Sustainable Improvement of Magnesium Oxychloride Cement Solidified Waste Sludge with Fly-Ash Inclusion
Publication: Journal of Materials in Civil Engineering
Volume 34, Issue 12
Abstract
Fly ash is introduced to strengthen the durability of magnesium oxychloride cement (MOC) solidified sludge, developing a more sustainable method for waste sludge disposal. The effect of curing age, fly ash dosage, and molar ratio on strength, microstructure, durability, and cementation products of MOC-solidified sludge was identified. Fly ash weakens the compressive strength of solidified sludge and prevents its long-term strength deterioration. The amount of brucite and magnesium silicate hydrates (M-S-H) gels increases with curing age, and the crystal shape of phase 5 becomes more robust when fly ash is added. Fly ash grains fill the pore space, enhancing the long-term strength and durability, but an excessive dosage of fly ash weakens the porous structure. The higher the fly ash dosage, the better the mass stabilization and strength retention. In particular, the strength of solidified sludge exposed to freeze–thaw cycles was enhanced for the dewatering and ice hardening effect. The results indicate that fly ash promotes the durability of MOC-solidified sludge, and the fly ash-MOC blend is proved a profitable and sustainable material for sludge solidification.
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Data Availability Statement
Some or all data, models, or code that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.
Acknowledgments
This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 51879202 and 52079098).
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Journal of Materials in Civil Engineering
Volume 34 • Issue 12 • December 2022
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© 2022 American Society of Civil Engineers.
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Received: Sep 21, 2021
Accepted: Mar 15, 2022
Published online: Sep 16, 2022
Published in print: Dec 1, 2022
Discussion open until: Feb 16, 2023
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