Waste Ethiopian human hair in concrete as a fiber reinforcement; an innovative way to solid waste cycling

Abstract Recycling waste and reducing environmental pollution are the primary goals of sustainable development in the modern era. Several researchers are developing new approaches and thinking about ways to innovate in concrete technology by reusing waste materials. The purpose of this study is to determine how an Ethiopian human hair (waste material) fibre influences the fresh, physical, and mechanical properties of concrete with 0%, 1%, 2%, 3%, and 4% of human hair by volume of cement and to develop a sustainable and environmentally friendly construction material for the construction industry. Slump test, compressive and density test, and water absorption test were used to evaluate this. In this respect, 84 concrete cube examples were constructed and cured on the third, seventh, twenty-eighth, and fifty-six days. HHF addition hindered the workability of concrete as the percentage of human hair rose. After 28 days, the compressive strength was increased by 13.03% with the addition of 2% human hair and the addition of 1% HHF improved the split tensile strength by 15.52%. Also, when the content of human hair grows after 28 days, the density of concrete decreases and water absorption increases. Furthermore, after 28 days, the maximum water absorption was 3.85% at 4% and the minimum water absorption was 2.41% at 1%. Utilizing waste Ethiopian human hair waste as a micro fibre in 1–2% can produce good quality concrete.