SpringerLink
Log in

Sewage Sludge: Some Applications in Civil Engineering

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
Concrete Structures: New Trends and Old Pathologies

Part of the book series: Building Pathology and Rehabilitation ((BUILDING,volume 27))

  • 89 Accesses

Abstract

The use of civil construction waste has been consolidated as a way to achieve sustainability in civil construction, as well as reduce the environmental impacts resulting from the improper disposal of this material. Due to the specificities of its products, civil construction has a large field where this waste can be used as raw material. The objective of this work is to contribute to studies on the possibilities of using sewage sludge as a way to improve the characteristics of the soil in collapse and as small concrete aggregates. Sewage sludge with 25, 50 and 75 mg/ha from the Mangueira and Curado treatment stations was used with an addition of about 5%, 10%, and 15%. In order to characterize the properties of sewage sludge and analyze its interaction with the soil and concrete specimens, several tests were carried out, such as: physical and chemical tests, scanning electron microscopy tests, hydraulic conductivity tests, chemical mobility tests, compressive strength tests, sclerometric tests, and ultrasonic pulse velocity tests. The results obtained allowed us to conclude that the addition of sewage sludge to the soil contributed to reduce its collapsibility, showing that this procedure can be useful for improve the performance of collapsible soils. It was also observed that when the proportion of sewage sludge was increased in substitution for small-size concrete aggregates, the compressive strength and water absorption decreased when compared to a concrete block made with usual aggregates. The behavior obtained indicates that the use of sewage sludge to replace the small-sized concrete aggregate part should be used with caution, even in small-sized buildings, requiring advanced studies to explore its use as a material building.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution

Subscribe and save

Springer+ Basic
EUR 32.99 /Month
  • Get 10 units per month
  • Download Article/Chapter or Ebook
  • 1 Unit = 1 Article or 1 Chapter
  • Cancel anytime
Subscribe now

Buy Now

Chapter
EUR 29.95
Price includes VAT (Germany)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
EUR 117.69
Price includes VAT (Germany)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Hardcover Book
EUR 160.49
Price includes VAT (Germany)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free ship** worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Andreoli CV, Lara AI, Fernandes F (1999) Biosolid recycling: turning problems into solutions. SANEPAR, Curitiba; FINEP, Brazil

    Google Scholar 

  • Andreoli CV, Von Sperling, M, Fernandes F (2001a) Sewage sludge: treatment and final disposal. DESA/UFMG, Belo Horizonte; SANEPAR, Brazil, Curitiba

    Google Scholar 

  • Andreoli CV, Sperling MV, Fernandes F (2001b) Principles of biological wastewater treatment. FCO, Brazil, Curitiba

    Google Scholar 

  • Azevedo Netto JM (1977) Sanitary sewage systems. General, sanitary aspects, unitary system, separator system, constituent parts of a sanitary sewer system. In: Sistemas de esgotos sanitários, 2nd edn. CETESB, Brazil, São Paulo

    Google Scholar 

  • Azevedo Netto JM (1984) Chronology of water supply (up to 1970). Revista DAE 44(137):106–111

    Google Scholar 

  • Barboza RSL (2007) Influence of sewage sludge on nodulation and development of Caupi. M.Sc. Thesis, Universidade Católica de Pernambuco. Recife, Brazil

    Google Scholar 

  • Brosch CD, Alvarinho SB, Souza HR (1976) Manufacture of light aggregate from sewage sludge from São Paulo. IPT, São Paulo, Brazil

    Google Scholar 

  • Camargo OA, Bettiol W (2000) Agriculture: an encouraging option for the use of sludge. O agronômico, Campinas, vol 52, no 2/3

    Google Scholar 

  • Duarte ACL (2008) Incorporation of sewage sludge in the ceramic mass for the manufacture of solid bricks; an alternative to the final disposal of waste. M.Sc. Thesis, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte, Natal, Brazil

