Introduction

We all are aware that environmental crisis has still a huge impact on our country
which is disturbing for the government and the people. These days environment
suffer more damages because of human activity including the CO2 emission
from construction sites because cement use is a global issue. The majority of
abandoned waste paper accumulating from the countries all over the world
causes certain serious environmental problems. On the other hand, people’s
desire to live eco-environment is continuously increasing. In order to resolve
these kinds of matters, this study carried out. Researchers opens the topic that
concerned the environment, we’ve come up with “A Study on Papercrete as A
Sustainable Building Material” as the topic. By using waste paper, papercrete is
not only reducing the amount of cement but also making environmentally friendly
building materials as well as reducing the increasing number of waste of paper.

Eric Patterson and Mike McCain, who have been credited with independently "inventing"
papercrete (they called it "padobe" and "fibrous cement"), have both contributed
considerably to research into machinery to make it and ways of using it for building.
(Kelly hart)

Papercrete is a recently developed construction material. It is recognized as an

environment-friendly material due to significant recycled content. It was
discovered by Eric Patterson and Mike McCain independently and they named
their invention Padobe and Fibrous Cement. Papercrete is made most often with
waste paper, cement, and water. It is originally developed 80 years ago but it is
only recently rediscovered. Papercrete is a fibrous cementitious compound
comprising waste paper and Portland cement. These two components are
blended with water to create a paper cement pulp, which can then be poured
into a mould, allowed to dry and be utilized as a durable building material.

The necessity of low-cost housing has pushed people to look for alternative
construction materials. Papercrete is a slightly misleading name. It seems to
imply a mix of paper and concrete, hence papercrete. But more accurately, only
the Portland cement part of concrete is used in the mix – along with other
admixtures. Although some sand and other additives to improve its behavior
under compressive load may be used, the basic components are still the same.
The process of making papercrete includes soaking waste paper in water
overnight so that the fibers are softened and mixing the soaked paper until a
homogeneous pulp is obtained. The Portland cement, sand and water are added
to the pulp and blended. The mixture is then poured into forms to create blocks
and the forms are removed once it is dry. After a few days, the blocks can be
used in construction.

The basic constituents of papercrete are water and any kind of paper
(newspaper, cardboard, glossy magazine stock, advertising brochures, junk mail
or any other type of paper). These fibers from paper add strength to cement, just
as glass fibers add strength to fiberglass. In the case of papercrete, these fibers
can actually make up the bulk of the mix, resulting in a product that is both
lightweight and strong.

According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the United States

recycles about 45% of discarded paper annually, U.S. EPA, 2000. This means
that about 55% or 48 million tons of paper is thrown away or goes into the
landfills. Conservatively speaking, it takes about fifteen trees to make a ton of
paper. That means that 720 million trees are used once and then buried in a
landfill each year. The volume of the paper material wasted every year is
equivalent to the volume of a wall 48 feet high and 1 foot wide, around the entire
perimeter of the United States, at the same time, in Arizona and many other
states, there is a pressing need for affordable, sustainable housing. On Native
American lands in Arizona alone, there is an immediate and pressing need for
tens of thousands of homes. According to a report by the Arizona Housing
Commission, “The urgent overriding message is clear; housing affordability is an
impending crisis in Arizona”, Arizona Housing Commission, 2000.

The research and testing on papercrete is very limited or nonexistent. From a

scientific standpoint papercrete is, for all practical purposes, invisible. The
environment impact of paper is significant, which has led to changes in industry. With the use
of modern technology, harvesting wood, disposable paper has become a cheap commodity
which has led to a high level of consumption and waste. The production and use of paper has a
number of adverse effects on the environment which are known as paper pollution. Discarded
paper is a major component of it. Taking this issue into account, construction material known
as papercrete is invented.
Scope of Delimitation

The purpose of this study, which is in order to know the affectivity of papercrete
as a sustainable building material, the researchers, developed an objective which
are the following:

-Discuss the materials use in papercrete.

-Test the compressive strength, durability and capability of papercrete compared

to the other variables such as hair and rice husks.

-Discuss the effectiveness of papercrete as a sustainable building material.

 Significance of the study

The results or findings that this study will uncover may give benefit for the
following people and/or groups such as:

Construction Worker-is a worker employed in manual labor of the physical

construction of the built environment and its infrastructure. With the result of this
study, the knowledge of the effectivity of papercrete can help them to use papercrete
as a sustainable building material.

