CONSERVATION OF NATURAL RESOURCES: UTILIZATION OF SEWAGE SLUDGE IN BRICK AND ITS IMPACT ON GAS EMISSIONS AND INDOOR AIR QUALITY

• Main Authors: Nurul Salhana, Nurul Salhana, ABDUL SALIM, ABDUL SALIM, ABDUL KADIR, Aeslina, MOHAMED NOOR, Norazian
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: IJCS 2023
• Subjects: T Technology (General)
• Online Access: http://eprints.uthm.edu.my/10126/1/J16240_1c9f67f087c89d9adab96fd7eccdf3f7.pdf; http://eprints.uthm.edu.my/10126/; https://doi.org/10.36868/IJCS.2023.02.18

As the production of sewage sludge waste has increased, sewage sludge disposal has become a critical concern. The increase in sludge waste will have a substantial effect on energy conservation and the environment. From a recycling perspective, the conversion of sewage sludge into construction materials is considered a rational solution. By incorporating the sewage sludge into fired clay bricks, it is expected to conserve non-renewable resources, be cost-effective, and minimise the quantity of sludge waste disposed in landfills. However, the application might pose a threat to the environment and human health. Therefore, this research focus on the investigation of pollutant gases during the firing process and the indoor air quality of the manufactured fired clay brick incorporated with sewage sludge. The bricks were incorporated with two types of sewage sludge (0% and 5%), fired at 1050ºC with 1ºC/min as its heating rate. The X-ray fluorescence (XRF) test was conducted to determine the characteristics of the sewage sludge and clay soil. The gas emissions measured during the firing process include carbon monoxide (CO), carbon dioxide (CO2), nitrogen oxide (NO), and sulphur oxide (SO2). As for the Indoor Air Quality, the measured gas emissions were total volatile organic compounds (TVOC), carbon dioxide (CO2), carbon monoxide (CO), ozone (O3), formaldehyde (HCHO), and particulate matter (PM10). All the gases were compared with Industry Code of Practice on Indoor Air Quality requirement standard. The results show that the incorporation of 5% sewage sludge into fired clay brick complied with the standard requirement for building material usage with no negative effect towards the environment.