    Google Scholar 

  • Durante-Inguza MP, Andreoli CV, Nascimento RM, Tinoco JD, Hoppen C, Pergorini ES (2006) Use of waste from sanitation in the manufacture of red ceramics. In: Andreoli CV (coord) Alternativas de uso de resíduos do saneamento. ABES, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

    Google Scholar 

  • Faustino R (2007)Composting and solarization for cleaning sewage sludge and use in the cultivation of Cassaia Amarela (Senna Siamea Lam). Ph.D. Thesis, Centro de Ciências e Geociências da Universidade Federal de Pernambuco (UFPE), Recife, Brazil

    Google Scholar 

  • Fernandes F (1999) Use and management of sewage sludge in agriculture. SANEPAR, Brazil, Curitiba

    Google Scholar 

  • Ferreira RC (2008) Use of sewage sludge in the development of Açaí. M.Sc. Thesis, Universidade Católica de Pernambuco, Recife, Brazil

    Google Scholar 

  • Fontes CMA (2003) Potential of sludge ash from sewage treatment plants as supplementary material for the production of concrete with Portlhand cement. Master’s Thesis, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

    Google Scholar 

  • Futai MM (1997) Analysis of edometic tests with controlled suction in collapsible soils. M.Sc. Thesis, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

    Google Scholar 

  • Garcia-Lodeiro I, Carcelen-Taboada V, Fernández-Jiménez A, Palomo A (2016) Manufacture of hybrid cements with fly ash and bottom ash from a municipal solid waste incinerator. Constr Build Mater 105:218–226

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • George MS (1986) Concrete aggregate from wastewater sludge. Concr Int Des Constr 8(11):27–30

    Google Scholar 

  • Geyer AL (2001) Contribution to the study of final disposal and use of sludge ash from sanitary sewage treatment plants as an addition to concrete. Ph.D. Thesis, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil

    Google Scholar 

  • Gherghel A, Teodosiu C, De Gisi S (2019) A review on wastewater sludge valorisation and its challenges in the context of circular economy. J Clean Prod 228:244–263

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Guimarães Neto JSF (1997) Analysis of some factors that influence the collapsibility of a compacted soil due to flooding. M.Sc. Thesis, Universidade Federal de Pernambuco, Recife, Brazil

    Google Scholar 

  • Helene PRL, Terzian P (1995) Manual of dosage and control of the concrete. PINI, São Paulo, Brazil

    Google Scholar 

  • Herek LCVS, Bergamasco R, Tavares CRG, Uemura VD, Pancotte LP (2005) Study of the solidification/stabilization of sludge from the textile industry in ceramic material. Cerâmica Ind 10(4):4–46

    Google Scholar 

  • Jennings JEB, Knight K (1957) The additional settlement of foundations due to collapse of the structure of sandy subsoil on wetting. In: International conference on soil mechanics and foundation engineering, London, UK

    Google Scholar 

  • Jonh VM, Ângulo SC (2003) Methodology for the development of waste recycling. In: Jonh VM, Rocha JC (eds) Utilização de resíduos na construção habitacional, vol 1. Porto Alegre, Brazil, pp 8–17

    Google Scholar 

  • Jordão EP, Pessôa CA (1995) Domestic sewage treatment, 3rd edn. ABES, Brazil, Rio de Janeiro

    Google Scholar 

  • Lessa GT (2005) Contribution to the study of the feasibility of using sludge from a biological sewage plant in civil construction. M.Sc. Thesis, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul. Porto Alegre, Brazil

    Google Scholar 

  • Melo WJ, Marques MO (2000) Potential of sewage sludge as a source of nutrients for plants. In: Bettiol W, Camargo OA (eds) Impacto ambiental do uso agrícola do lodo de esgoto. EMBRAPA Meio Ambiente, Jaguariúna, Brazil

    Google Scholar 

  • Metcalf L, Eddy HP (1977) Trataimento y depuración de las aguas residuales. Labor, Spain, Barcelona

