Mechanical Performance and Chromium Leaching Behavior of Concrete Incorporating Tannery Sludge as Partial Sand Replacement

Rafi Bin Shahadat^1, , Dr Khondoker Mahbub Hassan² and Sayma Sultana Keya³

¹Department of Civil Engineering, Sonargaon University, Dhaka, Bangladesh

²Department of Civil Engineering, Khulna University of Engineering and Technology, Khulna, Bangladesh

³Department of Civil Engineering, Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology, Dhaka, Bangladesh

Cite this paper:
Rafi Bin Shahadat, Dr Khondoker Mahbub Hassan and Sayma Sultana Keya. Mechanical Performance and Chromium Leaching Behavior of Concrete Incorporating Tannery Sludge as Partial Sand Replacement. American Journal of Civil Engineering and Architecture. 2026; 14(4):155-165. doi: 10.12691/ajcea-14-4-3

Abstract

In response to the rapid urbanization of Bangladesh, the leather industry, as well as the production of leather waste, has increased significantly. Unfortunately, the methods for treating or disposing of dry tannery sludges remain poorly developed. Tannery sludge is inappropriate for direct disposal due to its high concentration of heavy metals and toxic metal salts. In this study, an exploratory investigation was carried out on the suitability of utilizing solid tannery waste as a partial substitute for fine aggregates in concrete to evaluate a sustainable management approach for the waste. A total of 63 concrete cylinders were cast with 0%, 2%, 4%, 6%, 8%, 10%, and 15% replacement of fine aggregates by dry sludge and evaluated for compressive strength and leaching of total chromium. The 28-day compressive strengths of the 2%, 4%, 6%, 8%, 10%, and 15% sludge-containing concrete cylinders were found to be 26.24 MPa, 22.02 MPa, 16.05 MPa, 9.79 MPa, 3.13 MPa, and 1.17 MPa, respectively. Thus, the optimum compressive strength, after replacement with tannery sludge, was 26.24 MPa at a 2% replacement.To determine leaching characteristics, a total of 18 cylinders from each batch were immersed in three different leachants of pH 4, pH 7, and pH 10 for 3, 7, 15, and 30 days. The sludge-concrete leached a maximum of 9.4 mg/kg, 1.37 mg/kg, and 3.21 mg/kg of chromium for acidic, neutral, and alkaline media, respectively. Results from the study indicate that, with increasing sludge percentage, compressive strength decreased while chromium leaching potential increased. Up to 4% sludge incorporation is considered suitable for both structural and environmental perspectives. This research presents a promising solution for the tannery waste pollution in Bangadesh by utilizing the waste in concrete.

Keywords:
Concrete compressive strength chromium leaching tannery waste pollution replacement of fine aggregate

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

References:

