Agricultural wastes as aggregate in concrete mixtures - A review

Concrete is the most widely used construction material. With the ever-increasing industrialization and urbanization, huge amounts of natural resources are required to make concrete. This, in turn, means that large volumes of natural resources and raw materials are being used for concrete production around the world. To eliminate or minimize the negative environmental impact of the concrete industry and promote environmental sustainability of the industry, the use of wastes from industry as materials for concrete making is considered as an alternative solution for preventing the excessive usage of raw materials. The wide availability of agricultural wastes make them a suitable and dependable alternative for aggregate in concrete, wherever available. This paper reviews the possible use of agricultural wastes as aggregate in the concrete industry. It aims to promote the idea of using these wastes by elaborating upon their engineering properties. This summary of existing knowledge about the successful use of agricultural wastes in the concrete industry helps to identify other existing waste products for use in concrete making. From this identification by agricultural and civil engineers, significant achievements can be attained. (C) 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.