Wood- and Lignocellulosic-Residue-Derived Constituents in Low-Clinker Cementitious Systems for Severe Cold Service: A Review of Performance, Durability, and Microstructural Mechanisms

Wood- and lignocellulosic-residue-derived constituents have attracted increasing attention in cementitious materials because they may support clinker reduction, waste valorization, moisture regulation, crack control, and longer service life. This review synthesizes evidence on wood ash, wood-derived biochar, and wood or lignocellulosic fibers in low-clinker and low-carbon-oriented cementitious systems, with emphasis on severe cold service involving freeze–thaw cycling, salt freezing, and chloride ingress. This review clarifies the evidence boundaries among direct wood-derived materials and related biomass or lignocellulosic analogues, because wood ash, non-wood biomass ashes, such as bamboo ash and bagasse ash, wood fiber, and non-wood plant fibers cannot be treated as equivalent materials. Wood ash is best regarded as a controlled partial binder replacement or filler whose performance depends on combustion temperature, oxide composition, alkali content, residual carbon, fineness, and water demand. Biochar is more appropriately treated as a low-dosage functional additive, commonly in the range of approximately 1–3 wt.% of binder, where it may assist internal curing, nucleation, moisture redistribution, and pore regulation; excessive dosage can increase porosity and reduce mechanical or transport performance. Wood and lignocellulosic fibers mainly contribute to crack control, toughness, and post-cracking behavior, but their effectiveness is limited by water absorption, swelling, lignin- and extractive-related hydration interference, and long-term interfacial degradation in alkaline matrices. Across these material classes, engineering performance is governed by the interfacial transition zone, pore-size distribution, moisture state, air–void compatibility, and exposure-specific durability response. The main contribution of this review is to propose a boundary-conscious framework for material classification, quantitative comparison, mixture-design screening, and severe-cold durability qualification. Future application requires source-specific characterization, water-demand control, treated fibers, low-dosage biochar optimization, and service-informed testing that couples freeze–thaw cycling, chloride transport, saturation state, and microstructural verification.