Sustainable approach of using sugarcane bagasse ash in cement-based composites: A systematic review

Cement-based composites (CBCs) are the widely used construction materials, and cement is their main ingredient. The production of cement consumes a considerable amount of energy, releases a substantial quantity of CO2 to the environment, and causes depletion of natural resources. Thus, utilizing sugarcane bagasse ash (SBA) in CBCs in place of cement might be a sustainable approach. In this review, two approaches have been adopted, namely, scientometric analysis and a thorough manual review of the use of SBA in CBCs. A scientometric analysis can deal with huge bibliometric data without complications. This study retrieved journal articles and review articles on SBA utilization in CBCs available at the Scopus database from 2007 to 2021 and performed a scientometric analysis using a suitable software tool. The aim of the scientometric analysis was to ascertain the current state of research and to identify relevant publication fields, sources with the most publications, the most frequently used keywords, the most cited articles and authors, and the countries that have made the greatest contribution to the field of SBA utilization in CBCs. Additionally, the influence of SBA on the fresh and hardened properties as well as durability properties of CBCs are comprehensively discussed. It was found that the top publication source is construction and building materials with 36 publications, the author with most publications is Bahurudeen A with 14 articles, and the country having the highest contribution in the relevant field is India with 110 publications. Furthermore, the addition of SBA in CBCs as cement replacement was found to be beneficial in terms of sustainability aspects and performance of composites. This study also highlighted the limitations associated with SBA utilization in CBCs and reported recommendations for future studies.

Automated summary

In this review, the utilization of sugarcane bagasse ash (SBA) in cement-based composites (CBCs) was investigated through scientometric analysis and manual review. The study found that adding SBA can improve the fresh and hardened properties of CBCs.