Utilization of Textile Sludge as a Partial Replacement of Cement on the Properties of Cement Mortar

Abstract

Cement mortar is a building material which is prepared by homogenous mixing of cement and sand with appropriate amount of water. Cement mortars are used for plastering on the exposed surface of masonry, binding building blocks and bedding layer for building block. Textile sludge is an industrial bi-product which is obtained by treating the liquid waste during various wet processes in textile industry i.e. yarn production, weaving, knitting, dyeing, printing, finishing at common effluent treatment plant or effluent treatment plant. The traditional disposal technique of sludge leads to many negative impact on the environment. Due to the presence of toxic element textile sludge is considered to be hazardous to human health and bio-life. The objective of the research is to evaluate the possibility of utilizing effluent treatment plant sludge in cement mortars. The consistency, initial and final setting time, soundness and fluidity properties of cement by partial replacement of textile sludge are studied. In addition, hardened properties of the resultant mix (compressive strength and split tensile strength), and durability properties (water absorption, rapid chloride penetration test, shrinkage and sorptivity) were investigated. The microstructure of the mix was analyzed by SEM and XRD. It was observed that up to 5 % replacement of cement with textile sludge, the compressive strength is nearer to the control mix, after that compressive strength decreases gradually. Similar trend was observed for split tensile strength. The rapid chloride penetration resistance increases at 5% replacement level and upto 10%, it was similar to control mix and penetration resistance decrease at higher replacement level. The water absorption, sorptivity and drying shrinkage increases with increase in replacement level of textile sludge. The partial replacement of cement with textile sludge causes an increase in initial and final setting time of mixture. XRD analysis shows that textile sludge is an inert material and SEM images shows that at higher replacement level of cement with textile sludge leads to porous microstructure in mortar which ultimately causes decrease in compressive strength.