Circular Construction: Systemic Sustainability Assessment of Agro industrial Wastes as Cement Alternatives

The construction industry faces increasing environmental pressure to reduce the impact associated with cement-based materials. At the same time, the agro-industrial sector generates large volumes of organic waste that are scarcely utilized. This study proposes a multicriteria assessment framework focused on sustainability to analyze the technical and environmental feasibility of three agro-industrial wastes: eggshell ash, rice husk ash, and sugarcane bagasse as partial substitutes for cement. Based on secondary data obtained from scientific literature, four key criteria are deeply analyzed: chemical analysis, carbon footprint, local availability, and compressive strength. A multicriteria matrix was developed to classify the materials based on their performance and environmental impact, supported by a circular model illustrating their integration into low-emission construction systems. The results show that the incorporation of agro-industrial materials as cement replacements presents promising performance both technically and environmentally, especially in Latin American countries. This work provides a circular construction cycle model to promote the use of materials. It is proposed to create a cement incorporating 10% agro-industrial waste ash, thus contributing to the development of sustainable materials to address the challenges of pollution and inadequate waste management in Latin America.