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Applied Sciences
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Enhancing Concrete Sustainability: Innovative Materials and Technologies for Greener Concrete
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Enhancing Concrete Sustainability: Innovative Materials and Technologies for Greener Concrete

A special issue of Applied Sciences (ISSN 2076-3417). This special issue belongs to the section "Materials Science and Engineering".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 August 2026 | Viewed by 4327

Editor

Prof. Dr. Maria Mavroulidou

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Engineering and Design, London South Bank University, 103 Borough Road, London SE1 0AA, UK
Interests: biogeotechnics; ground improvement; unsaturated soils; innovative cements; waste materials in civil engineering
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Concrete is the most widely used building material worldwide and it has become integral to modern life because it is generally a durable and cost-effective; however, a major challenge is that its production is linked to adverse environmental impacts, including the use of non-renewable natural materials, when it comes to Portland cement, the high CO2 emissions and energy usage of the cement production process.

As concrete demand is projected to increase, it is important to investigate ways of building with concrete more sustainably, including utilising innovative approaches and technology. In this context, intensive international research has focused on innovations that address the environmental impact and overall sustainability of concrete. Extensive studies have forcused on investigating opportunities and initiatives to reach carbon neutrality, to design innovative eco-friendly materials, to promote reuse and recycling, and to incorporate circular economy concepts, starting at the cement production plant and extending through the entire life cycle of the concrete structure.

This Special Issue invites papers focusing on such concrete innovations, towards improved sustainability and indicative themes include, but are not limited to, the following topics:

  • Innovative cements for concrete production;
  • Self-healing concrete innovations;
  • Innovative supplementary cementitious materials;
  • Innovative additives/admixtures;
  • Innovative aggregates for concrete;
  • Innovative reinforcement materials;
  • The optimisation of materials and/or structures;
  • Recyclability and waste management;
  • Bio-based, renewable, and recyclable concrete constituents;
  • Waste carbon dioxide recycling;
  • CO2-cured and mixed concrete;
  • Waste materials and by-products in cement and concrete;
  • Innovative concrete repair/rehabilitation and strengthening materials and techniques;
  • Innovative surface protection methods and materials;
  • Mechanical behaviour and durability;
  • Sustainability assessment;
  • Material characterisation and modelling;
  • Thermodynamic analysis.

Prof. Dr. Maria Mavroulidou
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-anonymized peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Applied Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • concrete
  • sustainability
  • innovative cements and supplementary cementitious materials for concrete
  • innovative concrete aggregates
  • self-healing concrete
  • circular economy
  • waste materials and by-products
  • sustainability assessment

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Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

