Reuse of water treatment plant sludge and dam sediment in brick-making

Abstract

In this study, an attempt was made to use water treatment plant (WTP) sludge and dam sediment as raw materials for brick-making through the sintering process. The sinter of dam sediment fired at 1,050 degrees C had a less than 15% ratio water absorption, and its compressive strength and bulk density met the Chinese National Standard (CNS) for first level brick. The WTP sludge sinter made under the same operating condition exhibited higher water absorption, larger shrinkage, but poorer compressive strength. When fired at 1,100 degrees C, the shrinkage of the WTP sludge sinter was as high as 45%, although its compressive strength and water absorption of WTP sludge brick still met the standard for the first level brick. To reuse WTP sludge in an economical way, mixtures of various proportions of WTP sludge to dam sediment are used as raw materials. A satisfactory result was achieved when the ratio of the WTP sludge was less than 20% of the mixture. Results of tests indicated that the sinter of dam sediments which are fired at a temperature of 1000 to approximately 1100 degrees C has reached the requirement for tile brick.