Towards Sustainable Concrete: Performance of Eco-Cement with Agricultural and Industrial Waste Materials

Abstract

The construction industry is a major contributor to global carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions, largely due to the widespread use of Ordinary Portland Cement (OPC). This study investigates the potential of eco-cement produced by replacing agricultural and industrial waste materials as a sustainable alternative to customary cement. The performance of eco-cement partially replaced by Rice Husk Ash (RHA) (agricultural waste) and waste glass particles (industrial waste) was evaluated in terms of compressive strength, water absorption, porosity, and environmental impact. The results highlighted that the control sample consistently achieved impressive compressive strength up to 21.88 MPa, particularly during the early age of curing. However, the involvement of Supplementary Cementitious Materials (SCMs) demonstrated slightly slow strength gain for most of the curing age. Among the SCMs, OPC/RHA evaluated samples demonstrate the most reliable and remarkable improvement for all assessed criteria, indicating an acceptable durability, followed by OPC/Waste Glass Powder (WGP) and OPC/All samples. For the sustainability assessment, the incorporation of RHA and WGP resulted in a decline in CO2 emissions, with OPC/WGP presenting a noticeable potential for CO2 savings of 4.4%. The study reveals that the combination of RHA and WGP in eco-cement is able to develop good compressive strength and minimising the environmental footprint of concrete production. Overall, this study supports the use of eco-cement as a sustainable construction material, offering both performance advantages and a major decrease in environmental impact compared to traditional cement production.