Insight into the perspectives of waste foundry sand as a partial or full replacement of fine aggregate in concrete

Lately, the rapid decrease of natural resources has aroused the need for sustainable alternatives in every sector of the world. Likely, the consideration of sustainable materials in the construction sector has become imperative for its long-term survival. Waste foundry sand (WFS), a by-product of the metal casting industries (ferrous and non-ferrous) is a viable alternative to replace natural sand in concrete. In this regard, various literature have reported WFS replacement in structural concrete in the last few decades. The present review extensively targets the suitability perspective of WFS replacement in concrete, specifically portraying a comparison of partial and full replacements with critical limitations for use in concrete. The review found that the partial optimum replacement level is in the range of 20–30% by weight with desirable mechanical properties and further increase in replacements tends to degrade the major mechanical properties of the concrete. In contrast, full replacement reported to reduce the workability and compressive strength of the concrete, thus making the replacement inappropriate for making structural concrete members. In essence, owing to the varied sources of generation of WFS and limited reports, further possibility of evaluating more results about durability and dynamic properties is feasible to make pertinent conclusions regarding the use of WFS in sustainable concrete development. As a current research gap, the study also recommended the use of strength enhancing waste products/low-cost additives at full replacement and agglomerate of waste foundry and other waste materials as a sand substitute could be explored for better and sustainable concrete production.