Perlite as a Sustainable Material for Concrete and Mortar: A Review of Performance and Applications

Perlite is a naturally occurring, nonrenewable volcanic material that expands in volume at high temperatures. Using perlite in concrete/mortar reduces the overall weight and enhances properties such as sustainability, versatility, and durability. This review article focuses on existing and ongoing research on the utilization of perlite in cement-based materials (CBMs), that is, concrete and mortar, with an emphasis on the physical and mechanical properties, as well as the environmental aspects. Existing review articles do not provide a single comprehensive source of information on perlite-based CBM; however, this review addresses this shortcoming by employing advanced review techniques (i.e., the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses framework for data screening and Visualization of Similarities for bibliographic analysis). The novelty of this study lies in the critical insights and analyses, along with well-defined guidelines, which bridge existing research gaps. A summary of major outcomes from the published literature from 2000 to 2025 indicates that CBM containing perlite exhibits enhanced physical and varying mechanical properties. For example, replacing aggregates (coarse/fine) with perlite by up to 30% reduces the density of CBM by 10–30%, while higher replacements (>30%) significantly improve the thermal conductivity by 80%. Likewise, similar replacement levels of perlite (up to 30%) enhance sound insulation properties by almost 26%. In contrast to the above, reductions in compressive strength of up to 40% are commonly reported in the literature, depending on gradation and dosage. In summary, incorporating up to 30% perlite into CBM yielded beneficial outcomes across most studies. Also, modifying CBM with perlite makes the infrastructure more energy efficient. Finally, using inert, abundant natural waste directly aligns with the concepts of sustainability, versatility, and durability in concrete/mortar construction.