topics and trends. Furthermore, co-citation network Review 28 3.47
analysis was made possible by VOSviewer which shows the most
Book Chapter 18 2.23
frequently cited publications and their relationships
Note 3 0.37
Lastly, the research growth and scientific developments on the Erratum 1 0.12
subject area were examined through a Systematic Literature Short Survey 1 0.12
Review (SLR) of the topmost cited or benchmark papers on RCA

Figure 4: Top 5 most prolific authors on RCA Utilization (2011-2021).

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Figure 5: Network visualization map for co-authorship among RCA researchers.

Further observation shows that despite the geometric increase in Hence, it can be reasonably surmised that one of humanity’s
publications over the 10-year period, the number of publications potential chances of slowing global warming and climate change
remained below 50 in the first five years of the study from 2011 is to ring in significant changes in the building and construction
to 2015. However, an upward trend was observed after 2015, sectors of the world’s economy. One such opportunity is the
which may be due to several factors. The increase in published transition from a linear economy to a low carbon circulation
documents from 42 in 2015 to 62 in 2016 could be to some based on the solid wastes’ valorization and sustainable utilization
extent ascribed to the global calls for sustainable practices in the of materials (such as recycled concrete aggregates, which is the
construction industry. According to analysis, the use of cement crux of this study). Over the years, numerous researchers have
in the construction industry accounts for 8% (4 billion tonnes) of identified and examined various techniques and materials in
the total GHG emissions released annually onto the planet.[37] In the construction industry, resulting in numerous publications
a separate study, the UNEP reports that the construction industry of various types and subject themes. Table 1 shows the various
~40% of all energy-based GHG emissions are due to activities in document types for the various published documents on the
the buildings and construction industry.[37] With the ratification subject area from 2011 to 2021 recovered from the Scopus
of the COP21 (conference of parties) Paris Agreement in the database. The findings show that the published documents on
year 2015, signatory nations pledged to drastically cut down RCA from 2011 to 2021 have been published in various formats
Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions from 50 billion tonnes to limit from articles to short surveys. The preferred format for publication
global warming to 1.5 °C by the year 2050.[15,16] is articles with 581 documents or 72% of the total publications
on the subject area. Other notable formats are conference papers
and reviews which account for 21.69% and 3.47% of the total

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Table 2: Key details of source titles on RCA (2011-2021).

Source Title TP %TP Source Type CS SJR SNIP

Construction and Building Materials 149 18.46 Journal 8.800 1.662 2.483
Journal of Materials in Civil Engineering 40 4.96 Journal 4.700 1.090 1.409
Journal of Cleaner Production 30 3.72 Journal 13.100 1.937 2.475
IOP Conference Series Materials Science and Engineering 19 2.35 Conference Proceeding 0.700 0.198 0.484
Lecture Notes in Civil Engineering 19 2.35 Book Series 0.300 0.108 0.699
Journal of Building Engineering 17 2.11 Journal 5.500 0.974 2.290
Materials 17 2.11 Journal 4.200 0.682 1.261
Cement and Concrete Composites 16 1.98 Journal 10.900 2.896 2.522
Geotechnical Special Publication 15 1.86 Conference Proceeding 0.600 0.258 0.285
Transportation Research Record 15 1.86 Book Series 2.400 0.624 0.869
TP-Total publications; CS-Citescore; %TP-Percentage of total publications; SJR SCImago Journal Rank; SNIP- Source Normalized Impact per Paper.

Figure 6: Top 5 most active research affiliations on RCA Utilization (2011-2021).

publications. However, the least common formats are notes, total publications on the subject area. Furthermore, the analysis
errata, and short surveys. showed 60% of the top 10 sources are journals, whereas 20% are
book series and conference proceedings each. Further analysis
The high number of published articles indicates that the subject
area is well established, and hence researchers opt for the shows that each journal source has each published 15 or more
traditional peer-review journals to disseminate their findings papers or 33.7 on average over the period examined in the study.
on the subject. Furthermore, the prestige, incentives, and The top three journals’ sources are; Construction and Building
awards associated with the publication of scientific findings in Materials (CBM), Journal of Materials in Civil Engineering, and
high-impact peer-reviewed journals is another notable factor Journal of Cleaner Production (JCP) with 149 (or 18.46%TP), 40
that determines the preference of articles when compared to (or 4.96%TP), and 30 (or 3.72%TP), respectively.
other publication formats in scientific publishing. Therefore, the Table 2 also shows the Citescore (CS), SCImago Journal Rank
topmost prestigious source titles for publications on RCA were (SJR), and Source Normalized Impact per Paper (SNIP) for the
examined as shown in Figure 3, whereas the journal key details source titles. The CS is defined as the average citations gained by
are summarised in Table 2.
each document published by the source title, whereas the SJR is an
The data revealed that the top 10 source titles on RCA utilization indication of the total citations gained by a source title. Lastly, the
had published 337 publications, which account for 41.76% of the SNIP is an indication of the definite citations gained by a source

