Hydration behaviour of lime–co-calcined kaolin–petroleum effluent treatment plant sludge

Petroleum effluent treatment plant (ETP) sludge contains hydrocarbons and its ash is pozzolanic in character. The hydrocarbon may be utilized in the calcination of clay. The present communication reports on the hydration behaviour of lime–metakaolin mixtures produced in the presence of the sludge. The hydration products were characterized by using FTIR, TG, DTA and XRD methods. Use of sludge in metakaolin preparation increases the initial hydration rate and enhances the production of C–S–H or C–A–S–H gel.