Industrial and Agricultural Waste-Based Sustainable Concrete: A Review of Performance, Durability, and Applications in Pavement and Precast Construction

The cement industry's contribution to anthropogenic CO₂ emissions, combined with the growing volume of industrial and agricultural residues requiring disposal, has positioned waste-valorized concrete as a central theme in sustainable construction research. This review synthesizes the published literature on concrete systems incorporating industrial by-products such as fly ash, ground granulated blast furnace slag, steel slag, copper slag, silica fume, marble dust, quarry dust, and red mud alongside agricultural residues, including rice husk ash, sugarcane bagasse ash, palm oil fuel ash, coconut shell ash, bamboo leaf ash, and wheat straw ash. Drawing on mechanical, durability, microstructural, and life-cycle assessment (LCA) studies published largely between 2020 and 2026, the review consolidates reported trends in compressive, tensile, and flexural strength development; chloride, sulfate, and acid resistance; and the microstructural mechanisms (N-A-S-H/C-A-S-H gel formation, interfacial transition zone densification, pore refinement) that published authors have used to explain these trends. Particular attention is given to application-specific performance requirements for rigid pavement (IRC:58, AASHTO) and precast manufacturing (early-strength demoulding thresholds, heat-curing compatibility). A bibliometric synthesis of the field is presented, summarizing publication growth, leading contributing countries, and thematic evolution as reported in recent scientometric studies. A structured research-gap analysis identifies underexplored hybrid combinations, the scarcity of unified mechanical-durability-LCA frameworks, and the persistent gap between laboratory-scale findings and field-validated, codified design guidance. The review concludes that while individual waste streams are each reasonably well characterized in isolation, ternary and quaternary industrial-agricultural hybrid systems, standardized LCA reporting protocols, and low-carbon activator alternatives represent the highest-priority directions for future research aimed at pavement and precast infrastructure deployment.