Gardener- A person whose hobby or job is growing flowers in a garden is called a

gardener. In gardening, the gardener can use this papercrete in their garden.

Researchers- as people, who study the same thing this study, hopefully could help
them on their own studies regarding the strength and durability of papercrete as a
sustainable building material. Defining that engineers give are centered at studying
concretes or building materials, the result that this study might provide might give
them some further insights regarding building materials.

Building material industry has witnessed an increased demand from the last decade
due to an increased demand of housing for the growing urban population which has
caused shortage of building materials. The crisis of raw material shortfalls is faced by
the relevant industry to fulfill the increased demand of building materials. This
situation has levied the need for searching other substitutes of raw materials.
Consequently as a result of this search for raw materials; the conversion of the
industrial wastes to useful building and construction material has evolved as a
substitute over conventional raw materials. By doing this not only the industrial waste
will be recycled and used as building materials but there will be economic design of
buildings. The use of wastepaper covers two conflicting social agendas; the first one
is the present need of the low-cost housing and the other is the booming interest in
construction materials that are created with minimum harm to the environment, the
so called sustainable design trend that is being embraced by developers, architects,
and engineers alike.
Definition of terms
Papercrete- Papercrete is a building material that consists of re-pulped paper
fiber with Portland cement or clay and/or other soil added. ... Although perceived as
an environmentally friendly material due to the significant recycled content, this is
offset by the presence of cement.

Fibrous cementitious- Fibre cement is a composite building and construction

material, used mainly in roofing and facade products because of its strength and
durability.

Padobe- Padobe is a brick made like an adobe brick, but with an environmental
twist.the Padobe is made from recycled paper, water and a very small amount of
cement.

Portland cement- is the most common type of cement in general use around
the world as a basic ingredient of concrete, mortar, stucco, and non-specialty grout.
It was developed from other types of hydraulic lime in England in the early 19th
century by Joseph Aspdin, and is usually made from limestone. 

Paper- material manufactured in thin sheets from the pulp of wood or other
fibrous substances, used for writing, drawing, or printing on, or as wrapping material.

Paper waste- is a severe problem in many industries and offices. Because of
printing mistakes, junk mails, billings, and packaging, the paper may comprise up to
70% of a company's total waste.

Concrete- is a composite material composed of fine and coarse aggregate

bonded together with a fluid cement that hardens over time. Concrete is said to be
the second substance most used in the word after water, and is one of the most
frequently used building materials
Related Literature and Studies

PaperCrete is a kind of fibrous cement, made by shredding paper (old newspapers,

prints, cardboards etc.) into pulp in water and adding Portland cement to it and in some
cases sandy soil to be used as an additive. It gains its inherent strength due to the presence
of hydrogen bonds in microstructure of paper. This thick mix can then be poured into molds
and cast like concrete, to make it into any desired shape and size. Papercrete is a
sustainable building material due to reduced amount of cement usage and recycled paper
being put to good use. It has numerous advantages in the construction industry, namely low
carbon footprint, recycled material usage, low embodied energy, high strength to weight
ratio, high thermal insulation, high sound absorption, aesthetic and cost effectiveness ( H.
Jung, 2007).

According to (Ayaz Mohmood Dar,2016) it has been seen that Papercrete is very
workable and can be formed into different shapes such as blocks, panels and sheets with
ease. The study has concluded that the dried Papercrete has a rough surface which
increases its surface area and provides a very strong bond from one block to the next. There
are significant challenges in constructing with Papercrete but also opportunities. Deep
knowledge in material properties and long term liability advances in processing and building
aspects combined with future material technology can bring Papercrete closer to
standardization.

Papercrete can be used as mortar in a building and as a plaster in a papercrete wall.

If the papercrete mix is used as mortar in building a wall from papercrete blocks, the
addition of more cement will make the mortar stickier, and it will bond better with the
blocks. If the mix is used as a plaster to cover a papercrete wall, more cement will help there
as well (YD Shermale, 2015).

Papercrete is a new construction material made with waste paper, cement and
water. Papercrete had been used to build low cost homes without much knowledge of its
structural properties. The purpose of this study is to obtain compressive strength and mass
density of papercrete by doing some trial mixes of papercrete with different ingredients.
From this study it has been observed that the papercrete is a lightweight material and it can
be used as an infill material in high rise buildings (Mr. Yogesh D. Shermale, 2017).

