Green Innovation: Harnessing Aluminium Sludge for Sustainable Wall Care Putty in Eco-Friendly Construction Practices

This research addresses the critical need for eco-friendly building materials in sustainable construction practices. The focus is on exploring the properties of AS (AS) to determine its suitability for integration into wall care putty formulations. The study aims to optimize material combinations to enhance putty production, evaluating wall care putty’s mechanical and durability properties when incorporating AS. An essential aspect involves assessing the environmental impacts from raw material extraction to the final product, with recommendations to minimize these impacts. The methodology examines particle size distribution, moisture content, specific gravity, and shrinkage in AS samples. Compressive strength, initial setting time, and volumetric shrinkage tests are conducted for wall care putty. The data is a foundation for testing various combinations of AS, sand, binders, and additives to determine the most effective and sustainable mixture for putty production. Water significantly degrades wall putty, impacting properties and durability. AS with 38.5% moisture content, higher than conventional raw materials, can be reduced through sun drying. With a fineness modulus of 0.996, AS wall putty exhibits a very fine particle size distribution. Although AS wall putty shows lower compressive strength, it is non-structural, making this acceptable. The volumetric shrinkage of 0.62% indicated minimal shrinkage during drying, which is crucial for preventing cracks. The moderate setting time of 70 min allows for a smooth and uniform surface finish, emphasizing the practicality of AS in wall putty development. These results revealed that AS shows promise as a constituent in producing wall care putty. In conclusion, developing wall care putty with AS emerges as a compelling and sustainable solution, benefiting both the construction industry and environmental conservation.