Eco-Friendly Cement Mortar with Wastewater Treatment Plant Sludge Upcycling

This study aimed to investigate the technical feasibility of replacing cement in mortar production with sludge generated in wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs), prepared using different treatments. The sludge used in the experiments was processed using four different methods to investigate the effect of processing on the mechanical strength of the specimens. The sludge was then mixed with mortar in different proportions, and samples were produced for flexural and compressive strength tests. The results showed that specimens with 7% sludge from the burned treatment exhibited the highest resistance, surpassing the standard. Specimens with sludge from the drying treatments showed similar results. This study found that using sludge in mortar production could lead to energy savings compared to traditional cement production methods. Moreover, the incorporation of sludge resulted in mortars that met the specifications of the EN 998-1:2018 standard, thereby indicating their technical feasibility. Therefore, this study demonstrated the potential of using sludge from WWTPs as a substitute for cement in mortar production, which could contribute to the reduction in the environmental impacts caused by civil construction and the development of sustainable alternatives for the disposal of sludge generated in WWTPs.

Automated summary

This study aimed to investigate the technical feasibility of replacing cement in mortar production with sludge generated in wastewater treatment plants. The sludge was processed using different methods, and its effect on the mechanical strength of the specimens was studied. The results showed that the addition of sludge led to higher resistance in some proportions, meeting the specified standards. The study found that using sludge in mortar production could save energy and meet the required standards. This indicates the potential of using sludge as a substitute for cement in mortar production, contributing to the reduction of environmental impacts caused by civil construction.