To determine the optimal ratio of curing agents for alkali-activated industrial waste slag,the effects of MgO,blast furnace slag,and fly ash on the mechanical properties of solidified sludge were investigated.Using the response sur-face methodology,the unconfined compressive strengths at 7 and 28 days of solidified silt samples with varying ratios were compared,leading to the development of a regression model for strength prediction,which was used to identify the optimal curing agent ratio.Additionally,SEM and XRD analyses revealed the microscopic mechanisms responsible for the im-proved mechanical properties of the alkali-activated sludge.The findings indicate that the optimal ratio MgO,blast furnace slag,and fly ash is 4.109%∶13.320%∶5.723%(relative to dry soil mass).Under this optimal mix ratio,the measured compressive strengths at 7 and 28 days were 1 518 kPa and 2 473 kPa,respectively,while the predicted strengths were 1 564 kPa and 2 443 kPa,demonstrating the high accuracy of the response surface method in optimizing the mix ratio for solidified silt.