[1]	LFMEAB, “Leather goods And Footwear Manufacturers & Exporters Association of Bangladesh (LFMEAB).”
[2]	Md. A. Rakib, “Export Trend of the Leather Industry of Bangladesh: Challenges to Sustainable Development,” BUFT Journal of Business & Economics, vol. 1, no. 1, pp. 381–394, Aug. 2020.
[3]	F. Safiul Azam et al., “Advances in Environmental Biology Phytoremediation and Prospects of Cleaning up a Tannery Waste Contaminated Site in Dhaka, Bangladesh,” 2014. [Online]. Available: http://www.aensiweb.com/AEB/.
[4]	Pinaki Roy, “Tannery Relocation Impact: Situation getting better, slowly,” The Daily Star, Dhaka, Jul. 16, 2017.
[5]	Z. Houshyar, A. B. Khoshfetrat, and E. Fatehifar, “Influence of ozonation process on characteristics of pre-alkalized tannery effluents,” Chemical Engineering Journal, vol. 191, pp. 59–65, May 2012.
[6]	B. Saha and F. A. Bin Azam, “Probable Ways of Tannery’s Solid and Liquid Waste Management in Bangladesh ‒ An Overview,” Textile & Leather Review, Mar. 2021.
[7]	M. A. I. Juel, A. Mizan, and T. Ahmed, “Sustainable use of tannery sludge in brick manufacturing in Bangladesh,” Waste Management, vol. 60, pp. 259–269, Feb. 2017.
[8]	Md. S. Milu, Md. A. Hashem, S. Payel, and Md. A. Hasan, “Leather buffing dust in brick production: Solid waste management in tanneries,” Case Studies in Construction Materials, vol. 17, p. e01625, Dec. 2022.
[9]	S. Chen, Y. Liu, Y. Bie, P. Duan, and L. Wang, “Multi-scale performance study of concrete with recycled aggregate from tannery sludge,” Case Studies in Construction Materials, vol. 17, p. e01698, Dec. 2022.
[10]	M. Jin, Z. Wang, F. Lian, and P. Zhao, “Freeze-thaw resistance and seawater corrosion resistance of optimized tannery sludge/metakaolin-based geopolymer,” Constr. Build. Mater., vol. 265, p. 120730, Dec. 2020.
[11]	M. Karthikeyan, B. Asha, and P. R. Ramachandran, “Application of Fine Aggregate by Replacement of Tannery Dry Sludge in Concrete,” 2014. [Online]. Available: http:// www. ripublication. com.
[12]	N. F. Fahim, B. N. Barsoum, A. E. Eid, and M. S. Khalil, “Removal of chromium(III) from tannery wastewater using activated carbon from sugar industrial waste,” J. Hazard. Mater., vol. 136, no. 2, pp. 303–309, Aug. 2006.
[13]	P. Sharma, S. P. Singh, S. K. Parakh, and Y. W. Tong, “Health hazards of hexavalent chromium (Cr (VI)) and its microbial reduction,” Bioengineered, vol. 13, no. 3, pp. 4923–4938, Mar. 2022.
[14]	T. Basegio, F. Berutti, A. Bernardes, C. Pe´rez, and P. Bergmann, “Environmental and technical aspects of the utilisation of tannery sludge as a raw material for clay products,” 2002. [Online]. Available: www.elsevier.com/locate/jeurceramsoc.
[15]	J. Zhao, Q. Wu, Y. Tang, J. Zhou, and H. Guo, “Tannery wastewater treatment: conventional and promising processes, an updated 20-year review,” Dec. 01, 2022, Springer.
[16]	P. Celary and J. Sobik-Szołtysek, “Vitrification as an alternative to landfilling of tannery sewage sludge,” Waste Management, vol. 34, no. 12, pp. 2520–2527, Dec. 2014.
[17]	S. P. Gautam, P. S. Bundela, A. K. Pandey, M. K. Awasthi, and S. Sarsaiya, “Composting of Municipal Solid Waste of Jabalpur City,” 2010.
[18]	N. Sunmathi, R. Padmapriya, J. S. Sudarsan, and S. Nithiyanantham, “Optimum utilization and resource recovery of tannery sludge: a review,” 2022, Institute for Ionics.
[19]	M. R. Azom, K. Mahmud, S. M. Yahya, A. Sontu, and S. B. Himon, “Environmental Impact Assessment of Tanneries: A Case Study of Hazaribag in Bangladesh,” International Journal of Environmental Science and Development, pp. 152–156, 2012.
[20]	K. Senthilkumar, V. Sivakumar, and P. Akilamudhan, “Experimental Studies on Disposal of Various Industrial Solid Wastes,” Mod. Appl. Sci., vol. 2, no. 6, Nov. 2008.
[21]	M. Jamshidi, M. Jamshidi, A. Jamshidi, and N. Mehrdadi, “Application of sewage dry sludge in concrete mixtures A r c h i v e o f S I D APPLICATION OF SEWAGE DRY SLUDGE IN CONCRETE MIXTURES,” 2012. [Online]. Available: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/268293501.
[22]	K. M. Hassan, K. Fukushi, K. Turikuzzaman, and S. M. Moniruzzaman, “Effects of using arsenic–iron sludge wastes in brick making,” Waste Management, vol. 34, no. 6, pp. 1072–1078, Jun. 2014.
[23]	J. A. Cusidó and L. V. Cremades, “Environmental effects of using clay bricks produced with sewage sludge: Leachability and toxicity studies,” Waste Management, vol. 32, no. 6, pp. 1202–1208, Jun. 2012.
[24]	C. D. Hills, C. J. Sollars, and R. Perry, “Ordinary portland cement based solidification of toxic wastes: The role of OPC reviewed,” Cem. Concr. Res., vol. 23, no. 1, pp. 196–212, Jan. 1993.
[25]	J. Malaiškienė, O. Kizinievič, and V. Kizinievič, “A Study on Tannery Sludge as a Raw Material for Cement Mortar,” Materials, vol. 12, no. 9, p. 1562, May 2019.
[26]	H. Patel and S. Pandey, “Evaluation of physical stability and leachability of Portland Pozzolona Cement (PPC) solidified chemical sludge generated from textile wastewater treatment plants,” J. Hazard. Mater., vol. 207–208, pp. 56–64, Mar. 2012.
[27]	M. Vijaya, S. Reddy, K. Ashalatha, and K. Sasi, “Partial Replacement of Fine Aggregate by Tannery Shredded Waste in Concrete,” vol. 1, no. 4, pp. 149–151, 2016.
[28]	Y. Ibrahim, M. Ayisha Sidiqua, Sufiyan Ahmed Jeddy, and R. Tauseef Ahamed, “FragmentarySubstitution_article_Ibrahim,” Indian Journal of Environmental Protection, vol. 38, no. 6, pp. 506–510, 2018.
[29]	A. M. Borhan Badruzzaman, M. Abed Hossain, M. Ahmed Noor, A. B. M Badruzzaman, and M. A. Noor, “Stabilization of industrial sludge with concrete: A possible safe disposal option,” 2004. [Online]. Available: https:// www.researchgate.net/ publication/309589092.
[30]	Md. A. Hashem, Md. E. Hasan Zahin, Md. S. Haque, Md. S. Milu, Md. A. Hasan, and S. Payel, “Leather shaving dust utilization in brick preparation: Solid waste management in tannery,” Constr. Build. Mater., vol. 400, p. 132769, Oct. 2023.