Bibliometric analysis in databases on publications related to the replacement of natural aggregates by residues with a focus on sustainability and Brazil

Abstract As part of a research project on the substitution of natural aggregates for residues, this article carried out a literature review, identifying articles that have the words aggregates, residues and concrete in their topics, in the Scopus and Web of Sciences bases. Among the main objectives of this review are: to verify what is the relative position of Brazil in relation to research in the area of substitution of aggregate for waste; to identify the main residues that are being studied to be used as raw material substitutes in the construction industry, mainly in Brazil; evaluate the hypothesis that a search using the words concrete, aggregate and residue will result in articles from the environmental and civil engineering areas. The main results are: Brazil is the country that most published articles with the characteristics investigated in the present work, followed by the countries China, Italy, USA and Spain; articles by Brazilian authors are predominantly from the areas of engineering and the environment; there are several studies investigating the substitution of natural aggregates for residues, mainly the substitution for residues of the civil construction itself; in Brazil, the most investigated residues to be used as raw material substitutes for the civil engineering industry are the residues of the civil engineering industry and the residues of agricultural products. The result of the review also identified the need for an improvement in the data and research tools of the databases used. The reasons are the probable data inconsistencies and flaws in the research tools found in the databases. With all these results, this work intends to provide basic information for researchers who intend to initiate research on the substitution of natural aggregates for waste, in addition to using them to continue the research project of replacing part of natural aggregates with electronic waste in the production of concrete. It also intends to show the importance of revision work for the improvement of data and database tools.