Enough rubble FFS!

[WallShadow]

Concrete/Cement/Mortar recycled As in grind up a slab of concrete to dust add water and presto new concrete Are we sure bout that Cant be THAT easy...

IIRC you'd have to roast the concrete to get the limestone reactivated (quicklime), and that creates some very toxic fumes (old Medieval siege chemical warfare). Anyone with a better grasp of the chemistry, please chime in.

And just what is the hardness of rebar Could it be forged into useful tools without resmelting I envision rebar drills (as in "John Henry" sledgehammer-type chisel drills) that could be used to perforate concrete slabs so that they could be more easily split. Drill a hole/holes, wash out the rock dust, insert explosives, tamp, detonate. Shazam--split rock/concrete.

Sheetrock/wallboard is gypsum, right Would this be a viable additive to supplement garden soil Or are there reasons that it would be contraindicated

[Matt W]

Are you sure you need to clear that much land There are gardens, parks, cemeteries, lawns, football fields, verges and so on. If you need more soil, you have a river full of silt (need to do some dredging and then some composting). It's probably contaminated. But where are you going to find soil that isn't

As to recycled concrete you need some crushing machines and a way to make wire baskets. Then you can make your own gabions (nowadays called HESCO containers)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Concrete_recycling

You want to do welding Cannibalise some microwave ovens

http://www.instructables.com/id/Build-a-Microwave-Transformer-Homemade-Welder/

As for farming, there is now a real-world farm on Staten Island

http://mcorreia.wordpress.com/2009/11/10/staten-island-breaks-ground-for-farming-project/

[Legbreaker]

Why Staten island in the first place Surely there must be better, more open islands available in the region

[kalos72]

I wont need that much for myself no, but to use as barter/incentive for the local population I might...

As for recycled concrete, I thought he meant as in recycled back to new usable concrete to make new formations and such with. The gabions are seriously cool, we have them all over by where I work.

As for the rubble, I found another use, to fill in all the marsh lands on the island, as long as I am keeping the springs clear and secured.

And for the walls, would you say twice as wide as it is tall should suffice

[Legbreaker]

And for the walls, would you say twice as wide as it is tall should suffice

Depends on how well made they are, but as a rule of thumb that should be more than sufficient.

[Targan]

Ever seen those Pakistani guys dismantle a scrapped supertanker

They do it mostly by hand tools-in months the whole hull is gone - incredible.

I've seen a documentary on the places where they do it in Bangladesh (ie "East Pakistan") and it is amazing. High rates of worker deaths though.

[fightingflamingo]

Concrete/Cement/Mortar recycled As in grind up a slab of concrete to dust add water and presto new concrete Are we sure bout that Cant be THAT easy...

sorry, I didn't mean to imply that it would be easy, just possible...

easier would be the recycling of brinks, by scraping, chipping mortar of unbroken bricks... I believe that currently in both the US and the UK, there is a business (or was before the recent economic woes) in recycled "vintage" brick.

[Legbreaker]

I'm sure I've seen a machine specifically designed to chew through bricks, stone, steel and pretty much any other type of building rubble. Although not exactly common, and a little on the large side, it could be something for your occupants to seek out.
I believe the rotary teeth wear out fairly quickly though, so finding spares could be a mission all of it's own.

There are similar machines I'm sure most of us have seen designed to deal with road suface as well, stripping off the top inch or so.

The end result is peices about half the size of a golf ball and relatively easy to shift with a shovel and barrow.

[fightingflamingo]

Originally posted by Legbreaker "I'm sure I've seen a machine specifically designed to chew through bricks, stone, steel and pretty much any other type of building rubble. Although not exactly common, and a little on the large side, it could be something for your occupants to seek out. "

very true, and useful for recycling concrete as agregate for rubble walls or fill, but there are some chemical processes which go beyond what is likely possible (or practical) for some time to turn it back into a usable concrete mix which would follow. still it's all very good information.

In my campaigns, I often have convicted looters, in work gangs breaking this stuff up with sledge hammers, and pics, and using to fill stripped out vehicles to form the core of rubble walls, and them built up with salvaged brick, block, or whatever is locally available to use. I just try to stay away from wooden stockade fencing because I see wood as to important as a cooking and heating fuel, although that too might be found in enclave's located in more heavily forested area's than the US East coast.

[kalos72]

Do you have any links to information about the concept of reheating concrete to recycle it I am interested in that scenario...

I wouldnt use wood for the fences and such, but telephone poles on the other hand...

[Matt W]

Liberians on Staten Island

Not sure how this would affect your growing food on Staten Island

http://motherjones.com/politics/2007/06/child-soldiers-staten-island

It might be a really weird encounter for some PCs.
"Yes as a matter of fact, I do know how to grow food. Yes, as a matter of fact I can use an AK47"