Immobilization of Metals in Fired Clay Brick Incorporated with Aluminium-Rich Electroplating Sludge: Properties and Leaching Analysis

Electroplating sludge is the hazardous waste discarded from the plating and extractive metallurgical process which can only be disposed of at a secured landfill. In this study, the physical and mechanical properties, as well as metal leaching analysis, of fired clay brick incorporated with electroplating sludge (0%, 2%, 4%, 6%, 8% and 10%) were determined. The physical and mechanical properties of bricks, such as firing shrinkage, dry density, initial rate of absorption, water absorption and compressive strength, were tested according to British standard 3921:1985 and British standard EN772:1. Furthermore, the metal leachability was determined by using the toxicity characteristic leaching procedure (TCLP) method 1311. The results show that the utilization of an electroplating-sludge brick up to 4% could enhance physical and mechanical properties, such as reducing the water absorption from 18.3% to 16.1% and increasing the compressive strength from 25.6 MPa to 41.6 MPa. The result also show that 4% of aluminium-rich electroplating sludge incorporated into the brick is the most suitable amount, as it leached less metal concentration and complied with USEPA standards. The metals which were most present in the electroplating sludge (aluminium and iron) drastically reduced from 193,000 ppm to 0.1372 ppm and from 4160 ppm to 0.144 ppm, respectively. Therefore, the electroplating sludge could be fully utilized in the fired clay brick as an alternative to producing low-cost building materials whilst decreasing the levels of disposal of metal sludge on the secured landfill.