PAPERCRETE

The emission of CO2 from construction sites due to the use of cement is a major issue for all countries. On the other hand, people's desire to live in an eco-friendly environment is continuously increasing due to awareness. Consequently, this study is carried out to resolve these kinds of issues. Papercrete is a new composite material made using waste paper. Papercrete reduces the amount of cement volume and makes environment-friendly building material. Papercrete is a material originally developed 80 years ago but it is recently rediscovered.

Papercrete is a mixture of cement, sand, and paper. When combined and cured, these materials produce a product similar to concrete; however, it is very lightweight. Furthermore, the cost-efficiency gained by utilizing the ample supply of recycled paper reinforces the need for the research of this alternative.

The materials used are:-

• Waste Paper: Paper is the main ingredient of papercrete and hence the properties of papercrete depend on the microstructure of paper used. Due to the anisotropic nature of paper; the quality and strength of its fibers differ depending on several factors. They are the type of wood, the percentage of recycled paper, the amount of water in the pulp, the way of pulping (chemical or mechanical), and the speed of drying.

• Cement: Ordinary Portland cement of 43 grade was used for the entire work.

• Sand: The fine sand confirming to the zone – I was used.

The steps to make this papercrete are as follows:-

1. Make the paper pulp-Soak the paper such as newspaper, shoe, and juice boxes, wrapping papers, napkins, etc overnight.

2. Pour cement and sand-Weight cement and sand.

3. Pour the mix into the wooden or plastic forms.

4. Mix all the ingredients for approx 10 mins- Vibrate the mix to remove the air.

5. Let the specimens dry for at least 1 week.

6. Remove forms.

For each group of papercrete mixes, the compressive strength of concrete decreased with the increase of the amount of wastepaper and vice versa. The low density of papercrete indicates that they are lightweight and can be used in the form of either hollow or solid blocks for making walls of buildings, in high-rise buildings. This property also makes papercrete good for building arches and domes.

By

- Tanaykumar Jhuria

- Nitalkumar Bhandari

- Ashutosh Rai

Guided by

Prof. Amit Chauhan

Assistant Professor

Civil Engineering Department

Laxmi Institute of Technology, Sarigam