Advancements in Eco-Friendly Concrete and Sustainable Construction Materials

Dear Colleagues,

The construction industry is one of the largest consumers of natural resources and a significant contributor to global greenhouse gas emissions. This pressing environmental challenge has spurred extensive research in relation to eco-friendly alternatives that can reduce the carbon footprint of construction materials while ensuring durability, performance, and cost-effectiveness. In particular, the development of sustainable concrete, the utilization of industrial by-products, and the design of advanced construction technologies have gained momentum as the building sector seeks to align with global sustainability goals and circular economy principles. Eco-friendly concrete and sustainable construction practices are increasingly recognized as key enablers for mitigating climate change and promoting green infrastructure. Recent advances, including low-carbon cementitious binders, thermal insulation solutions, additive manufacturing with sustainable mixes, and novel waste valorization strategies, have reshaped the way materials are conceived and applied.

The purpose of this Special Issue is to join forces and create a collection of novel research works and innovative approaches that address the environmental and sustainability challenges of the construction sector. It seeks to bring together interdisciplinary contributions that advance sustainable construction technologies while emphasizing scalability and real-world applicability.  As such, this Special Issue aligns seamlessly with the scope of Sustainability, which emphasizes interdisciplinary approaches to addressing pressing environmental, economic, and societal challenges. By focusing on eco-friendly alternatives in construction, this Special Issue highlights a sector that accounts for a substantial proportion of global resource consumption and emissions, thereby offering high-impact opportunities for change. This collection of novel research work will not only augment the existing literature but will also identify gaps and chart future directions for sustainable material development.

This Special Issue aligns closely with the journal’s broader scope by highlighting how eco-friendly concrete and construction materials can contribute to reducing carbon emissions and conserving resources. The contributions to this Special Issue will serve as valuable references for advancing sustainable construction practices and integrating eco-friendly concretes into real-world applications across diverse sectors of the built environment.

In this Special Issue, original research articles and reviews are welcome. Research areas may include (but are not limited to) the following:

• Low-carbon cementitious systems;
• Sustainable geopolymers;
• Bio-additives for sustainable construction;
• Three-dimensional concrete printing;
• Eco-friendly and innovative approaches in building engineering;
• Recycled aggregates and waste in concrete;
• Supplementary cementitious materials (SCMs);
• Circular economy and construction waste valorization;
• Bio-based building materials;
• Green technology and carbon capture integration;
• Bio-composite reinforcements in eco-concrete;
• Advanced mix optimization via AI and digital tools;
• Thermal-insulating eco concrete;
• Lifecycle and environmental assessment;
• Standardization for green materials;
• Energy harvesting and storage.  

I look forward to receiving your contributions.

Dr. Mohammad R. Irshidat
Guest Editor

Dr. Muni Raj Maurya
Co-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 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

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-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Sustainability 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.

• low-carbon concrete
• sustainable construction materials
• recycled aggregates
• waste valorization
• geopolymer binders
• supplementary cementitious materials (SCMs)
• carbonation and CO₂ sequestration
• thermal-insulating concrete
• bio-based building materials
• three-dimensional printing in construction
• circular economy in construction
• life cycle assessment (LCA)
• structural supercapacitor