Sustainable development of self-compacting cementitious mixes using waste originated fibers: A review

Increased efficacy of fiber incorporation in self-compacting cementitious mixes (SCM) (mortar and concrete) has resulted in increased demand for virgin fibers. Production of virgin fibers consumes natural resources, which is an environmental concern. Researchers have investigated different waste originated fibers as an alternative to virgin fibers in SCM. Two-fold advantages such as effective utilization of the waste and partial relief to the extraction of natural resources can be achieved by incorporating waste originated fibers in SCM. For enhanced real field applications, comprehensive and comparative knowledge on the utilization of waste originated fibers in SCM is required. Therefore, in the present review, research studies on SCM which investigated the use of waste originated fibers such as rubber fiber, plastic bag fibers, polyethylene terephthalate bottle fibers, steel fibers, glass fibers, and carbon fibers are covered. Availability potential, existing recycling methods, and processing of waste into fibers are discussed. A significant variation is observed in the mixing methodology adopted by various researchers to incorporate waste originated fibers in SCM. An up-to-date review and comparative analysis based on performance parameters (fresh, hardened, and durability properties) of various waste originated fiber incorporated SCM revealed the existing research gaps and future research trends in this area.