    Google Scholar 

  • Metha PR, Monteiro PJM (2013) Concrete: structure, properties, and materials, 4th edn. McGraw-Hill Professional Publishing, New York, NY, USA

    Google Scholar 

  • Morales G (1994) Verification and evaluation of pozzolanic reactivity of sewage sludge ash in the city of Londrina. Ph.D. Thesis, Escola Politécnica, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil

    Google Scholar 

  • Morales G, Agopyan V (1992) Characterization of the light aggregate from sludge from the city of Londrina, São Paulo. Boletim Técnico da Escola Politécnica da USP, BT/PCC/64, EPUSP, Brazil

    Google Scholar 

  • Motta, E.Q. Analysis of the collapse of a compacted soil due to flooding and the soil-liquid contaminant interaction. MSc Thesis, Universidade Federal de Pernambuco. Recife, Brazil, 2006.

    Google Scholar 

  • NBR 10004 (2004) Soil waste—classification. Brazilian Association of Technical Standards, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

    Google Scholar 

  • NBR 7222 (2011) Concrete and mortar—determination of the tension strength by diametrical compression of cylindrical test specimens. Brazilian Association of Technical Standards, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

    Google Scholar 

  • NBR 8802 (2019) Hardened concrete—determination of ultrasonic wave transmission velocity. Brazilian Association of Technical Standards, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

    Google Scholar 

  • NBR 16853 (2020) Soil-one-dimensional consolidation test. Brazilian Association of Technical Standards, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

    Google Scholar 

  • NBR 6458 (2016) Grains of soils passing through the sieve of 4.8 mm-determination of the specific mass. Brazilian Association of Technical Standards, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

    Google Scholar 

  • NBR 6459 (2017) Soil-liquid limit determination. Brazilian Association of Technical Standards, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

    Google Scholar 

  • NBR 6467 (2009) Aggregates-determination of fine aggregate swelling-testing method. Brazilian Association of Technical Standards, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

    Google Scholar 

  • NBR 7180 (2020) Soil-plasticity limit determination. Brazilian Association of Technical Standards, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

    Google Scholar 

  • NBR 7181 (2018) Soil-particle size analysis. Brazilian Association of Technical Standards: Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

    Google Scholar 

  • NBR 7182 (2020) Soil-compaction test. Brazilian Association of Technical Standards, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

    Google Scholar 

  • NBR 7584 (2012) Hardened concrete—evaluation of surface hardness by reflection sclerometer. Brazilian Association of Technical Standards, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

    Google Scholar 

  • NBR 9779 (2020) Mortar and hardened concrete—determination of water absorption by capillarity. Brazilian Association of Technical Standards, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

    Google Scholar 

  • Neville AM (2015) Properties of concrete, 5th edn. Bookman, São Paulo, Brazil

    Google Scholar 

  • Oliveira PES, Oliveira JTR, Ferreira SRM (2007) Evaluation of the compressive strength of concrete with the use of aggregate construction and demolition waste—CDW. In: Proceedings of the Brazilian conference of concrete, IBRACON 2007, São Paulo, Brazil, 1–5 Sept 2007

    Google Scholar 

  • Onaka T (2000) Sewage can make Portland cement: a new technology for unimate reuse of sewage sludge. Water Sci Technol 41(8):93–98

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Paiva SC (2008) Chemical study of clay collected in the metropolitan region of Recife for use in mortars of settlement and coating in masonry. M.Sc. Thesis, Universidade Católica de Pernambuco. Recife, Brazil

    Google Scholar 

  • Pera AF (1977) Classification. Composition. Domestic effluents. In: Sistemas de esgotos sanitários, 2nd edn. CETESB, Brazil, São Paulo

    Google Scholar 

  • Pergorini ES, Andreoli CV, Souza MLP, Ferreira A (2003) Quality of sewage sludge used in agricultural recycling in the metropolitan region of Curitiba—Symposium Latino Americano de Biossólidos, São Paulo, Brazil