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Figure 7: Top 5 funding organizations on RCA Utilization (2011-2021).

Table 3: Top 10 most cited publications on RCA Utilization (2011-2021).

References Title Source title Cited

by
Shi et al.,[44] “Performance enhancement of recycled concrete aggregate - A review” “Journal of Cleaner Production” 412
Limbachiya et “Use of recycled concrete aggregate in fly-ash concrete” “Construction and Building 289
al.,[45] Materials”
McNeil and “Recycled Concrete Aggregates: A Review” “International Journal of 242
Kang[46] Concrete Structures and
Materials”
Butler et “The effect of recycled concrete aggregate properties on the bond “Cement and Concrete 234
al.,[47] strength between RCA concrete and steel reinforcement” Research”
Yang et al.,[48] “Concrete with recycled concrete aggregate and crushed clay bricks” “Construction and Building 234
Materials”
Akbarnezhad “Microwave-assisted beneficiation of recycled concrete aggregates” Construction and Building 215
et al.,[49] Materials
Verian et “Properties of recycled concrete aggregate and their influence in new “Resources, Conservation and 208
al.,[50] concrete production” Recycling”
Xuan et al.,[51] “Assessment of mechanical properties of concrete incorporating “Cement and Concrete 206
carbonated recycled concrete aggregates” Composites”
Ismail and “Engineering properties of treated Recycled Concrete Aggregate “Construction and Building 185
Ramli[52] (RCA) for structural applications” Materials”
Pereira et “The effect of superplasticizers on the workability and compressive “Construction and Building 185
al.,[53] strength of concrete made with fine recycled concrete aggregates” Materials”

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Figure 8: Top 5 most active countries researching RCA Utilization (2011-2021).

title compared to the expected citations in its subject field. As repair, and new construction works. The prestigious nature of
observed in Table 2, the CS, SJR, and SNIP for the top 10 source the journals has prompted the patronage of top academics and
titles on RCA utilization range from 0.3-13.1, 0.108-2.896, and researchers in the field, as will be examined in section II of the
0.285-2.522, respectively. The average values of the CS, SJR, and paper.
SNIP are; 5.12, 1.043, and 1.478, respectively. The source titles
with the highest CS values are; Journal of Cleaner Production Major Research Stakeholders
(13.1), Cement and Concrete Composites (CCC) (10.9), and The critical analysis of the top researchers, affiliations, funding
Construction and Building Materials (8.8), which indicate that bodies, and countries actively researching topics in any field
these journals are the most cited, references, and high impact of study can present insights into the research landscape and
journals on the subject. Based on SJR, the top journals are in the scientific impact of the area.[38,39] The top 5 most active researchers
order CCC > JCP > CBM, whereas the order of top journals based on RCA utilization in construction are shown in Figure 4, whereas
on SNIP is CCC > CBM > JCP. the most productive research affiliations are illustrated in Figure
6.
The critical analysis of the CS, SJR, and SNIP data shows that
the most prominent journal on RCA utilization is Cement and As observed, the top 5 researchers have each published 12 or more
Concrete Composites (CCC). The journal's website states that publications over the time frame examined in this study. Based on
CCC is "designed to reflect current developments and advances the total number of publications, the most productive researcher
in cement-concrete composites technology and the production, on RCA research is Arul Arulrajah with 19 published papers. The
use, and performance of cement-based construction materials." most prolific researcher is closely followed by Surinder P. Singh
Studies on "novel aspects of conventional concrete materials and and Yahya C. Kurama with 18 and 16 published documents,
composite materials, such as fiber-reinforced cement composites, respectively. Other researchers with notable contributions
polymer cement composites, polymer impregnated composites, include Jorge De Brito (16) and A.R. Pasandín (14). Overall, the
ferrocement, and cement composites containing special aggregate output of the top 5 researchers accounts for 83 publications or
inclusions or waste materials" are sometimes published in the 10.29% of the TP on the subject area. The high productivity of
journal. Hence, the published documents on RCA are within the researchers is often ascribed to factors such as (but not limited
scope of CCC, which confirms the journal is the most suitable for to) access to collaborations, institutional/national policies, and
publishing studies in the area. The second most crucial journal research funding among others. The effect of collaborations
CBM is also known to publish novel findings on the investigation (co-authorships) on the productivity of the top researchers on
of innovative building materials for application in maintenance, RCA was examined through co-authorship analysis using the

