Green Construction Materials for Sustainable Development: A Review

Abstract

The construction industry is one of the major consumers of natural resources and is responsible for considerable energy consumption, waste generation and greenhouse-gas emissions. The increasing demand for infrastructure has created a need for sustainable alternatives to conventional construction materials. Green construction materials obtained from industrial by-products, agricultural residues, construction and demolition waste, recycled materials and renewable resources can reduce environmental impacts while providing acceptable engineering performance. This review discusses important green construction materials, including fly ash, ground granulated blast-furnace slag (GGBS), rice husk ash, sugarcane bagasse ash, geopolymer materials, limestone calcined clay cement (LC3), recycled aggregates, ceramic waste, waste glass, waste plastic, natural fibers and bamboo. Their major applications, environmental benefits, limitations and future potential are reviewed. The study indicates that the use of waste-derived and low-carbon materials can reduce the consumption of virgin resources and Portland cement and can support circular economy principles. However, variability in material quality, processing requirements, durability, transportation, lack of standards and limited field-scale studies remain major barriers. Life-cycle assessment and techno-economic analysis are therefore important for evaluating the actual sustainability of green construction materials. The review concludes that the integration of recycled materials, low-carbon binders and renewable resources can contribute significantly to sustainable and circular construction. Keywords: Green construction materials, Sustainable construction, Recycled aggregate, Geopolymer, Fly ash, GGBS, Agricultural waste, Low-carbon concrete, Circular economy.