A research on sintering characteristics and mechanisms of dried sewage sludge

This study investigates the sintering behavior of dried sewage sludge and the related sintering mechanisms, considering sintering temperature and sintering time. Experimental results indicate that the characteristics are primarily influenced by sintering temperature. When the sintering temperature is increased from 1020 to 1050 °C, the specimens' compressive strength and bulk density increase significantly, while water absorption decreases obviously, indicating an improvement of densification due to sintering. However, the compressive strength cannot meet the requirement for traditional ceramic products due to the release of organic matters and the formation of big pores in the products. Phosphorus in sewage sludge initially takes reactions with the formation of calcium magnesium phosphate and aluminum phosphate during sintering, which are helpful for enhancing the compressive strength. So, some materials with high contents of Al could be used to enhance the compressive strength of products. Heavy metals are fixed primarily inside the sintered specimens, with the As, Pb, Cd, Cr, Ni, Cu, Zn concentrations in the leachate found to be in the range of China regulatory requirements. These results reveal the feasibility of recycling dried sewage sludge by sintering as a construction material.