Water treatment sludge as an alternative liner for landfill site: FTIR and XRD analysis

This study investigated the chemical composition of water treatment sludge (WTS) as material for protection layer in landfill. The potential reuse of WTS as protection layer or landfill liner is a long-term approach to sludge disposal in terms of economic and environmental sustainability. The chemical properties of WTS as an alternative landfill liner was compared with conventional landfill liner which is clay soil (CS). The CS and WTS in this study were obtained from the paddy field, Permatang Pauh and Bukit Toh Allang Water Treatment Plant (WTP), Pulau Pinang. The chemical compositions of the CS and WTS were analyzed using FTIR and XRD. Experimental results of FTIR showed that the WTS has an almost 70% similarity in terms of chemical composition with CS. Analysis using XRD showed that kaolinite, (Al2SO4H(OH)4) is the main mineral in both CS and WTS samples. Thus, WTS has potential to be used and commercialized as a landfill liner as it could be one of the option or alternative to CS. In addition the sludge utilization can solve the problem related to the sludge disposal at landfill.