Opportunities for Supplementary Cementitious Materials from Natural Sources and Industrial Byproducts: Literature Insights and Supply Assessment

This paper reviews various emerging alternative SCMs derived from minerals and biomass sources, industrial byproducts, and underutilized waste streams. The paper compiles and evaluates physicochemical properties, reaction mechanisms in cementitious systems, resource availability, supply chain dynamics, technology readiness, the impact on concrete performance, and environmental and cost factors for each candidate SCM. Specifically, the review examines wood ash from bioenergy plants, volcanic and sedimentary natural pozzolans, and construction and demolition waste. This includes recycled concrete fines, asphalt plants’ rock dust (baghouse fines), aggregate production fines, and post-consumer waste, particularly municipal solid waste incinerator ash and wastewater sludge ash. Additionally, the paper explores innovative additives such as cellulose and chitin nanomaterials and calcium–silicate–hydrate nanoseeds to address challenges of slower strength development and rheological changes. The key contribution of this review is a multifactor framework for assessing alternative SCMs, emphasizing availability, supply chain, market readiness, and environmental performance, combined with an engineering performance review.