A Review on the Effect of Natural Admixtures on the Compressive Strength of Concrete
Main Article Content
Abstract
This study explores the potential of natural and organic materials as eco-friendly alternatives to admixtures in concrete production. Concrete, being the second most utilized material globally, often relies on chemical admixtures to enhance its properties, which can pose health and environmental risks. In contrast, natural admixtures derived from fruits, herbs, and animal products offer a sustainable solution, reducing environmental impact and costs. The research highlights various natural additives, including palm liquor, mulberry extract, and okra extract, which enhance the mechanical properties of concrete. The findings emphasize the importance of utilizing naturally occurring materials in concrete construction, advocating for a shift toward organic admixtures that are not only effective but also environmentally friendly. The study concludes that the concrete industry should embrace natural admixtures to enhance performance while addressing ecological concerns. Natural additives like palm liquor, mulberry extract, grape extract, black pulp, cactus, hen egg, cypress tree, water hyacinth, sugarcane juice, and hen egg can enhance the mechanical properties and durability of mortar and concrete. These natural admixtures are more environmentally friendly and less expensive than chemical admixtures, making them suitable for the concrete industry. However, the behavior of natural additives is strongly influenced by the plant or resource source, and advanced technology is not needed to manufacture them.
Article Details

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Emerging Technologies and Engineering Journal is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License 4.0 (CC BY-4.0).
References
Kosmatka, Steven H, and M. L. Wilson, Design and control of concrete mixtures (Fiteenth Edition). United States: Portland Cement Association, 2002.
A. Agarwal, S. Bhusnur, and T. Shanmuga Priya, "Experimental Investigation on Recycled Aggregate with Laboratory Concrete Waste and Nano-Silica," Materials Today: Proceedings, vol. 22, pp. 1433-1442, 2020/01/01/ 2020, doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.matpr.2020.01.487.
K. Bedada, A. Nyabuto, I. Kınotı, and J. Marangu, "Review on advances in bio-based admixtures for concrete," Journal of Sustainable Construction Materials and Technologies, vol. 8, no. 4, pp. 344-367, 2023, doi: https://doi.org/10.47481/jscmt.1328915.
H. F. Mahmood, H. Dabbagh, and A. A. Mohammed, "Fresh, Mechanical, and Durability Properties of Concrete Contains Natural Material as an Admixture, an Overview," Journal of Studies in Science and Engineering, vol. 2, no. 3, pp. 66 - 86, 09/18 2022, doi: https://doi.org/10.53898/josse2022235.
G. Rodríguez de Sensale, "Effect of rice-husk ash on durability of cementitious materials," Cement and Concrete Composites, vol. 32, no. 9, pp. 718-725, 2010/10/01/ 2010, doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cemconcomp.2010.07.008.
C. Tian et al., "Rheological properties and shrinkage crack resistance of welan gum-modified cementitious materials," Construction and Building Materials, vol. 441, p. 137539, 2024/08/30/ 2024, doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2024.137539.
F. O. Okeke, A. Ahmed, A. Imam, and H. Hassanin, "A review of corncob-based building materials as a sustainable solution for the building and construction industry," Hybrid Advances, vol. 6, p. 100269, 2024/08/01/ 2024, doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.hybadv.2024.100269.
F. R. B. Martinelli, F. R. C. Ribeiro, M. T. Marvila, S. N. Monteiro, F. d. C. G. Filho, and A. R. G. d. Azevedo, "A Review of the Use of Coconut Fiber in Cement Composites," Polymers, vol. 15, no. 5, p. 1309, 2023. [Online]. Available: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4360/15/5/1309.
H. Faqe, H. Dabaghh, and A. Mohammed, "Natural admixture as an alternative for chemical admixture in concrete technology: a review," Journal of Duhok University, vol. 23, no. 2, pp. 301-308, 2020.
P. Shaji, K. Aswathi, P. Hanna, J. George, and K. Shameer, "Effect of Natural Rubber Latex as admixtures in concrete," International Research Journal of Engineering and Technology, vol. 4, no. 4, pp. 2031-2034, 2017.
S. Luitel, S. Thapa, and M. Imran, "Effect of Natural Rubber Latex on Mechanical Properties of Concrete with Manufactured Sand as a Complete Replacement to River Sand," International Research Journal of Engineering and Technology vol. 5, no. 2, pp. 646 - 650, 2025.
S. Afroz, T. Manzur, and K. M. Anwar Hossain, "Arrowroot as bio-admixture for performance enhancement of concrete," Journal of Building Engineering, vol. 30, p. 101313, 2020/07/01/ 2020, doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jobe.2020.101313.
