The influence of incinerated sewage sludge as an aggregate on the selected properties of cement mortars

Abstract

In line with the trend of using waste raw materials in the technology of building materials, experimental studies of cement mortars containing various amounts of fine‐grained waste aggregate were carried out. The waste aggregate was based on an incinerated municipal sewage sludge which was mechanically crushed to an appropriate grading. Chemical and physical properties of the waste aggregate are presented. Mortars with varying amounts of waste aggregate as a replacement for natural sand were prepared. Study determines compressive strength and flexural strength up to 56 days. Properties such as capillary action, air content and thermal conductivity were deter-mined. The results of the tests has shown that the incinerated waste sludge can be used as a partial or total replacement for natural aggregate. In mortars with waste aggregate, a favorable relation between flexural and compressive strengths was observed, which translates into increased strength of the interfacial transition zone. A significant increase in water absorption was observed for mortars containing high amounts of waste aggregate, which is directly related to its porous structure. Conducted studied prove that the aggregate obtained from incineration of the municipal sewage sludge can a feasible alternative for natural aggregates in production of masonry and rendering mortars for construction purposes.