Abstract
The paper analyses the opportunity of recycling sewage sludge in the manufacturing of ceramic building materials. Wastewater
treatment plants (WWTP) produce annually a great volume of sludge and its processing become more difficult. On the other
hand, there is an increased need to develop new alternatives beyond the already known methods. The use of WWTP sludge as
raw material for the production of bricks may become an interesting alternative, both from an industrial and environmental point
of view. Therfore, in our study different rates of sludge (5-20%) were introduced directly to the green raw mixture of ceramic
material. Further, the influence of sludge incorporation on physical and mechanical properties, structural parameters as well as
mineralogical composition of the ceramic products was analysed in the research. Also, the environmental effects of the new raw
material were investigated by leaching tests. The optimum amount of sludge in the brick was determined considering the
principal characteristics of the product. The results indicated that incorporating 7% of sludge would beneficial for bricks quality.