Curing Mechanism of C-Type Firming Agent Stabilized Sludges through SEM and FTIR Microscopic Analysis

The main objective of this research is to investigate curling mechanism and moisture-density properties of c-type firming agent stabilized sludges. First of all, the chemical analysis was performed to determine the chemical constituents of untreated sludges from different regions of China. Then, microscopic analysis with the Scanning Electron Microcopy (SEM) and the Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) was performed on botht the untreated and stabilized sluges. In order to evaluate effects of agents on stabilized sludges, the moisture-density tests were performed and testing results were analyzed. Through this study, the following conclusions were made: 1) SiO2 and Ai2O3 are their major constituents which take 70~90% of the total mass of a sludge; 2) addition of vermiculite or DK Powders could significantly improve performance of the stabilized sludges.