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Figure 9: Network visualization map for the most occurring keywords on RCA.

software VOSviewer. The co-authorship analysis process is an 2011 to 2021 is shown on Figure 6. The findings indicate that
essential aspect of the bibliometric analysis technique whereby the listed affiliations have each produced between 18 and 29
the level or extent of collaborations between authors on a given publications over the period examined in the study. As observed,
topic are examined. Figure 6 shows the network visualization map the top affiliation is Instituto Superior Técnico (IST, Portugal)
for co-authorship among RCA researchers. The co-authorship with 29 published documents, which is largely due to the work of
analysis was based on the criteria of a minimum of 8 documents Jorge De Brito who has 16 publications. Further analysis showed
and 2 citations per author. The recovered data showed that out that Portugal has two out of the top 5 most prolific affiliations
of the 1831 authors, 27 satisfied the search criteria selected the namely IST and Universidade de Lisboa (28 publications which
thresholds. rank 3rd in the top 5). The second most prolific affiliation is Dr.
B.R. Ambedkar National Institute of Technology in Jalandhar,
The largest set of connected items consists of 16 clusters with India with 28 publications, which is largely due to the research
1-4 items each. The largest or red cluster consists of the De Brito, productivity of Surinder P. Singh (18 publications).
Evangelista, and Kurda. The second-largest cluster consists of A.
Arulrajah and S. Horpibulsuk. The findings showed that the top As stated earlier, the productivity of the outlined researchers
authors, Arul Arulrajah, Jorge De Brito, and Surinder P. Singh, may also be down to the availability and accessibility of research
belong to various networks of authors that have collaborated on funding. Hence, the top funders of RCA studies from 2011 to
RCA studies. Each has collaborated with 2 or more other authors 2021 were examined to elucidate the productivity or outcome of
resulting in numerous publications on the subject area. Hence, it their various financial supports for the subject area as measured
by the total number of publications funded. Figure 7 shows the
can be sensibly surmised that collaboration plays an important
top 5 funders of RCA Utilization studies between 2011 and 2021
role in the output and productivity of researchers, as observed
in Scopus.
for RCA in this study. The influence of affiliation and their effects
researcher’s productivity was also examined in this study. The The findings reveal that the National Natural Science Foundation
top 5 most active research affiliations on RCA Utilization from (NSFC) of China has funded the highest number of published

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Figure 10: Network visualization map for citations analysis of RCA Utilization (2011-2021).

