Sustainable Concrete with Pigeon Pea Stalk Ash and Recycled Aggregates: A Review

Abstract

Due to the rapid growth of construction activities and increasing concerns regarding environmental sustainability, the demand for eco-friendly and resource-efficient construction materials is increasing day by day. The extensive use of cement and natural aggregates in concrete production leads to depletion of natural resources and higher carbon emissions. To overcome these issues, various waste and agricultural by-products are being utilized as partial replacement materials in concrete. Among them, Pigeon Pea Stalk Ash (PPSA) is used as a partial replacement of cement, while Recycled Coarse Aggregate (RCA) is used as a replacement of natural coarse aggregate. In addition, M-Sand is adopted as an alternative to natural river sand to promote sustainable construction practices. In this study, various papers related to this topic are reviewed in which significant work has already been carried out by researchers. The review focuses on the comparative strength characteristics and performance of sustainable concrete incorporating PPSA, RCA, and M-Sand. With the help of the review of research papers, the effects of these replacement materials on the mechanical properties of concrete are identified, and the conclusive outcomes obtained form the research objectives for further study.

Introduction

The paper reviews the use of Pigeon Pea Stalk Ash (PPSA), Recycled Coarse Aggregate (RCA), and Manufactured Sand (M-Sand) as sustainable alternatives to conventional concrete materials. It addresses the environmental problems caused by cement production, excessive natural aggregate extraction, and construction waste, highlighting the need for eco-friendly concrete with reduced carbon emissions and resource consumption.

The literature indicates that PPSA acts as an effective supplementary cementitious material, with an optimum replacement level of about 8–10%, improving compressive, tensile, and flexural strength while enhancing durability, acid resistance, and permeability. RCA offers a sustainable replacement for natural coarse aggregates, producing acceptable mechanical performance and promoting recycling of construction and demolition waste, although proper quality control is essential. M-Sand is identified as a viable alternative to river sand, consistently improving compressive strength and durability while reducing dependence on natural sand resources, despite slightly reduced workability due to its angular particle shape.

Several reviewed studies also examined other agricultural wastes, biochar, fly ash, limestone powder, biomedical waste ash, and natural fibers, demonstrating that many waste-derived materials exhibit pozzolanic properties, improve concrete microstructure, and enhance long-term sustainability when used at optimum replacement levels.

Conclusion

The conclusive outcomes drawn from the study are enlisted below: 1) The reviewed literature confirms that agricultural waste ashes, recycled aggregates, and manufactured sand can be effectively utilized as sustainable alternatives to conventional concrete materials. 2) Most previous studies have focused on the individual application of Pigeon Pea Stalk Ash (PPSA), Recycled Coarse Aggregate (RCA), or Manufactured Sand (M-Sand), with limited research on their combined utilization. 3) Research related to PPSA is comparatively limited when compared with other agricultural waste ashes such as Rice Husk Ash and Bagasse Ash. 4) The influence of varying replacement percentages of PPSA combined with RCA and M-Sand on the strength characteristics of concrete has not been comprehensively established. 5) A detailed investigation is required to evaluate the suitability of PPSA as a partial replacement of cement and RCA as a partial replacement of natural coarse aggregate in M-Sand-based concrete. 6) The proposed work includes material characterization through sieve analysis, aggregate impact value, flakiness and elongation index, and silt content tests in accordance with relevant IS standards. 7) M30 grade concrete mixes containing different proportions of PPSA and RCA with 100% M-Sand will be prepared and tested to evaluate their compressive strength performance after curing. 8) The primary objective of the proposed study is to identify the optimum replacement levels of PPSA, RCA, and M-Sand that can achieve satisfactory strength while reducing the consumption of cement, natural aggregates, and river sand, thereby promoting sustainable concrete production.

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Copyright

Copyright © 2026 Sumit Gurjar, Dr. Chaitanya Mishra. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.