Use of Madhuca longifolia (Mahua) Bark‐Derived Fibers for Enhancing the Performance of Cement Mortar and Concrete

In response to the growing demand for environmentally friendly construction practices, sustainable alternatives to conventional cement, aggregates, and reinforcement fibers (both steel and synthetic) are receiving increased attention. These alternatives often originate from mineral and biological wastes. Aligning with this trend, the present study investigates the possible use of Madhuca longifolia fiber (MLF) as a natural fiber in cement mortar and as reinforcement bars in concrete. The control mortar mix had a water‐to‐cement ratio (W/C) of 0.35 and a cement‐to‐sand ratio (C:S) of 1:2.38. The control concrete was designed as M25 with a W/C ratio of 0.42 and a mix ratio of cement: sand: coarse aggregate as 1:2.048:3.503. MLF was incorporated at 0%, 0.25%, 0.5%, 0.75%, 1.0%, and 1.25% by weight of cement. A polycarboxylate ether type superplasticizer was used to ensure uniform fiber dispersion and maintain matrix workability. Results showed a slight linear reduction in workability and density with increasing MLF content, while water absorption slightly increased. At the optimum MLF content of 0.75%, the 28‐day compressive, splitting tensile, and flexural strengths showed enhancements of 26.5%, 23.8%, and 62.4%, respectively, than that of the plain mortar. After exposure to 200°C, strength reductions ranged from 6.53% to 14.85%. Furthermore, the use of MLF bars led to a substantial increase in the flexural strength of concrete beams, with 6 mm bars increasing it by 36.8%; and 12 mm bars by 19.69%. The integration of MLF demonstrates a promising step toward sustainable mortar and concrete production by helping reduce the carbon footprint.