documents on RCA utilization, with 45 publications. Since none National Science Foundation of the United States has an annual
of the top five most productive researchers is based in China, budget of US$7 - 8 billion,[40,41] while the National Natural Science
it can be reasonably deduced that the NSFC funds numerous Foundation (NSFC) of China has an annual budget of US$4
researchers whose aggregated output generates high research and billion.[42,43] The annual disbursement of such funds has resulted
societal impact. The second-largest funder is the National Science in numerous projects, publications, patents, and products such as
Foundation (NSF) of the United States of America (USA) with 20 the RCA examined in this study. In addition, the research impact
publications. A critical analysis shows that the NSF has funded of the subject area has also been greatly enhanced, as evident in
the works of authors such as Yahya C. Kurama who is based at the keyword occurrence analysis map shown in Figure 9. The
the University of Notre Dame in Notre Dame, USA. The Ministry criteria for the VOSviewer analysis were based on a minimum of
of Human Resource Development (MHRD, India) has funded 17 25 occurrences of a keyword.
published documents over the years, particularly the research of
The results show that four (4) clusters are denoted by different
Surinder P. Singh of the Dr. B.R. Ambedkar National Institute of
colors (red, blue, green, and yellow). The clusters consist of
Technology in Jalandhar (India). The Fundação para a Ciência
12-22 keywords with most giant (red) containing words such as
e a Tecnologia (FCT) based in Portugal is the 5th largest funder
“recycled concrete aggregates,” “concretes,” “asphalt pavements”,
of research on RCA utilization. The FCT has funded numerous
among others. The most occurring keywords are; “recycled
studies by Jorge De Brito who is based at the Instituto Superior
concrete aggregates”, which is to be expected due to the search
Técnico. Overall, the findings indicate that large funding activities
string/query used in the recovery of published documents on the
of organisations such as the NSFC, NSF, MHRD, and FCT have
subject area. Another primary occurring keyword is “recycling,”
extensively promoted research and development in China, US,
which emanates from the process of producing the RCA used
India, and Portugal, respectively. This is evident in the overall
in construction. With the large quantities of waste concrete
output of these nations as shown in Figure 8.
generated by the global construction industry, researchers are
As observed, the top 5 most active countries researching RCA attempting to explore more sustainable approaches not only
Utilization (2011-2021) are the United States, China, India, to effectively disposing and managing such wastes but also to
Australia, and Malaysia. The presence of the outlined nations on valorization. The long-term goal is to sustainably transition
the list can be attributed to the ready access and wide availability from the current linear waste economy to a circular economy to
of research funding in the outlined countries. For example, the reduce the carbon footprint of the global construction industry.

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Figure 11: Network visualization map of co-citations analysis of RCA Utilization (2011-2021).

Lastly, it is envisaged that RCA utilization will not only build on were hence selected for network analysis and map visualization,
recent strides but also spur future research into more sustainable as shown in Figure 10.
composite materials. Section III presents the significant studies
As observed in Figure 10, the most extensive set of connected
on RCA utilization during the time frame examined in this study.
cited publications is 37, which resulted in a total of 9 clusters
Top cited publications each with 2-8 items and 63 links. The largest (red) cluster consists
of 8 cited publications comprising the works of Limbachiya M.
The significant studies on RCA utilization were selected based on
(2012) Verian K.P. (2018) among others. However, the most
citations garnered by these studies over the years. Therefore, the
cited publication is Shi C. (2016) which has 412 citations and 3
top 10 most cited published documents on the subject area were
links, followed by Limbachiya M. (2012) with 289 citations and
examined as shown in Table 3.
5 links, whereas the third most cited publication is McNeil with
As observed, the top 10 most cited publications on RCA utilization 242 citations but just 1 link. In comparison, the publication with
have garnered between 185 and 412 citations over the years. the highest number of links is Verian K.P. (2018) with 9 links
The most cited publication is the review paper “Performance (208 citations), followed by Katkhuda H. (2017) and Cartuxo F.
enhancement of recycled concrete aggregate” by Shi et al.,[44] (2015) with 7 links, respectively. Therefore, the findings indicate
The following most-cited publications are; Limbachiya et al.,[45] there is a correlation between links and high citations, as shown
and McNeil and Kang[46] with 289 and 242 citations, respectively. in Figure 10. Similarly, the network visualization map for the
Further analysis shows that 2 out of the top 3 are reviewed, which co-citation analysis of RCA Utilization publications (2011-2021)
is to be expected since such papers reportedly gain more citations shows strong links between the highly cited researchers as shown
than other document types in the literature.[54] In addition, the in Figure 11.
high citations could be attributed to citations and or co-citation
As observed, the top authors such as Jorge De Brito, Arul
among the top or benchmark papers on the field. To examine
Arulrajah, Caijun Shi, Chi-Sun Poon, Ignacio Pérez Pérez, among
this, the citation and co-citation analyses of the publications were
others, have cited each other’s studies works in the past as evident
carried out using VOSviewer.
in the links between them. Hence, it can be relatively hypothesized
The citation analysis was based on the following criteria; a that the citations/co-citations between researchers/affiliations
minimum number of citations per document of 100. Based on the works not only play a crucial role in the accumulation of citations
807 documents analyzed, a total of 41 satisfied the threshold and but could also serve as a measure of the extent of collaboration.

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 Mahmoud and Omar: Trends in Recycled Concrete Aggregates

Table 4: Summary of research and scientific developments on RCA utilization.

