Enhancing sustainable concrete with iron ore tailings as fine aggregate: Environmental and engineering perspectives

The construction industry faces numerous challenges due to consuming significant energy and huge amounts of natural materials, mainly in concrete production. This study explores the possibility of using iron ore tailings (IOT) as a fine aggregate in concrete, focusing on engineering and environmental perspectives. By partially or fully replacing traditional fine aggregate with IOT, the study aims to improve concrete properties while addressing the ecological challenges of waste management. This study was developed by collecting papers from the Scopus database for the duration between 2000 and 2024. The results show that IOT particles have enhanced concrete's physical, mechanical, durability, and microstructure properties and decreased environmental issues by reducing waste accumulated in landfills and converting them to useful materials. The addition of IOT as fine aggregate reduced the workability in most cases and increased the strength of concrete, especially with low replacement levels. Further studies are recommended to increase the potential use of IOT in concrete production.