INDUSTRIAL WASTEWATER SLUDGE AS POTENTIAL FILLER MATERIALS FOR FABRICATION OF LIGHTWEIGHT CONCRETE BLOCKS

Khotamy  Saphongxay; Chakrapan  Tuakta; Oratai  Jongprateep

Authors

Khotamy Saphongxay Department of Materials Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Kasetsart University, 50 Ngamwongwan Road, Lat Yao, Chatuchak, Bangkok, Thailand.
Chakrapan Tuakta Department of Civil Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Kasetsart University, 50 Ngamwongwan Road, Lat Yao, Chatuchack, Bangkok, Thailand.
Oratai Jongprateep Department of Materials Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Kasetsart University, 50 Ngamwongwan Road, Lat Yao, Chatuchak, Bangkok, Thailand.

Keywords:

Lightweight concrete block, Industrial waste, Hazardous, Residual waste, Wastewater sludge, Rice husk ash

Abstract

Management of sewage sludge, a residual product from the treatment of industrial wastewater, has remained challenging for decades. Attributed to the high content of heavy metal, organic compounds or micro-organisms and limited available landfill capacity, disposal of sludge through landfilling severely creates environmental pollution. This study, hence, aimed at examining potential utilization of industrial sludge in fabrication of lightweight concrete blocks. While Ordinary Portland Cement and sand were used as main constituents, industrial wastewater sludge and rice husk ash were used as fillers in the concrete block production. Chemical composition of dried sludge and rice husk ash were examined through x-ray fluorescence (XRF). The XRF results revealed high content of silica in rice husk ash, whereas hazardous elements, specifically Pb, Hg, Cd and As, were not detected in the sludge. To assess properties of the concrete blocks for practical use, compressive strength and density were evaluated. The concrete blocks containing wastewater sludge lower than 20 wt% could exhibit compressive strength exceeding 5 MPa, while maintaining density lower than 1.6 g/cm3. It was evident that the concrete blocks demonstrated compressive strengths and density values within the acceptable range defined by the Thai Industrial Standards Institute (TISI 2601-2556) Type C16.

References

Ahsan, M.B. and Hossain, Z. (2018). Use of rice husk ash (RHA) as a sustainable cementitious material for concrete construction. In: International Congress and Exhibition “ Sustainable Civil Infrastructures: Innovative Infrastructure Geotechnology”. Springer, Cham. p. 197-210.

Alqedra, M., Arafa, M., Arafa, M., and Mattar, M. (2011). Influence of low and high organic wastewater sludge on physical and mechanical properties of concrete mixes. J. Environ. Sci. Technol., 4(4):354-365.

Aulakh, D.S., Singh, J. and Kumar, S., (2017). The effect of utilizing rice husk ash on some properties of concrete-a review. Curr. World. Environ., 13(2):224-231

Bakar, R.A., Yahya, R. and Gan, S.N., (2016). Production of high purity amorphous silica from rice husk. Procedia Chem., 19(2016):189-195.

Bandow, N., Gartiser, S., Ilvonen, O., and Schoknecht, U. (2018). Evaluation of the impact of construction products on the environment by leaching of possibly hazardous substances. Environ. Sci. Eur., 30(1):1-12.

Chandeng, L., Meesak, T., Tuakta, C., Jirawattanasomkul, T., Ueda, T., and Jongprateep, O. (2020). Effects of water content on compressive strength of eco-friendly light-weight cement blocks using cement-like material prepared from agricultural wastes. Chiang Mai J. Sci., 47(4):700-711.

Cizer, Ö., Van Balen, K., Van Gemert, D., and Elsen, J. (2020). Carbonation and hydration of mortars with calcium hydroxide and calcium silicate binders. Taylor&Francis Group, London, UK. 11p.

Foladori, P., Andreottola, G., and Ziglio, G. (2010). Sludge reduction technologies in wastewater treatment plants. IWA publishing. 368p.

Food and Agriculture Oranization of United Nations. (2016). Rice Market Mornitor.Food and Agriculture Oranization of United Nations, Rome, Italy. 19(1). 34p.

França, A.A., Schultz, J., Borges, R., Wypych, F., and Mangrich, A.S. (2017). Rice husk ash as raw material for the synthesis of silicon and potassium slow-release fertilizer. J. Braz. Chem. Soc., 28(11):2,211-2,217.

Habeeb, G.A. and Mahmud, H.B. (2010). Study on properties of rice husk ash and its use as cement replacement material. Mater. Res., 13(2):185-190.

Hossain, K.M.A., (2003). Blended cement using volcanic ash and pumice. Cem Concr Res., 33(10):1,601-1,605.

Jamshidi, M., Jamshidi A., and Mehrdadi, N. (2012). Application of sewage dry sludge in concrete mixtures. Asian J. Civ. Eng., 13(3):369-379.

Mateo-Sagasta, J., Raschid-Sally, L., and Thebo, A. (2015). Global wastewater and sludge production, treatment and use. In: Wastewater Economic Asset in an Urbanizing World. Drechsel, Pay.; Qadir, Manzoor.; Wichelns, D.; (eds.). Springer, NL, p. 15-38.

Nagar, B., and Bhargava, V. (2016). Experimental study on effects of sludge waste in concrete. Int. J. Eng. Sci. Res., 5(10):54-63.

Quality Construction Products Plublic Co., LTD (Q-CON). (2021). Laboratory report. Bang Pa-In, Thailand. Avialable from: https://qcon.co.th/en/lab-report. Accessed date: March 25, 2021.

Rabie, G.M. (2016). Using of wastewater, dry and wet sludge in the concrete mix. J. Civil. Environ. Eng., 6(1):2165-784X.

Rabie, G.M., Abd El-Halim, H., and Rozaik, E.H. (2019). Influence of using dry and wet wastewater sludge in concrete mix on its physical and mechanical properties. Ain Shams Eng. J., 10(4):705-712.

Rashid, M.H., Molla, M.K.A. and Ahmed, T.U. (2010). Durability of mortar in presence of rice husk ash. Int. J. Environ. Eng., 4(7):176-179.

Rêgo, J.H.S., Nepomuceno, A.A., Figueiredo, E.P., Hasparyk, N.P., and Borges, L.D. (2014). Effect of particle size of residual rice-husk ash in consumption of Ca(OH)2. J. Mater. Civ. Eng ., 27(6):04014178.

Scrivener, K., Snellings, R., and Lothenbach, B. (2016). A Practical Guide to Microstructural Analysis of Cementitious Materials (1st ed.). CRC Press, Taylor&Francis Group. FL, USA, 142p.

Singh, B. (2018). 13-Rice husk ash. In: Waste and Supplementary Cementitious Materials in Concrete, Siddique, R. and Cachim, P. (eds.).Woodhead Publishing, MA, p. 417-460.

Świerk, K., Bielicka, A., Bojanowska, I., and Maćkiewicz, Z., (2007). Investigation of heavy metals leaching from industrial wastewater sludge. Pol. J. Environ. Stud., 16(3):447-451.

Tao, J., Wu, S., Sun, L., Tan, X., Yu, S., and Zhang, Z. (2012). Composition of waste sludge from municipal wastewater treatment plant. Procedia Environ. Sci., 12(2012):964-971.

Thai Industrial Standards Institute 2,601-2,556. (2013). Cellular lightweight concrete blocks using preformed foam. Thai Industrial Standards Institute.

Valls, S., Yagüe, A., Vázquez, E. and Mariscal, C. (2004). Physical and mechanical properties of concrete with added dry sludge from a sewage treatment plant. Cem Concr Res., 34(12):2,203-2,208.

Wahlström, M., Teittinen, T., Kaartinen, T. and van Cauwenberghe, L. (2019). Hazardous Substances in Construction Products and Materials: Parade. Best Practices For Pre-Demolition Audits Ensuring High Quality Raw Materials. EIT RawMaterials, 71p.

Wang, H., Hu, L., Cao, P., Luo, B., Tang, J., Shi, F., Yu, J., Li, H., and Jin, K. (2019). The application of electrical parameters to reflect the hydration process of cement paste with rice husk ash. Materials., 12(17):2,815.

Werle, S. and Dudziak, M. (2014). Analysis of organic and inorganic contaminants in dried sewage sludge and by-products of dried sewage sludge gasification. Energies., 7(1):462-476.

Yagüe, A., Valls, S., Vázquez, E. and Albareda, F.(2005). Durability of concrete with addition of dry sludge from waste water treatment plants. Cem Concr Res., 35(6):1,064-1,073.

Yuvakkumar, R., Elango, V., Rajendran, V., and Kannan, N. (2014). High-purity nano silica powder from rice husk using a simple chemical method. J. Exp. Nanosci., 9(3):272-281.

Zerbino, R., Giaccio, G., and Isaia, G.C. (2011). Concrete incorporating rice-husk ash without processing. Constr. Build. Mater., 25(1):371-378.