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ICAPSM 2021 IOP Publishing
Journal of Physics: Conference Series 2070 (2021) 012185 doi:10.1088/1742-6596/2070/1/012185

Properties and Environmental Features of Bricks Made From

Textile Waste Sludge

Premkumar R1,, Khaja mohideen J1, Mathan kumar M1, Sundara moorthi T1, Celestin
X1.

1
School of Environmental and Construction Technology, Department of Civil
Engineering, Kalasalingam Academy of Research and Education, Krishnan Koil, Tamil
Nadu, India.

Email : [email protected]

Abstract: In recent years, there has been a lot of attention paid to the use of textile sludge waste-
based products in the building industry to develop ecologically friendly construction materials. An
experimental examination of the characteristics of bricks incorporating textile sludge waste and fly
ash is presented in this work. In fly ash bricks, fly ash is used to replace textile sludge waste in the
following proportions: For the blend percentage of cement, fly ash, and quarry dust, a 230mm x
100mm x 75mm sample size was used. For varying amounts of the components indicated previously,
the findings indicate how compressive strength and water absorption fluctuate with curing age. Then
we can cast bricks with various mixed proportions of cement, sludge waste, fly ash, and quarry dust
using the 230mm x 100mm x 75mm specimen size. After that, the weight, compressive strength, and
water absorption of textile sludge with different concentrations of fly ash bricks were compared. This
inquiry is primarily concentrated on maximizing the compressive strength of newly produced bricks
while limiting weight density and water absorption through extensive laboratory work. The
recognition of elements influencing the diverse qualities of bricks is a clear purpose of pursuing this
issue as project work.

1. Introduction.
The widespread usage of clay brick in the construction industry has resulted in a significant depletion of
natural resources. As a result, various engineers and researchers are now looking for alternate materials for
brick manufacturing to safeguard such natural resources. This kind of research/studies had the advantage of
securing our natural resources as well as using secondary materials in huge quantities, potentially protecting
the environment and making the study sustainable and eco friendly. Fly ash and industrial waste sludge are
two types of secondary materials. Textile waste sludge is created during the textile manufacturing process.

Content from this work may be used under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 licence. Any further distribution
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ICAPSM 2021 IOP Publishing
Journal of Physics: Conference Series 2070 (2021) 012185 doi:10.1088/1742-6596/2070/1/012185

For thousands of years, bricks have been widely used as a primary building material all across the world.
Cement-based bricks and clay-based bricks are the two most popular types of brick used around the world.
Clay-based bricks have the advantage of being less expensive than cement-based bricks, making them more
popular. Traditional clay brick manufacture uses a lot of energy and emits a lot of CO2. The ecology and
human health will be harmed if sewage sludge is dumped directly into the environment without treatment
[1]. As a result, prior to disposal, sewage sludge must be treated to ensure volume reduction, sludge stability,
and sludge value. Sludge thickening, conditioning, dehydration, stabilization, and drying are presently the
most typical sludge treatment activities, and they're done with a variety of physical, chemical, and biological
methods [2].
Sludge is generated during the treatment process due to chemical coagulation (by addition of
aluminum/iron/magnesium salts and lime), flocculation, and liquid/solid separation, as a result of a group
of industries in this complex establishing Common Effluent Treatment Plants (CETPs) for treating their
liquid effluent. As a result of the treatment's completion, a large amount of sludge is produced. The entire
sludge is dumped in the sludge yard, resulting in contamination of the soil, surface water, and groundwater.
Residents' health is jeopardized by inorganic salts and harmful metals in the sludge[3]. There is a rising
need in the construction sector to develop alternate sludge management solutions that can also be used in
other ways [4].
Several investigations using this waste material in the making of concrete indicated that increasing the
amount of industrial waste resulted in clear increases in workability, compressive strength, abrasion
resistance, and chemical resistance [5]. Aside from that, numerous earlier kinds of literature publications
revealed in the past few decades that fly ash was a waste material with pozzolanic properties that also
presented a promising result in the brick industry [6]. As a result, fly ash is used as a partial substitute
material for building bricks in the study. As a result, recycling the above-mentioned wastes as building
materials appears to be a viable solution that will not only alleviate environmental difficulties but will also
be cost-effective [7]. In light of the foregoing, an attempt has been made in this study to investigate the use
of wastes such as fly ash and industry waste sludge in the manufacturing of brick as a natural resource
additive[8][9]. In addition, traditional clay bricks were used for comparison purposes, as is customary.

