Modern sustainable cement and concrete composites: Review of current status, challenges and guidelines

Abstract Due to global demand for sustainability, more advanced techniques have been recommended for improvement cement and construction purposes. Reduction in emissions for all infrastructural projects can be realized when there will be swift scale-up in the use of novel cement alongside the integration of positive policies. This study investigates approaches such as RPC, steel fiber reinforcement, green cement, advanced nano cement and self-consolidating and how they contribute to environmental sustainability and reduction of costs of construction. An improved multifunctional nanoengineered concrete exhibits advanced functionalities in comparison to the conventional cement. For instance, they have up to 79.5% and 146% respective flexural and compressive strengths. Besides, they have advanced thermo-mechanical and electrical performance with a considerable decline in water absorption of almost 400%. Such benefits make this study worth analyzing how these approaches can be implemented. The study also analyzes advanced cement repair and preservation techniques. Due to the low adoption of these sustainable solutions, this study recommends concerted efforts from different stakeholders including policymakers to implement low-carbon rates.