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19 pages, 3314 KB  
Article
Response Surface Optimization of Structural Concrete Incorporating Two Gold-Mine Tailing Fractions
by Juan S. Arenas-Prada, Maya S. Caycedo-García, José D. Ardila Rey, Juliana P. Rodríguez-Caicedo and Diego R. Joya-Cárdenas
Appl. Sci. 2026, 16(12), 5936; https://doi.org/10.3390/app16125936 - 12 Jun 2026
Viewed by 201
Abstract
Gold-mine tailings have attracted increasing interest as alternative constituents in cement-based materials, yet their use in structural concrete remains limited by the lack of multivariable approaches capable of capturing the interaction between tailing fractions with different functional roles. In this study, a tailing-derived [...] Read more.
Gold-mine tailings have attracted increasing interest as alternative constituents in cement-based materials, yet their use in structural concrete remains limited by the lack of multivariable approaches capable of capturing the interaction between tailing fractions with different functional roles. In this study, a tailing-derived fine aggregate and a fine tailing sludge from the Cisneros Project (Santo Domingo, Antioquia, Colombia) were jointly incorporated into structural concrete and evaluated through a response surface methodology based on a central composite design. The tailings were characterized by physical, chemical, mineralogical, and morphological analyses, while concrete mixtures proportioned according to ACI 211 were assessed in terms of 28-day compressive strength. The statistical model revealed a significant quadratic response and a strong interaction between both incorporation variables. The most favorable strength region, based solely on 28-day compressive strength, was identified at sludge contents below 20% and tailing aggregate replacement below 90%, with the latter interpreted as a preliminary mechanical threshold rather than as a practical recommendation for field application. Higher incorporation levels led to strength losses associated with the increasing fineness of the system and greater water demand. This study demonstrates that the performance of tailing-modified structural concrete depends on the coordinated dosage of fractions with distinct roles and provides preliminary mechanical incorporation limits based solely on 28-day compressive strength. Since durability and environmental safety tests, including heavy metal/cyanide leaching, permeability, shrinkage, and chemical resistance, were not conducted, these limits should not be interpreted as definitive recommendations for long-term structural application. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Enhancing Concrete Sustainability: Innovative Materials and Technologies for Greener Concrete)
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24 pages, 2197 KB  
Article
Sustainable Paving Blocks Using Alkali-Activated Furnace Slag and Recycled Aggregates
by Miriam Hernández, Rosa Navarro, Isidro Sánchez, Marina Sánchez and Carlos Rodríguez
Appl. Sci. 2026, 16(7), 3344; https://doi.org/10.3390/app16073344 - 30 Mar 2026
Viewed by 393
Abstract
This research explores the use of industrial waste as an alternative to natural raw materials, promoting a circular economy in the construction sector. It specifically investigates the manufacturing of paving blocks using blast furnace slag and recycled aggregates. Paving blocks were produced without [...] Read more.
This research explores the use of industrial waste as an alternative to natural raw materials, promoting a circular economy in the construction sector. It specifically investigates the manufacturing of paving blocks using blast furnace slag and recycled aggregates. Paving blocks were produced without altering typical industry conditions, entirely replacing cement with alkaline-activated blast furnace slag. The study replaced natural aggregate in three proportions (20%, 50%, and 100%) with three types of recycled aggregates: concrete recycled aggregate (CA), masonry recycled aggregate (MA), and recycled mixed aggregate (RMA), in both coarse and fine fractions. The experimental procedure analysed the impact of recycled aggregates in an alkaline-activated slag matrix through three phases: characterising physical properties (mechanical properties, water absorption, density, abrasion resistance, and slip resistance), evaluating leaching behaviour, and conducting a life cycle analysis. The results of physical characterisation were statistically analysed using principal component analysis (PCA). The results obtained show the feasibility of manufacturing paving blocks with blast furnace slag by completely replacing the natural aggregate with the coarse fraction of the three recycled aggregates used and replacing up to 20% in the case of using the fine fraction. The properties of the paving blocks manufactured with slag depend mainly on the degree of substitution of natural aggregate with the recycled aggregate. All paving blocks can be considered environmentally safe from leaching according to the Dutch Soil Quality Decree. Paving blocks made from alkali-activated ground granulated blast furnace slag and recycled aggregates generate a lower carbon footprint compared to concrete paving blocks. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Enhancing Concrete Sustainability: Innovative Materials and Technologies for Greener Concrete)
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19 pages, 1275 KB  
Article
The Possibilities for Using Ash and Slag Waste in Civil Engineering
by Natalia Stankiewicz and Wioleta Rutkowska
Appl. Sci. 2025, 15(21), 11822; https://doi.org/10.3390/app152111822 - 6 Nov 2025
Viewed by 810
Abstract
This research aimed to improve our understanding of how ash and slag waste (ASW) could be used in civil engineering. The present study concentrated on the utilisation of bottom sand (ASW) in cement composites as a replacement for a part of aggregate and [...] Read more.
This research aimed to improve our understanding of how ash and slag waste (ASW) could be used in civil engineering. The present study concentrated on the utilisation of bottom sand (ASW) in cement composites as a replacement for a part of aggregate and the evaluation of the pozzolanic properties of the material. This would enable its use as a binder in non-cementitious or cementitious composites. The basic properties of the modified mortars were investigated. The pozzolanic activity index (PAI) of the bottom sand was also tested using two methods. Analysis of the test results shows that we can replace natural aggregate with 25% bottom sand without significantly impairing the properties of the modified composites. However, the tested ASW does not exhibit pozzolanic activity. Consequently, it should not be used as a binder substitute in cementitious or non-cementitious composites. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Enhancing Concrete Sustainability: Innovative Materials and Technologies for Greener Concrete)
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15 pages, 2805 KB  
Article
Development of Low-Carbon Autoclaved Aerated Concrete Using an Alkali-Activated Ground Granulated Blast Furnace Slag and Calcium Carbide Slag
by Carlos Rodriguez, Pablo Gómez, Felipe Martí, Sumit Srivastava, Marina Sanchez, Fernando Fernandez, Irene Beleña and Miriam Hernández
Appl. Sci. 2025, 15(18), 9946; https://doi.org/10.3390/app15189946 - 11 Sep 2025
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 2210
Abstract
The environmental impact of traditional construction materials has led to increasing interest in developing more sustainable alternatives. This study addresses the development of low-carbon autoclaved aerated concrete (AAC) through the complete replacement of ordinary Portland cement (OPC) with ground granulated blast furnace slag [...] Read more.
The environmental impact of traditional construction materials has led to increasing interest in developing more sustainable alternatives. This study addresses the development of low-carbon autoclaved aerated concrete (AAC) through the complete replacement of ordinary Portland cement (OPC) with ground granulated blast furnace slag (BFS), activated with lime and, in some formulations, supplemented with calcium carbide slag (CCS). Five different AAC mixtures were prepared and evaluated in terms of workability, foaming behavior, compressive strength, phase composition, density, thermal conductivity, and life cycle assessment (LCA). The BFS-based mixtures activated with lime exhibited good workability and foaming stability. After pre-curing, the addition of CCS significantly improved the formation of tobermorite during autoclaving. As a result, the BFS–CCS formulations achieved compressive strengths comparable to the reference OPC-based mix while maintaining low densities (420–441 kg/m3) and thermal conductivities in the range of 0.111–0.119 W/(m·K). These results confirm the technical feasibility of producing structural-grade AAC with a lower environmental footprint. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Enhancing Concrete Sustainability: Innovative Materials and Technologies for Greener Concrete)
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Review