2. Experimental Investigation

2.1 Constituent materials

Portland Pozzolana Cement of 33 grade was utilized, which complied with IS 1489 (Part 1):1991 PPC
specification (Fly ash based). Physical parameters such as specific gravity, fineness, consistency, and
starting and final setting times are tested under BIS standards and are listed in Table 1. In comparison to
regular Portland cement, Portland-Pozzolana cement produces less hydration heat and is more resistant to
intense water assault. The fly ash was gathered at the Tuticorin National Thermal Power Plant Corporation.
The fly-Ash used was Class F.
Table 1. Physical properties of cement.
Physical Property Cement Properties
Specific gravity 3.14
Fineness modulus 5%
Consistency 28%
Initial setting time 60 minutes
Final setting time 360 minutes

2
ICAPSM 2021 IOP Publishing
Journal of Physics: Conference Series 2070 (2021) 012185 doi:10.1088/1742-6596/2070/1/012185

2.2 Quarry Dust

It's a stone quarry's reclaimed sediment. The cost of travel from normal sources is too expensive, hence
typical sand is scarce. In addition, the paucity of these resources exacerbates massive natural challenges.
River sand is becoming less desirable for buildings; a repurposed or reclaimed product for the solid sector
should be developed. For the sake of opportunity, money, and environmental impact, some people have
begun organizing tough issues. On interstates with a large scope, quarry rock dust is widely utilized as a
surface completing material and for inserting empty squares and weightless cement pre-assembled
Elements. After that, small particles having a diameter of less than 4.75 mm were used in this investigation,
while large particles and meeting grading zone II as defined by IS 383-1970 were used in the experiments
conducted. Table 2 shows the physical attributes determined, such as specific gravity, fineness modulus,
aggregate crushing value, and aggregate impact value, as well as test results.
Table 2. Physical properties of Quarry dust
Physical Property Quarry Dust
Specific Gravity 2.62
Water Absorption 0.5%
Fineness Modulus 3.324
Surface Texture Rough
Particle Shape Angular
Grading Zone II (IS 2386 (Part I)
1963

2.3 Textile Sludge

Textile sludge was acquired from Rajapalayam in the Virudhunagar district of Tamil Nadu, India. Sludge
was collected from the drying beds using a random sampling approach in dry conditions. The dried sludge
was manually ground at room temperature with the help of the trowel. Using a 150-m sieve to sieve the TS
obtained from industry. There was special attention paid to the manufacture of specimens due to their
thinness and lack of measurement difficulties. Its preservation in a mound in a dry state akin to cement
proved impossible, as it was blown away by a tiny breeze of the discussion. The quality of this sludge
appears to be better than cement. It is less dense than cement in terms of specific gravity. It has a larger
volume and requires more water to blend. Table 3 shows the physical attributes determined.

Table 3. Physical properties of Textile Sludge

Physical Property Quarry Dust
pH value 9.2
Specific gravity 2.3
Density 825Kg/m3
TDS 6.251ppt

3. Experimental Investigation
Cement, fly ash, and quarry dust in the proper amounts were utilized to make bricks in this investigation.
Textile sludge was used to replace 5 percent, 10 percent, 15 percent, 20 percent, 25 percent, and 30 percent
of the fly ash. Table 4 shows the various blend proportions that were expected to provide for the essential
approach. The blocks are projected using a standard hand form with the required dimensions of 230mm x

3
ICAPSM 2021 IOP Publishing
Journal of Physics: Conference Series 2070 (2021) 012185 doi:10.1088/1742-6596/2070/1/012185

100mm x 75mm, as indicated in figure 1. Sludge waste was used to substitute fly ash brick and was tested
for compressive strength, dry density, and water absorption.

Figure. 1. (a) Textile Sludge; (b) Brick Manufacturing.

Table 4. Mix Proportions
Sample OPC (%) Textile sludge (%) Fly ash (%) Quarry dust (%)
FB0 25 0 45 30
FB1 25 05 40 30
FB2 25 10 35 30
FB3 25 15 30 30
FB4 25 20 25 30
FB5 25 25 20 30
FB6 25 30 15 30

4. Results and Discussion

4.1 Water Absorption

Because bricks are porous and dry, they can absorb water. Water absorption is an important component in
determining the longevity of bricks and is frequently employed as a measure of open porosity. Raw materials
and production procedures have a big impact on the long-term durability of bricks. In general, the lower a
brick's water absorption, the higher its durability, or its capacity to resist water damage[10]. The effects of
binder content on water absorption of fly ash sludge bricks are shown in figure 2. With the rise in sludge
content from 0 to 30%, the water absorption of fly ash sludge bricks rose from 8.54 to 17.26%. The upper
water absorption thresholds, according to the BSI, are 20%. The water ingestion of 30% material slime
treated with fly debris drew close to the maximum furthest reaches of moderate enduring conditions. The
water absorption of fly ash brick was less than 10% when the textile sludge concentration was increased to
15%, which meets the requirement.

4
ICAPSM 2021 IOP Publishing
Journal of Physics: Conference Series 2070 (2021) 012185 doi:10.1088/1742-6596/2070/1/012185

20
Water absorption (%)
15

10

0
FB0 FB1 FB2 FB3 FB4 FB5 FB6
Various Mix

Figure 2. Various mix to Water absorption

4.2. Compressive Strength

The compression test was performed on a 2000kN capacity automated Compression Testing Machine
(CTM) with a constant continuing load of 0.6 kN/sec. Compressive strength was measured using the
proportion of ultimate failure load to the region of the sample horizontal to the direction of load application
(MPa). The compressive strength of the combinations of fly ash sludge bricks was displayed in figure 3. All
compressive strength specimens without textile sludge waste and with sludge (0–30 percent) met the
minimal strength requirements (5 N/mm2), although the strength declined as the proportion of sludge
replacement rose after 20 percent replacement. FB1, FB2, FB3, and FB4 have higher compressive strengths
than the control specimen FB0. The addition of textile sludge waste at a concentration of around 20%
enhanced the strength.

