A novel eco-friendly approach for textile sludge

Solid waste management is a very serious problem in both human settlements and industrial establishments. In such cirumstances, management of sludge in textile industry has now become a burning issue due to its surplus volume and undesired characteristics. In such grim scenario, an attempt has been made to effectively dispose of the sludge generated in the treatment units of the textile sectors of Tirupur (India). The main objective of this research work was to study the suitability of utilizing sludge in the manufacture of bricks. It thus serves two important purposes, namely - efficient management of textile sludge and production of useful by-product, which fetches cash to the industry and a low cost construction material to the public. The sludge was collected from the effluent treatment plant and it was analyzed to explore its characteristics. Then the bricks, made up of this sludge, were tested for water absorption, compressive strength, presence of soluble salts and drop test, and the results were compared with those of ordinary bricks.