Recycled aggregate concrete is an eco-friendly material that is increasingly being used in new constructions. Nowadays, this application is mainly limited by user’s lack of confidence, as coarse recycled aggregate (CRA) is usually more porous, i.e., it has a higher water absorption, than coarse natural aggregate. This difference is a primary concern for practitioners when they have to comply with durability requirements. Although some uncertainties remain in this regard, significant progress has been made in the last few years concerning the assessment of durable recycled aggregate concrete. This paper reviews this topic and includes aspects related to chloride penetration, sulfate attack, freezing and thawing, high temperature, and alkali-silica reaction. Generally, although there are some particularities related to each type of attack, the high porosity of CRA is compensated by other features, such as different texture, increased mechanical compatibility with the matrix, or content of hydration products. Experimental results in the literature show that there are no reasons to consider that durable, sustainable structures cannot be built with recycled aggregate concrete.

The effect of recycled concrete aggregate (RCA) on concrete performance against external sulfate attack (ESA) is not yet fully known. In this paper, recycled aggregate concretes (RAC) with 0, 50, 75 and 100% of RCA contents were evaluated after 10 years of exposure immersed in 50g/l sodium sulfate solution. Sulfate ingress profiles were obtained by wet chemical analyses and FRX. Also, the mineralogy of the ingress profile was evaluated by thermogravimetric analyses. Finally, microcracking development in samples was evaluated by optical fluorescent microscopy image analysis. Although RAC showed a slight increase in sulfate ingress, due to its higher porosity (about 30% higher SO₃ content near the surface for 50% or higher replacement ratio than control concrete), a dense new matrix still allows a good performance of RAC to external sulfate attack with even 100% RCA content.

The building sector’s sustainability requires construction and demolition waste (CDW) to contribute to the circular economy. Among the CDW, recycled concrete aggregates (RA) have been mainly studied to replace natural aggregates. Still, the approval of their use in regulations and standards is slower. Some barriers to the adoption of RA are related to the durability of recycled aggregate concrete (RAC). However, their physical and mechanical properties have been extensively studied. The durability risks associated with sulfate attacks have been solved for conventional concrete. However, sulfate attack on recycled concrete still raises numerous unsolved questions. In this literature review, the experience of sulfate attack on RAC is compiled and analyzed using a compressive framework highlighting the most relevant aspects of the new matrix in RAC and the old matrix of RA to support its relevance to the damaging sulfate process. Suggestions for further research are presented to understand the full extent of this issue and contribute to incorporating and extending recycled aggregates into existing regulations.