Tariq, Zeeshan, Bahadori-Jahromi, Ali ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0405-7146 and Room, Shah (2026) Sustainable incorporation of recycled tire steel and textile fibers as a hybrid mix in concrete. Sustainability, 18 (2).

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Abstract

Sustainability concerns over the management and handling of the growing volume of waste tires have necessitated the exploration of potential applications for the reuse and recycling of this resource, as they are categorized as hazardous wastes and are typically incinerated through thermal processing or dumped in landfills, resulting in significant environmental issues. The recycled steel and textile fibers from tires can be incorporated in concrete to assist in mitigating this impending environmental calamity, primarily by enhancing the efficacy of concrete. The present study aims to investigate the effect of using recycled tire steel fibers (RTSF) and recycled tire textile fibers (RTTF) in concrete, as economically viable and environmentally friendly alternatives to commercially available fibers. Although literature on the use of recycled fibers in concrete is available, the research is very limited in terms of their hybrid use and with minimal environmental analysis. Consequently, to address the gaps, this research concentrates on the use of RTSF and RTTF as a hybrid mix in concrete with life cycle assessment (LCA) to balance the mechanical performance and environmental sustainability. The experimental work is formulated to suggest an optimum dose of RTSF and RTTF, as a hybrid mix form, to be incorporated in concrete that imparts sufficient strength and workability. The results showed that concrete with hybrid fibers outperformed the concrete with normal individual fibers in both fresh and hardened states. The hybrid mix H1 comprising 1% RTSF and 0.5% RTTF was identified as the optimal mix, offering high mechanical performance with only slightly higher embodied CO₂ and energy values than the control mix, while providing significant sustainability benefits.

Item Type:	Article
Identifier:	10.3390/su18020786
Keywords:	sustainability; concrete; recycled tire steel fibers (RTSF); recycled tire textile fibers (RTTF); hybrid fibers; workability; strength
Subjects:	Construction and engineering
Date Deposited:	14 Jan 2026
URI:	https://repository.uwl.ac.uk/id/eprint/14477
Sustainable Development Goals:	Goal 7: Affordable and Clean Energy	Sustainable Development Goals:	Goal 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth	Sustainable Development Goals:	Goal 9: Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure	Sustainable Development Goals:	Goal 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities	Sustainable Development Goals:	Goal 12: Responsible Consumption and Production	Sustainable Development Goals:	Goal 13: Climate Action

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