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Department of Applied Science Humanities, MCT’s Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Technology, Juhu Versova Link Road, Behind HDFC Bank Andheri (W), Mumbai-53
This review paper explores sustainable building practices in the construction industry, driven by the significant environmental impact of traditional materials like cement. It reviews the use of several eco-friendly alternatives, including bamboo, recycled steel, recycled glass, straw bales, and recycled plastic. For each material, the report discusses its properties, applications, advantages, and disadvantages, highlighting their potential to reduce environmental harm and promote sustainable construction. The report concludes by emphasizing the significance of sustainability alongside functional, technical, and economic specifications when selecting building materials, advocating for the adoption of these eco-friendly options to minimize environmental damage and promote a circular economy within the construction sector. The construction industry's significant environmental impact necessitates a shift towards sustainable practices. This report explores eco-friendly building materials, including bamboo, a rapidly renewable resource; recycled steel, reducing reliance on virgin ore; recycled glass, diverting waste from landfills; straw bales, offering excellent insulation; and recycled plastic, addressing plastic waste issues. Each material's properties, applications, and benefits are discussed, highlighting their potential to minimize environmental pollution and promote sustainable construction. The report highlights significance of sustainability alongside traditional criteria, advocating for wider adoption of these alternatives to create a greener, more circular construction industry.
Day by day the production of greenhouse gasses increases. Cement manufacturing produces maximum of these toxic gasses in the building industry as cement manufacturing produces about 8 % of the world’s carbon dioxide (CO2). Alone CO2 produced by cement manufacturing can beat the whole china and U.S.A. contribution in CO2 production. The construction sector needs more sustainable methods to conserve environment. Introduction of sustainable methods is only solution to improve the quality of life. Building sector during designs and construction should include more green materials. Its aim is to reduce the overall impact of greenhouse gasses for betterment of human health and the surrounding. On a universal scale nearly 25% of wood harvest and 16% of freshwater is used for building. Also, buildings generate 25% of all ozone-depleting chlorofluorocarbons (CFC) which are released by processes to manufacture buildings materials and air conditioners fitted in buildings. Thus, traditional buildings have negative effect over human health and environment. Globalization is the main cause to the depletion of resources and ruin of the environment to fulfil the demands. Hence building from sustainable construction materials is best to avoid depletion of resources [1]. "This paper explores the utilization of sustainable and eco-friendly construction materials, including bamboo, recycled steel, cork, recycled glass, reclaimed wood, hempcrete, recycled plastic, sheep's wool, Ferrock, straw bales, interlocking bricks, and plastic blocks.
II. Detail Review: The selection of appropriate building materials plays a crucial role in determining the environmental impact of any construction project. This review critically analyses the literature on a diverse array of sustainable materials, such as, e.g., reclaimed wood, cork, and recycled glass. This paper focuses on understanding use of sustainable construction material, its environmental benefits, limitations, and wide adoption in the construction industry."
III. Bamboo
China have been using bamboo for transportation, firewood, making paper, clothing, food, for constructing bridges and buildings. Later India and South America started using bamboo housing structures. Commercial buildings and high rises fashioned from bamboo are still common in the Asian world.
Neeta Kapse*, Review on Alternative Recycled Sustainable Construction Materials, Int. J. Sci. R. Tech., 2026, 3 (2), 234-239. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.18796928
10.5281/zenodo.18796928