ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Built Environ.
Sec. Construction Materials
Volume 11 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fbuil.2025.1683228
This article is part of the Research TopicDecarbonization Technologies and Low-Carbon Materials in Construction: Mechanisms, Performance, and Environmental ImpactView all articles
Experimental study on solidification of sludge by mixing reclaimed activated micro powder of waste concrete with industrial solid waste
Provisionally accepted
- 1Wuhan Construction Engineering Group Co., LTD., Wuhan, Hubei, China
- 2Wuhan University, Wuhan, China
- 3Hefei University of Technology, Hefei, China
- 4China Academy of Ocean Engineering (Qingdao),, Qingdao, China
- 5Central South University, Changsha, China
- 6Wuhan University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
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The effective disposal of construction and industrial solid waste is vital for sustainable urban development. This study developed a composite cementitious material (CCM) based on mechanically activated waste concrete, blast furnace slag, and carbide slag for sludge solidification. Through paste tests, unconfined compressive strength (UCS), and durability tests, the optimal CCM mix was determined as 30% waste concrete, 60% blast furnace slag, 10% carbide slag, and 10% anhydrous sodium sulfate. After 7 and 28 days of curing, the CCM paste blocks achieved UCS values of 10.89 MPa and 14.17 MPa, respectively. With 18% CCM content, the solidified sludge attained a UCS of 0.82 MPa after 14 days, meeting the bearing strength requirement (≥0.8 MPa) for China's first-class highways. It also exhibited excellent durability, with a water stability coefficient of 88.5% and even slightly increased UCS after freeze-thaw cycles. X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Scanning Electron Microscopy-Energy Dispersive Spectrometer (SEM-EDS) analyses revealed that hydration products such as ettringite (AFt), dicalcium silicate (C2S), and calcium aluminosilicate hydrate (C-A-S-H) intertwined and cemented sludge particles, enhancing structural density and contributing to improved mechanical and durability performance.
Keywords: Sludge solidification, Waste concrete, Industrial solid waste, New building materials, Microstructure analysis
Received: 10 Aug 2025; Accepted: 17 Sep 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 王, 王, 傅, 洪, 张, 张, 李 and 沈. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: 鑫亮 洪, hongxl2006@163.com
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