12
Compressive Strength in MPa

10
8
6
7 days
4
28 days
2
0
FB0 FB1 FB2 FB3 FB4 FB5 FB6
Various Mix

Figure 3. Various mix to Compressive Strength

4.3. Bulk Density

Figure 4 depicts the density of different proportions of fly ash sludge bricks. The integration of sludge in
brick resulted in a drop in density. For a 0% to 30% replacement of fly ash by textile sludge waste, the
density of specimens ranges from 2.00 g/cc, 1.87 g/cc, 1.82 g/cc, 1.55 g/cc, 1.42 g/cc, 1.40 g/cc, and 1.35
g/cc. The density reduction is most likely due to the inclusion of finer sludge waste particles. Several studies

5
ICAPSM 2021 IOP Publishing
Journal of Physics: Conference Series 2070 (2021) 012185 doi:10.1088/1742-6596/2070/1/012185

found that adding garbage reduced the density of bricks by 35 percent after inserting 30 percent textile
waste.

2.5

2.0
Bulk density (g/cc)

1.5

1.0

0.5

0.0
0 5 10 15 20 25 30
The Amount of Textile Sludge %

Figure. 4. Represents the Bulk density of the Brick sample.

4.4. Relationship between density and compressive strength

Figure 5 shows the density and compressive strength of fly ash sludge bricks as a function of the percentage
of textile waste used. The findings show that the compressive strength of sludge increased by up to 20% as
the length of the sludge increased. The bricks are built without air entrainment for this position of the
test[11]. The compressive strength was increased by 5MPa even with a 30% match of fly ash sludge bricks,
which is close to the BSI basic recommendation for tough weather bricks. It's also possible that the density
of the brick decreases as the test area is expanded with textile sludge waste in a precise way.

12.00 2.5
Compressive Strength in MPa

Density of Brick in g/cm3

10.00 2.0
8.00
1.5
6.00
1.0
4.00

2.00 0.5

0.00 0.0
0 5 10 15 20 25 30
The Amount of Textile Sludge %

Figure. 5. Graphical representation of Compressive Strength Vs bulk density.

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ICAPSM 2021 IOP Publishing
Journal of Physics: Conference Series 2070 (2021) 012185 doi:10.1088/1742-6596/2070/1/012185

5. Conclusion
Studies on the sludge produced by textile companies' combined effluent treatment plants have revealed that
the sludge could be used in building materials. The use of sludge in cement for diverse uses as structural
and nonstructural components in the construction sector may be investigated further. The conversion of
textile sludge waste to fly ash bricks results in a significant reduction in brick density, as expected. The
brick density, for example, is reduced by 10% when 20% textile sludge is added. This is advantageous in
terms of both cost and expertise. Lower block weight reduces transport and labour costs while allowing for
greater structural plan adjustability. The cost savings reached a maximum of nearly 20%. The creation of
sludge-incorporating bricks could result in large-scale disposal of industrial sludge, resulting in a more
environmentally friendly scenario in the future.

References
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waste sludge in clay bricks 2006 Journal of University of Chemical and metallurgy. 41(4) 473-
478
[2]. J. Balasubramanian, P. Sabumon, J. Lazar and R. Ilangovan, Reuse of textile effluent treatment plant
sludge in building materials 2006 J Waste Manage 26 22-28.
[3]. M. Singh, M. Garg, Utilization of waste lime sludge as building material 2008 J Sci and Industrial
Res. 67 161 – 166.
[4]. D. Jegatheeswaran, R. Malathy. Utilization of paper mill sludge in manufacturing of bricks - An
environmental friendly approach 2011 Poll Res 30(3) 299-303.
[5]. Alaa A. Shakir, Ali Ahmed Mohammed, Manufacturing of Bricks in the Past, in the Present and in
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[6]. Monalisa Priyadarshini, Jyoti Prakash Giri, Manaswinee Patnaik, Variability in the compressive
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[7]. Zhiyang Chang, Guangcheng Long, John L. Zhou,Cong M , Valorization of sewage sludge in the
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[8]. Amin, S.K., Abdel Hamid, E.M., El-Sherbiny, S.A., Sibak, H.A., Abadir, M.F., The use of sewage
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[9]. Baeza-Brotons, F., Garcés, P., Payá, J., Saval, J.M.,Portland cement systems with addition of sewage
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[10]. Chakraborty, S., Jo, B.W., Jo, J.H., Baloch, Z. Effectiveness of sewage sludge ash combined with
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