(Harith Zaki, 2018), Papercrete is a term as the name seems, to imply a mixture of
paper and concrete. It is a new, composite material using waste paper, as a partial addition
of Portland cement, and is a sustainable building material due to, reduced amount of waste
paper being put to use. It gains, latent strength due to presence of hydrogen bonds in
microstructure of paper. Papercrete has been reported to be a low cost alternative, building
construction material and has good sound, absorption, and thermal insulation; to be a
lightweight and fire-resistant material.

Papercrete is a new composite material consisting of waste papers and cement. In

this investigation, an attempt is made to produce an alternative material using waste
papers. This could help eradicate a few of the environmental hazards caused by the
construction industry. But there is no proper code for the mix proportioning of papercrete
bricks (Myriam Marie Delcasse, 2017).

Papercrete is a modern composite material that uses waste paper as a partial

replacement to Portland cement, and is a renewable medium to construction owing to the
reduction of the volume of waste paper as well as cement. Papercrete has strong sound
absorption, thermal insulation and a low-cost alternative; light weight and fire-resistant
building material. However, its low mechanical strength needs to be compensated by
incorporation of supplementary cementitious materials. The work discusses the potential
for the partial replacement of cement (by weight) with waste paper pulp in presence of Rice
husk ash (RHA) and fly ash (FA) in ternary blends (A Singh, 2020).

Papercrete reduces the amount of cement volume and when combined and cured, it
produces a product similar to concrete; however, it is very lightweight. Furthermore, the
cost efficiency gained by utilizing the sufficient supply of recycled paper reinforces the need
for the research of this alternative. The construction material density can be reduced
through the addition of and when utilized efficiently and the structural sound building can
be maintained at a lower cost. The basic constituents of papercrete are water and any kind
of paper (newspaper,cardboard, glossy magazine stock, advertising brochures, junk mail or
any other type of paper)with a binding material (Tebogo Mashifana, 2020).

The major advantage with the production of papercrete is that there is no excessive
energy use in the production of the bricks. There is no emission of harmful by-products and
gases, which pollute the environment. The only power needed in the process is for mixing
and pumping of water. Ahouse made from papercrete is safer than one made from wood as
it will not ignite or burn(Shermale, 2017).

Although papercrete requires paper as the dominant raw material, it still requires
the use of cement, which plays an important role in the development of compressive
strength. With the rapidly increasing population in South Africa, the demand for housing
increases and so is the demand for the resources for building materials. The demand for
cement is increasing which consequently results in an increase in the carbon emissions,
water pollution, and release of heavy metals into the atmosphere (Mashifana et al. 2018).

Most commonly,Papercrete is produced in the form of block or brick, the necessary

components of which are cellulose and water.This article focuses on a specimen sized
100x100x100 mm with a curing period of 28 days. In this study, the highest compressive
strength of a Papercrete specimen was 5.0MPa with a composition of paper: cement: sand:
fibreglass in a proportion of 1:1:3:1%. This was used to compare the concrete’s compressive
strength requirement for residential buildings which is 28 MPa and higher for commercial
construction (Jamal, 2017).
 Papercrete, in which paper is replaced by sawdust, is considered to be suitable for
load bearing walls with 4storey or higher buildings (Safin et al., n.d.). Water Absorption is
high in Papercrete blocks. One research defines this value as 45.2% (Stenina, 2015).

However, in terms of fire resistance, Papercrete is recommended to be painted with

fire restraining paint in order to improve fire resistance which can reduce the likelihood of
quick ignition of the material. Papercrete is an insulation material which must comply with
clause H1 of Building Regulations 1992 (Don Amila Sajeevan, 2020).

Papercrete blends in various characteristics that allow being used in internal and
external walls. The main disadvantage of Papercrete is that it can only be used in external
walls in conjunction with double glazed windows to minimise significant heat losses through
the buildingenvelope. Papercrete’s weathertightness can be increased by applying a
humidity-resistant coating. Papercrete is a“flexible” material that allows use in load-bearing
or non-load-bearing walls ((Don Amila Sajeevan, 2020).

Some information has been published on uses of papercrete, other information was
found on how people made the material. However, there is a lack of information on the
engineering properties of the material. A particular mix of papercrete is not defined so it
was difficult to know what the composition of that mix was in order to verify the results (YD
Shermale, 2020).

