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Advancements in Eco-Friendly Concrete and Sustainable Construction Materials

A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Sustainable Materials".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 September 2026 | Viewed by 630

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Center for Advanced Materials, Qatar University, Doha P.O. Box 2713, Qatar
Interests: sustainable construction materials; geopolymers; concrete 3D printing; low-carbon concrete

E-Mail Website
Co-Guest Editor
Center for Advanced Materials, Qatar University, Doha P.O. Box 2713, Qatar
Interests: 3D printing; nanomaterials; bio-additives; green technology; energy; sensors

Special Issue Information

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 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-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.

Keywords

  • 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

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

38 pages, 13269 KB  
Article
Shear Behavior of Geopolymer Concrete Beams Under Monotonic and Cyclic Loading
by Musab Aied Qissab Al-Janabi, Duaa Al-Jeznawi, Rana Talib Nasser, Luís Filipe Almeida Bernardo, Ismacahyadi Bagus Mohamed Jais and Hugo Alexandre Silva Pinto
Sustainability 2026, 18(5), 2209; https://doi.org/10.3390/su18052209 - 25 Feb 2026
Viewed by 346
Abstract
This study examines the shear behavior of geopolymer (zero-cement) concrete (ZCC) beams under monotonic and cyclic loading, focusing on the effects of concrete compressive strength, reinforcement ratio, and shear span-to-depth ratio. A total of 48 simply supported beams were tested under two-point loading, [...] Read more.
This study examines the shear behavior of geopolymer (zero-cement) concrete (ZCC) beams under monotonic and cyclic loading, focusing on the effects of concrete compressive strength, reinforcement ratio, and shear span-to-depth ratio. A total of 48 simply supported beams were tested under two-point loading, with compressive strengths of 20 and 30 MPa, longitudinal reinforcement configurations of 2Ø10, 3Ø10, and 3Ø12, and shear span-to-depth ratios (a/d) of 2, 2.5, and 3. The results demonstrate that ZCC beams achieve shear capacity, ductility, and energy dissipation comparable to or exceeding those of conventional concrete beams, confirming their suitability for shear-critical structural applications and providing valuable experimental data to support future design and modeling of sustainable concrete systems. Results showed that under monotonic loading, increasing compressive strength and longitudinal reinforcement enhanced load capacity by up to 33%, improved energy absorption, and reduced deflection, while higher a/d ratios decreased load capacity by about 37% but increased deflection by nearly 48%. Similar trends were observed under cyclic loading, although beams exhibited additional vertical cracking and stiffness degradation; ZCC beams sustained 70–90% of their monotonic displacement capacity, with 30 MPa specimens demonstrating superior energy dissipation and ductility. Reinforcement strains were consistently lower in ZCC beams than in normal concrete beam, indicating improved bond performance. Failure was primarily governed by diagonal shear cracks at angles of 30–45°, similarly to NC beams but with more gradual crack development. The findings confirm that ZCC beams achieve shear performance comparable to beams made with conventional concrete while offering improved ductility and energy absorption, highlighting their potential as a sustainable alternative for shear-critical structural applications subjected to monotonic and cyclic loading. Full article
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