Recycling Way of Sludge in Handcraft Pottery (Marrakesh, Morocco)

Crushing stations generate fine wastes from the processes of washing units in quarries and recycling water by using a filter press or decantation basin. Every day, a large amount of fine wastes is generated and thrown by crushing units in the Marrakesh region. These wastes have many negative effects on the environment. In an intervention by the local population, a part of wastes has been recycled by the local population using traditional techniques for soil fertilization. Despite this, a little part only out of the total produced is recycled, a large amount remaining unreached. Hence, it is for interest to find new recycling methods of the crushing station’s wastes, thus limiting their side effects. On the light of this statement, we thought that the reuse of these wastes as an alternative raw material in craft pottery as well as in producing bricks for the construction field would be a promising environmental solution. The aim of this work was to recycle these wastes to develop new raw material used in construction and pottery. The physico-chemical characterization, mineralogy, grain size, and plasticity index of fine wastes were the first steps to evaluate their possible reuse. The use of sludges as a temper during the handcraft pottery has several advantages, among which the reduction of the content of the added sand is one. The physical, mechanical, and environmental proprieties are evaluated for the synthetic bricks.