References Study objectives Year Summary of findings

Yang et The Effect of adding RCA and crushed clay bricks 2011 Inclusion of RCA and CCB affects mechanical and
al.,[48] on concrete properties. physical properties depending on original materials
Pereira et Influence of superplasticizers on RCA-based 2012 RCA with superplasticizers performs better than
al.,[54] concrete workability and strength. OPC-based concrete.
Manzi et The short and long-term behavior of structural 2013 RCA improves mechanical qualities and compressive
al.,[55] concrete with RCA strength, essential to study the behaviour of structural
concretes.
Guo et Examine compressive behavior of concrete with 2014 Compressive strength and stiffness reduce at high
al.,[56] RCA rubber crumb and steel fibre temperatures; rubber crumbs increase energy
absorption.
Zhang et To examine the effect of carbonation on RCA 2015 Carbonation increases RCA density and strength while
al.,[57] performance. reducing water absorption and shrinkage.
Zhao et Investigate the effect of fine RCA on cement 2015 Dried FRCA mortars show higher compressive
al.,[58] mortars strength than saturated ones; strength decreases with
more recycled sand.
Xuan et To assess the mechanical properties of concrete 2016 Carbonation treatment enhances RCA properties
al.,[59] with carbonated RCA and concrete performance, particularly mechanical
strengths.
Xuan et To examine mechanical and durability properties 2017 Carbonated RCAs lower water absorption and
al.,[60] of RAC with carbonated RCAs permeability, enhancing overall durability.
Kurad et To Investigate RCA and fly ash effect on GWP 2017 Combined use of FA in RCA concrete provides
al.,[61] and strength of concrete strength and environmental benefits; optimal FA-RCA
ratio improves GWP ratio
Aslani et Develop and characterize high-performance 2018 Successful SCC production from RCA and rubber;
al.,[62] self-compacting concrete (SCC) from waste RCA optimized mixes reduce cement usage and maintain
and granular rubber good properties.
Kurda et To examine RCA and FA effect on water 2019 RCA increases water absorption but lowers resistivity;
al.,[63] absorption and electrical resistivity FA improves both properties, especially with
superplasticizers.
Toghroli et Examine RCA and pozzolanic additives in 2020 100% RCA increases permeability but reduces strength;
al.,[64] fiber-reinforced concrete SF and NC improve strength; fibre additions enhance
performance
Guo et To investigate durability and mechanical 2020 FA, slag, and SF mitigate RCA's negative effects,
al.,[65] properties of sustainable SCC with RCA enhancing SCC's sustainability and performance.

Systematic Literature Review Concrete Aggregates (RCA) in construction. Figure 2 shows the
publication trends of RCA-related research from 2011 to 2023. The
In this paper, a systematic literature review was carried out to
data reveals a significant increase in the number of publications,
examine the research and scientific developments in the subject
particularly in the study period. Thus, sustainable construction
area. The selection criteria for studies designated for SLW were>
practice is gaining interest and recognition as evidenced by
100 citations, publication date (2011 to 2021), and contain
this trend. The surge (303%) in publications is attributed to the
keywords “recycled concrete aggregate*”. Table 4 presents an
increased environmental concerns and the need for sustainable
overview of the developments in RCA utilization over the years.
waste management solutions in the construction industry.
DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS Figures 3 to 5 present the co-authorship networks visualized
using VOSviewer. These figures demonstrate the collaborative
The results presented in Figures 2 through 11 and Tables 1 efforts among institutions and researchers. The analysis reveals
through 3 provide a comprehensive understanding of the current that certain institutions and researchers play pivotal roles in the
state of RCA research. The analysis is structured to highlight the network, indicating their contribution and impact on the field.
key findings and their implications for the utilization of Recycled Strong collaboration networks often lead to more impactful

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 Mahmoud and Omar: Trends in Recycled Concrete Aggregates

