The Necessity and Feasibility of Innovative Waste-Derived Sustainable Construction Materials

Dear Colleagues,

In the modern civilized world, the development of buildings and infrastructures has expanded quickly because of rising population and life demands. Concrete is one of the most versatile and commonly used man-made building materials, and it has gained popularity due to its various benefits, including the simplest manufacturing process as well as its strength and durability in ordinary environments. The cost of ordinary Portland cement, a key ingredient of concrete, continues to rise, and natural resources are decreasing as a result (e.g., limestone). During the manufacturing of cement, clinker is burned at around 1450 °C, resulting in the emission of vast quantities of carbon dioxide (CO₂). The consequent increase in global temperature is one of the causes of climate change and cement manufacturing produces CO₂. As a result, global warming continues to increase. Consequently, the massive extraction of raw resources necessary for the manufacturing of concrete has significant ecological impacts. Numerous research investigations on using waste materials to replace virgin ingredients in concrete were conducted in an effort to promote sustainability. To address these issues, research in cement and concrete technology has focused on the potential use of waste materials in the construction sector. Reducing the quantity of pollution and greenhouse gases emitted during the production of concrete, making more efficient use of waste materials, and developing low-energy, durable, and sustainably engineered concrete are also of interest. When appropriately handled, waste materials have demonstrated their effectiveness as construction materials and their capacity to meet design standards. In recent decades, extensive study has been conducted on the use of rice husk ash, sawdust ash/wood ash, bagasse ash, industrial waste (slag, silica fume, fly ash), recycled fibers, and construction and demolition waste as cement and concrete components. Some waste products can be substituted for cement (slags, fly ash, silica fumes, rice husk ash, etc.). These waste materials can be utilized or processed in part to make aggregates or fillers for concrete. In addition, all technological processes related to the construction and demolition of building concrete generate waste in the form of concrete production and demolition debris. The volume of its production in various nations is calculated differently, and mostly depends on the standard of living. The industry concerned with the manufacture of construction materials is the largest consumer of natural resources; however, a substantial portion of these resources can be replaced by industrial and municipal waste with remarkable environmental and economic efficiency. Consequently, sustainable concrete can be produced by partially substituting waste materials with cement or other ingredients in concrete, which also contributes to the reduction of CO₂ emissions, the production of more durable and cost-effective concrete, the conservation of energy through the use of less cement in concrete production, and the resolution of the waste disposal problem through the efficient consumption of waste. Utilizing waste materials in concrete is feasible, beneficial, and reasonable for the production of sustainable concrete, which is one of the finest solutions for energy conservation and the sustainable development of infrastructure.

This Special Issue's goal is to demonstrate the most recent research on unique and creative civil engineering construction materials derived from waste materials for sustainable infrastructures. The development of Sustainable Concrete Infrastructure using cutting-edge methods is especially encouraged. Potential topics include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Innovative waste-derived sustainable construction materials;
• Sustainable concrete composites for civil engineering;
• Geopolymer composites;
• Concrete composites made with recycled materials;
• Environmental impacts of waste materials in concrete;
• Advanced sustainable construction materials;
• New computational advancements in sustainable construction materials;
• Sustainable construction materials with recycled fibers;
• Environmental impact assessment of sustainable composites;
• Structural application of sustainable materials;
• Durability performance of concrete composites developed from waste material;
• Sustainable urban infrastructure development.

Dr. Mehran Khan
Dr. Arslan Akbar
Dr. Asad Hanif
Prof. Dr. Junfeng Guan
Dr. Chaopeng Xie
Prof. Dr. Abid Ali Shah
Guest Editors

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