R. Amaran and R. Ravi, "Effect of cactus on the rheological properties of cement," International Journal of Chemical Sciences, vol. 14, no. 1S, pp. 203-210, 2016.
S. W. Andayani, R. Suratman, I. Imran, and Mardiyati, "Copolymer natural latex in concrete: Dynamic evaluation through energy dissipation of polymer modified concrete," AIP Conference Proceedings, vol. 1958, no. 1, pp. 1 - 9, 2018, doi: https://doi.org/10.1063/1.5034543.
S. W. Andayani, R. Suratman, and I. Imran, "Polymer Modified Concrete of Blended Cement and Natural Latex Copolymer: Static and Dynamic Analysis," Open Journal of Civil Engineering, vol. 8, no. 2, pp. 205-220, 2018, doi: https://doi.org/10.4236/ojce.2018.82016.
H. Mahmood, H. Dabbagh, and A. Mohammed, "Performance of grape extract addition as an admixture in concrete construction," Civil Engineering Infrastructures Journal, vol. 56, no. 2, pp. 347-364, 2023, doi: https://doi.org/10.22059/ceij.2023.345306.1855.
H. F. Mahmood, H. Dabbagh, and A. A. Mohammed, "Improvement of mechanical and physical properties of normal concrete using mulberry extract as an admixture," Asian Journal of Civil Engineering, vol. 24, no. 5, pp. 1309-1321, 2023/07/01 2023, doi: 10.1007/s42107-023-00570-z.
A. B. Devakate, V. Acharya, and B. K. Gowda, "Effect of sugar on setting-time and compressive strength of concrete," in Proceedings Volume of International Conference on Global Civil Engineering Challenges in Sustainable, Moodbidri, India, 2017, vol. 17: Mangalore Institute of Technology & Engineering, pp. 335 - 337.
V. Bahadur and P. Agarwal, "Effect of addition of sugarcane molasses in structural concrete," International Research Journal of Engineering and Technology (IRJET), vol. 9, no. 4, pp. 3986–3989, 2022.
R. Ashworth, "Some Investigations Into the Use of Sugar as an Admixture to Concrete," Proceedings of the Institution of Civil Engineers, vol. 31, no. 2, pp. 129-145, 1965, doi: https://doi.org/10.1680/iicep.1965.9477.
D. Shanmugavel, T. Selvaraj, R. Ramadoss, and S. Raneri, "Interaction of a viscous biopolymer from cactus extract with cement paste to produce sustainable concrete," Construction and Building Materials, vol. 257, p. 119585, 2020/10/10/ 2020, doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2020.119585.
A. M. Woldemariam, W. O. Oyawa, and S. O. Abuodha, "Cypress tree extract as an eco-friendly admixture in concrete," International Journal of Civil Engineering & Technology (IJCIET), vol. 5, no. 6, pp. 25-36, 2014.
S. Ahmad, A. Lawan, and M. Al-Osta, "Effect of sugar dosage on setting time, microstructure and strength of Type I and Type V Portland cements," Case Studies in Construction Materials, vol. 13, p. e00364, 2020/12/01/ 2020, doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cscm.2020.e00364.
A. N. Reddy, "Influence of Molasses as an Admixture on Concrete," Erudite Journal of Engineering Technology and Management Sciences, vol. 3, no. 2, p. 1 — 3, 2023.
A. U. Elinwa, G. Abdulbasir, and G. Abdulkadir, "Gum Arabic as an admixture for cement concrete production," Construction and Building Materials, vol. 176, pp. 201-212, 2018/07/10/ 2018, doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2018.04.160.
G. Patel and S. Deo, "Parametric study of natural organic materials as admixture in concrete," International Journal of Applied Engineering Research, vol. 11, no. 9, pp. 6271-6277, 2016.
Y. Kassa, "Application of cane molasses as concrete retarder admixture," SN Applied Sciences, vol. 1, no. 12, p. 1547, 2019/11/05 2019, doi: 10.1007/s42452-019-1608-8.
R. Mbugua, R. Salim, and J. Ndambuki, "Effect of Gum Arabic Karroo as a water-reducing admixture in cement mortar," Case Studies in Construction Materials, vol. 5, pp. 100-111, 2016/12/01/ 2016, doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cscm.2016.09.002.
G. Otoko and M. Ephraim, "Concrete admixture and set retarder potential of palm liquor," European International Journal of Science and Technology, vol. 3, no. 2, pp. 74-80, 2014.
T. Raja Sree and K. Chandramouli, "Study on Engineering Properties of Concrete by using Terminalia Chebula Powder as Natural Admixture," SSRG International Journal of Civil Engineering ( SSRG - IJCE ), no. ICITSET Special Issue, pp. 9 - 13, 2018.