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34 pages, 2283 KB  
Review
Toward Sustainable 3D Concrete Printing: A Critical Review of Waste-Derived Materials Across Binder, Geopolymer, and Aggregate Systems
by Kamel T. Kamel, Rabee Shamass, Yen-Yu Lin and Ruoyu Jin
Appl. Sci. 2026, 16(12), 6258; https://doi.org/10.3390/app16126258 - 22 Jun 2026
Viewed by 230
Abstract
Three-dimensional concrete printing (3DCP) has emerged as a promising digital construction technology that reduces material waste, eliminates formwork, and enables complex geometries. However, its sustainability remains constrained by the extensive use of ordinary Portland cement (OPC) and natural aggregates. This review comprehensively evaluates [...] Read more.
Three-dimensional concrete printing (3DCP) has emerged as a promising digital construction technology that reduces material waste, eliminates formwork, and enables complex geometries. However, its sustainability remains constrained by the extensive use of ordinary Portland cement (OPC) and natural aggregates. This review comprehensively evaluates waste utilization in extrusion-based 3D printed concrete, classifying applications into three pathways: cement replacement in OPC-based systems, waste-derived precursors in alkali-activated/geopolymer binders, and fine aggregate replacement. Industrial, agricultural, and marine wastes are assessed regarding their effects on rheology, printability, mechanical performance, interlayer bonding, and durability. The reviewed literature investigated waste incorporation levels reaching up to 50% for cement replacement, up to 70% for alkali-activated/geopolymer systems, and up to 100% for aggregate replacement, depending on the material type and application pathway. Industrial wastes, particularly fly ash, slag, silica fume, and metakaolin, represent the most mature materials and generally improve printability and long-term performance. Agricultural and marine wastes show promising sustainability potential but remain insufficiently investigated. Despite encouraging laboratory-scale results, challenges related to material variability, early-age performance, standardization, and scalability continue to limit practical implementation. The review identifies critical research gaps and outlines future directions for developing sustainable and field-ready 3DCP technologies. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Enhancing Concrete Sustainability: Innovative Materials and Technologies for Greener Concrete)
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