    Google Scholar 

  • Santos AD (2003) Study of the possibilities of recycling waste from sewage treatment in the Metropolitan Region of São Paulo. M.Sc. Thesis, Escola Politécnica, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil

    Google Scholar 

  • Silva AB (2008) Experimental design and statistical modeling of the effect of sludge use on soils. M.Sc. Thesis, Universidade Católica de Pernambuco. Recife, Brazil

    Google Scholar 

  • Silva PR, Silva RV, Brito J (2021) Use of bottom ash additions in the production of concrete with recycled aggregates. Indian Concr 95:38–49

    Google Scholar 

  • Slim JA, Wakefield RW (1991) The utilization of sewage sludge in the manufacture of clay bricks. Water SA 17(13):197–202

    Google Scholar 

  • Souza Neto JB (1998) Geotechnical characteristics of the residual soil of slope gneiss Espinhaço da Gata. M.Sc. Thesis, UFPE, Recife, Brazil

    Google Scholar 

  • Tay JH, Show KY (1997) Resource recovery of sludge as a building and construction material: a future trend in sludge management. Water Sci Technol 36(11)259–66

    Google Scholar 

  • Teixeira PC, Donagemma GK, Fontana A, Teixeira WG (2017) Manual of soil analysis methods. Brasília, DF, Embrapa; Centro Nacional de Pesquisas de Solos, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

    Google Scholar 

  • Tomé Júnior JB (2001) Soil analysis interpretation manual. Agricultural Bookshop and Publisher, Guaíba, Brazil

    Google Scholar 

  • Tsutiya MT, Hirata AY (2001) Use and final disposal of sludge from a water station in the state of São Paulo. In: Congresso Brasileiro de Engenharia Sanitária e Ambiental, 21., ABES, João Pessoa, Brazil

    Google Scholar 

  • Von Sperling M (1996) Introduction to water quality and sewage treatment, 2 edn. Belo Horizonte, DESA/UFMG, Brazil

    Google Scholar 

  • Werther J, Ogada T (1999) Sewage sludge combustion. Progr Energy Combust Sci 25:55–116

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

This work was supported by: Base Funding—UIDB/04708/2020 and Programmatic Funding—UIDP/04708/2020 of the CONSTRUCT—Instituto de I&D em Estruturas e Construções—funded by national funds through the FCT/MCTES (PIDDAC) and by FCT—Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia through the individual Scientific Employment Stimulus 2020.00828.CEECIND.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Civil and Engineering Department, Catholic University of Pernambuco, Recife, Pernambuco, Brazil

    M. C. A. Feitosa, F. A. N. Silva & J. T. R. Oliveira

  2. Departamento de Engenharia Civil, UFPE, Av. Acadêmico Hélio Ramos, s/n. Cidade Universitária, Recife, Brazil

    S. R. M. Ferreira & P. E. S. Oliveira

  3. Construct, Departamento de Engenharia Civil, Universidade do Porto, Rua Dr. Roberto Frias, s/n, 4200-465, Porto, Portugal

    J. M. P. Q. Delgado

  4. Instituto Federal de Ciências de Educação e Tecnologia de Pernambuco (IFPE), Recife, Brazil

    A. C. Azevedo

Authors
  1. M. C. A. Feitosa
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. S. R. M. Ferreira
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. J. M. P. Q. Delgado
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. F. A. N. Silva
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. J. T. R. Oliveira
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. P. E. S. Oliveira
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  7. A. C. Azevedo
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to A. C. Azevedo .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. CONSTRUCT-LFC, Department of Civil Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal

    João M. P. Q. Delgado

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2024 The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG

About this chapter

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this chapter

Feitosa, M.C.A. et al. (2024). Sewage Sludge: Some Applications in Civil Engineering. In: Delgado, J.M.P.Q. (eds) Concrete Structures: New Trends and Old Pathologies. Building Pathology and Rehabilitation, vol 27. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-38841-5_5

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-38841-5_5

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-031-38840-8

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-031-38841-5

  • eBook Packages: EngineeringEngineering (R0)

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation