Utilization of Water Treatment Plant Sludge in the Brick Manufacturing

Abstract

A rapid increase in the number of mineral water plants is an indicator of increased public awareness on importance of consuming safe drinking water. Increased environmental awareness among people exerts high pressure on water production industry for safe disposal of residues generated in water treatment plants. The sludge disposed during the various water treatment processes can be a major concern for water treatment plants. Most of the water treatment plants discharges the sludge in to the rivers or as land fill with no treatment .The discharging of sludge in to water body leads to accumulative rise of aluminum concentrations in water, aquatic organisms, and human bodies. There is an increasing interest in disposal by Sludge is an inevitable by-product of wastewater treatment. The disposal problems can be drastically reduced if sludge can be recycled into building and construction materials. This paper reports the use of sludge as new and non-conventional construction materials as an alternative means of sludge disposal. Sludge percentage is varied from zero to thirty percentages by weight. Parameters such as compressive strength and water absorption are studied as per BIS (Bureau of Indian Standards) procedure. Water treatment plant sludge up to 15 % can be added to get the higher compressive strength of 8.30N/mm²