Undoubtedly, this innovative building material will soon catch its potential to
revolutionize the industry. Papercrete will offer a way to turn “trash” paper and cardboard
into inexpensive houses that are strong, well- insulated and easily built. It is certain that the
papercrete can provide affordable housing for millions of people who are homeless or
inadequately housed (R.Selvaraj, 2015).
 (R Hornby, 2017). According to him, Papercrete, hemp Crete and wood Crete can
replace many applications of concrete, and in some cases other materials, slowing the
mining of nonrenewable resources and deforestation. When Analyzing both traditional and
alternative building materials, there needs to be a consideration of the energy cost and
environmental damage involved with excavation, mining, harvesting, and transporting the
various raw materials and products, otherwise known as a material’s embodied energy.

Heavy machinery is required in order to operate a mine, which requires the use of
fossil fuels, contributing to CO2 emissions. Damage to the landscape through mining can
continue for many years even after mining ceases. Extraction, processing, and waste
disposal involve enormous water demands. Nearby water sources often become polluted,
contaminated, and depleted due to wastewater processing (Massachusetts Institute of
Technology, 2016).

Building materials are one area where hemp can excel as a product. Hemp can be
harvested up to twice a year, and one acre of industrial hemp produces up to four times as
much raw material than traditionally harvested from an acre of trees (Hemp Technologies
Collective,2008-2016). In addition, hemp amends the soil as it grows through
phytoremediation (HempTechnologies Collective, 2008-2016).

Manuel (2002). He studied that physical characteristics of papercrete are mainly depending
upon the relative amount of sand and Portland cement used.

Dunster (2007).He said addition of 20% calcined paper sludge with cement paste accelerate
setting time by 60 minutes, but results in reduction of workability

H. Yun et al (2010). They have found that density of papercrete was decreased when the
replacement of waste paper increased. When paper replacement ratio was 5%, density was
measured 1.88g/cm³, and it was reduced to 15% and 22%, respectively by increasing paper ratio 10%
and 15%. The shrinkage of papercrete was increased according to increase of paper-cement
replacement ratio.
 Ms. S. Suganya (2012). She stated that papercrete bricks are relatively light weight, good
sound absorbent and more flexible but it has high percentage of water absorption than conventional
bricks. It can be easily cut into desirable shape. And also it does not expand or contract due to
surround environment.

J.N Akhtar et al (2011). They computed six different mix proportions by utilizing the Paper
pulp and industrial by products like Fly ash, Rice husk ash. And also, due to the addition of paper
pulp the bricks have low thermal conductivity, and it reduces the energy requirement for
temperature control. While using paper pulp to make bricks, it will reduce approximately 50% of
weight of the brick. Therefore these bricks will reduce the dead weight of the structure to
considerable amount. So it changes our design and building as economical one.

Akinwumi et al (2014). They found the water absorption and fire resistance of papercrete to
be high and increased with increasing waste paper content while the bulk density and compressive
strength of papercrete were low and decreased with increasing waste paper content. Papercrete
was recommended to be an effective and sustainable material for the production of lightweight and
fire-resistant hollow or solid blocks to be used to make partition walls of especially high-rise
buildings. Mix proportions were recommended for production of hollow and solid blocks using
papercrete. It was first patented in USA in 1928 but for next 50 years did not move into mainstream
usage. In 1980 two Americans Eric Patterson and Mike McCain independently invented mixers (tow
mixers) that allowed papercrete to be made quite easily and started a revival of the material.
 Methodology

Research design

This research entitled Papercrete as a sustainable building material is a

quantitative research that is to find out the strength, how durable and sustainable a
papercrete is by effectively experimenting and observing a papercrete.

Hence, the researchers used Experimental or Empirical/Inductive Researches as the

research design for this research. This is for the fact that the researchers will be
experimenting and/or observing the variables of papercrete.

The research design that is chosen would enable the researchers to know the
strength, durability and effectivity of papercrete as a sustainable building
material.

Data Collection technique

In this research, the researchers used experiment as the technique for

collecting data.

The collection of data was conducted in a proper setting for construction. The
location was ensured to be the proper area where can be directed by sunlight and
have the right support or easy access of water.

The time is fixed where the process of collecting data was planned to take
weeks to be completed.