The Impact of Fly Ashes from Thermal Conversion of Sewage Sludge on Properties of Natural Building Materials on the Example of Clay

Abstract

The reduction of carbon dioxide emissions, introduced by the European Union, opened the possibility of conducting experimental works on a new generation of materials—ecological and environmentally friendly ones. Such materials include those which combine raw natural resources with waste subject to disposal. The objective of the performed investigations was an assessment of the influence of fly ashes on selected parameters of building materials. The paper proposes a method of the enrichment of clay with fly ash, which would lead to the neutralization of heavy metals in the burnt matrix, possible oxidation of organic substances present in the ashes, or the destruction of pathogens, as well as an increase of the resistance of the clay ceramics to low temperatures. Clay samples were prepared with the addition of the fly ash from three sewage treatment plants. The experiments encompassed investigations of physical and chemical properties of the fly ash, as well as bending strength tests of the beam-shaped samples heated at temperatures of 20, 300, 500, and 700 °C. The beam halves, resulting from the destruction of the samples during these tests, served for testing the compressive strength. The collected results allowed a comparison of the properties of the samples. The obtained test results confirm the possibility of manufacturing a product modified with the fly ash from the thermal treatment of sewage sludge. The obtained compressive strength of the samples amounted 0.3–2.6 MPa.