research, as evidenced by the high citation counts associated with Foundation (NSF) and the National Natural Science Foundation
these central nodes. Figure 6 shows the keyword co-occurrence (NSFC), are the notable sponsors of RCA research. The research
network, which highlights the main research themes and community will be greatly impacted by encouraging researchers
topics within the RCA field. Keywords such as 'sustainability,' to pursue collaboration through the identification of funding
'mechanical properties,' and 'environmental impact' frequently sources and institutions. As a result, cooperation between
co-occur, indicating the primary focus areas of current research. academics and organizations is essential to the advancement
This network analysis helps identify new trends and gaps in the of knowledge and creativity in RCA use (29). Stakeholders can
literature, guiding future research directions. advance the adoption of sustainable construction practices by
promoting collaborative partnerships and sharing of resources.
Furthermore, Figures 7 and 8 present the co-citation analysis,
which identifies the most frequently cited papers and their According to Nedeljković et al.,[45] the examination of highly
interconnections. These figures highlight influential works referenced papers indicates noteworthy advancements in
that have significantly impacted the field. Understanding the the understanding of RCA use. Şimşek et al.,[44] opined that
co-citation patterns helps in recognizing the foundational the findings address a variety of subjects, such as material
research and its impact on subsequent studies. Figures 9 through characteristics, environmental sustainability, and performance
11 provide insights into the network density and centrality enhancement. The prominent players in RCA have high rates
measures of the co-authorship and co-citation networks. Strong of co-authorships, co-citations, and keyword occurrences,
collaboration among researchers is indicated by high network according to the bibliometric analysis. These metrics point to a
density, while authors and papers that are essential to the network high level of collaboration, scientific production, and research
are identified by centrality measurements. These measurements impact. Therefore, a study's high citation count highlights its
are essential for understanding the dynamics and structure of the impact on expanding knowledge in the field and indicates its
research community. Tables 1 and 2 summarize the key studies significance and relevance within the research community. Also,
on RCA utilization, including their methodologies, findings, and the systematic literature review highlights gaps in the literature
contributions These tables provide a summary of the notable and offers insights into the state of research on RCA utilization
studies conducted in the field, demonstrating the various at the moment.
methodologies and outcomes. The summarized studies highlight
RCA's adaptability and potential of RCA in various construction Further studies should also explore innovative applications of RCA
applications. The mechanical and physical characteristics of the in construction and the development of new recycling techniques
RCA-based concrete mixes are statistically analyzed and are to enhance its properties and sustainability, future works could
shown in Tables 3 and 4. The studies show that RCA can improve also consider how RCA might be used to advance a circular
the workability and durability of concrete while also reducing economy and investigate innovative techniques to enhance RCA's
the material's environmental impact. These results validate functionality in construction applications. When comparing RCA
the application of RCA as a sustainable substitute for natural production and utilization to conventional building materials,
aggregates. future research might examine the environmental effects of RCA
manufacture and use as well as the long-term performance of
Practical Implications and Future Research RCA-based concrete.
The findings of this study provide valuable insights into the CONCLUSION
utilization of Recycled Concrete Aggregates (RCA) in the
construction industry, aligning with global efforts toward This paper, by analyzing publication trends, bibliometric
sustainability (44). The observed increase in publications on analysis, major research stakeholders, top cited publications, and
RCA utilization over the past decade reflects growing interest conducting a systematic literature review of Recycled Concrete
and awareness in sustainable construction practices. This trend Aggregates (RCA) from 2011 to 2021, indicates that publications
is consistent with the objectives outlined in global initiatives such on the subject area are numerous, highly collaborative, and
as the Paris Agreement, which calls for reductions in greenhouse widely cited. This sheds light on the evolving landscape of RCA
gas emissions and promotes sustainable development (15). The utilization in the construction industry. In general, the study
identification of major research stakeholders, such as prominent revealed that the partial substitution of coarse aggregates with
researchers, affiliations, and funding agencies, highlights RCA in concrete presents numerous benefits ranging from
how collaborative this field of study is (38). Researchers' high improvements in mechanical properties to reduction of the
productivity is frequently attributed to several variables, such as carbon footprint, GHG emissions, and environmental burden
research funding, institutional and national policy, and access of the various solid waste streams from the global construction
to collaborations. Further analysis revealed that the Ministry of industry. Thus, promoting the use of RCA in construction projects
Human Resource Development (MHRD) in China, the United reduces environmental impact, contributes to resource efficiency,
States of America, and India, as well as the National Science supports a circular economy, and develops resilience in the built

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 Mahmoud and Omar: Trends in Recycled Concrete Aggregates

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Cite this article: Mahmoud AS, Omar AS. Recycled Concrete Aggregates Utilization in Construction: Publications Trends, Bibliometric Analysis, and
Literature Review (2011-2021). J Scientometric Res. 2024;13(3):757-72.

772 Journal of Scientometric Research, Vol 13, Issue 3, Sep-Dec, 2024