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PAPERCRETE TECHNOLOGY: TOOL FOR A MODERN CONSTRUCTION

Article · January 2021

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 e-ISSN: 2582-5208
International Research Journal of Modernization in Engineering Technology and Science
Volume:03/Issue:01/January-2021 Impact Factor- 5.354 www.irjmets.com

PAPERCRETE TECHNOLOGY: TOOL FOR A MODERN CONSTRUCTION

Dr. Subash Thanappan *1, Woyesa Ararsa *2, Hailemariam Kassu *3, Yirga Terefe*4,
Hawlet Abdulahi Muhammed*5, Hundaol Hailu*6
*1,2,3,4,5,6 School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Ambo University, Ambo, Ethiopia.

(*1Corresponding author)
ABSTRACT
In Ethiopia, construction industries are the major sectors for the growth of economy. The successful completion
of the civil engineering projects in Ethiopia like High- rise buildings, houses, arches, commercial buildings etc
rely upon the cost and availability of construction materials. The cost for construction in Ethiopia varies from
100 USD to 200 USD per square feet at an average. Moreover, for the construction of luxury homes, it varies
from 200 USD to 500 USD. Although Ethiopia is the top cement producers, the cost for cement is 285 - 300
Ethiopian Birr per quintal and it affects the speedy growth of construction sectors. The production of cement is
also connected with various other environmental issues like the excess release of CO 2 emissions into the
atmosphere, which is responsible for the green house effect and global warming. In addition, solid waste
management is a stinging, crucial job and challenge in Ethiopia and it is an urban and rural issues.
Keeping in mind, the cost for construction, environmental friendly materials for construction, efficient solid
waste management, “Design for green homes” is the need for the society. The most efficient way of designing
the green home is recycling the waste materials like waste papers. Mostly, the generation of waste papers is in
huge quantity and the burning of waste papers leads to foot-print carbon. The art of the research proposal is
mainly to develop Papercrete using pulp as an additional ingredient for making the sustainable green homes.
Keywords: Card Boards, Pulp, Sustainable blocks, Top Mixer, Green home.
I. INTRODUCTION
Keeping in mind the current global issues and phenomena of global warming; there is a need for a green
revolution in construction industries. Eco-friendly construction materials become mandatory to bring the
sustainable development in construction industries [12]. Selecting a major environmental problem in an area
for research is very keen to solve it instantly [9]. As we aware that, open burning is nuisance for the society as
the ash pollutes ground water, soil and air we breathe [11]. Now-a-days, the accumulation of waste papers,
especially, written exam papers in the educational institutions (Figure-1) is a huge amount and more waste
paper ends up in landfill or dump sites than those recycled [10]. Consequently, recycling waste paper for
making Papercrete in the construction industries constitutes a pace towards sustainable development as the
reuse of paper protects the eco-system.
The shredded papers (old newspapers, prints, cardboards etc.) brings the rubbery bits and pieces and when it
is converted to pulp, brought to the dry condition, the rubbery bits of papers are combining with each other in
the course of the hydroxyl (-OH) bond, in turn, forms the strength of Papercrete, gains its inherent strength due
to presence of hydrogen bonds in microstructure of paper [8]. Adding of ordinary Portland cement (OPC) and
aggregate (river sand) enhances the strong bondage and counteracts the dimensional changes and cracks on
Papercrete [1, 4]. This thick mix (Pulp) can then be poured into molds and cast like concrete, to make it into any
desired shape and size. Reducing the application of OPC and river sand in ordinary conventional concrete
blocks and introducing the Papercrete technique could help in protecting the natural resources and controlling
the major environmental degradations. The interior decorations for the houses, offices, commercial buildings
and for the highway related civil works, the application of Papercrete might fits according to their physical
properties. Therefore, it is mandatory to investigate the potential of Papercrete [7]. Two major components
(OPC and paper) are blended with potable 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 [13].

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Fig.-1: Accumulation of Waste papers and Card Boards

Location: (Office Chamber, Department of Civil Engineering, HHIOT, Ambo University, Ambo, Ethiopia)
Low carbon footprint, high strength to weight ratio, improved thermal insulation, improved sound absorption,
recycled material application, low embodied energy, aesthetic value and cost effectiveness are the proved
advantages of Papercrete. For decades, environmentalists have been building their homes and other structures
with a material that recycles wastepaper into an alternative construction material made with ordinary Portland
cement (OPC) and other special ingredients and they have claimed that “Papercrete” structures are very strong,
durable, and highly insulating [6]. Newspapers, Written exam papers from the institutions, Used office papers,
Card boards are most commonly used for making Papercrete because it produces consistent results on physical
properties and help in crack control [1].
Advantages of Papercrete
As Papercrete promotes the recycling of waste paper, it is more feasible and practicable substitute for low cost
housing and the construction of temporary shelters and offices. Normally, crises of suitable building materials
lead to high demand and increase in cost and therefore, the need for recycling industrial waste or finding
alternative source is highly recommended. Many pioneer researchers have strongly uttered that the use of
waste papers and cardboards helps in low- cost, eco friendly design. Papercrete can be applied for making
partition walls, and for interiors as it provides aesthetics and opportunity for diverse designs. Less catastrophic
nature of Papercrete makes it suitable for high rise buildings in seismic zone than the other materials like
conventional concrete [5].
Objective of the Research
This research proposal effort aims at analyzing the physical properties of Papercrete such as density, water
absorption capacity, compressive strength, flexural strength, and fire resistance produced using pulp in order
to make certain their aptness for the application as a construction material for green homes. The major
objective of the proposed research is to investigate the possibility of using waste papers as an alternative
material for making a hollow block by satisfying the specific ones.
 To overcome the negative impacts of the costly and scarce conventional building bricks by an innovative and
alternative building bricks, which satisfies the following characteristics:
(Cost effectiveness; Environmental sociable; Less weight;; Low water absorption; effortlessly available; to
supply optional construction material).
 To adopt the use of waste material for construction.

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 To diminish the environmental impacts caused by the burning and dumping of waste papers.
II. MATERIALS REQUIRED FOR THE RESEARCH
 Cement is one of the binding materials in the proposed research. Ordinary Portland Cement (OPC) will be
used for the research (Figure-2).

Fig.-2: Ordinary Portland cement

 River sand will be collected from the local resource to cast test hollow blocks. Sand passes through 3.35
mm sieve will be used and the sand will be washed in order to reduce the silt content (Figure-3).

Fig.-3: River sand

 Water is a colorless, odorless, transparent liquid which plays a major role on the reaction of the paper with
cement, free from organic matter.

 Papers have minimal physical asset value [Figure-4] only will be used for the test as it has ‘No value’ other
than recycling..

Fig.-4: Papers for Re-cycling

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 As the papers cannot be applied directly for the test, it will be chopped and kept in the plastic tank with
water for minimum of 3 - 4 days until the papers degrade into a paste like form before mixing with other
ingredients. Then the paper will be taken out from water and grinded using the ‘top mixer’ to make it as a
‘paper pulp’ (Figure-5).

Fig.-5: Paper Pulp

III. METHODOLOGY
Although there is no prescribed design code for making Papercrete, a good homogenous slurry state will be
brought by mixing 1 kg of paper with 20 - 30 liter of good quality turbid-free water. River sand will be added to
increase the shrinkage resistance, fire resistance and potency. Hence 1:1 is taken as a basic mix ratio for paper
and river sand. Mix proportion of 1: 1 (Paper: Cement) and 1: 1: 1 (Paper: Cement: Sand) by weight will be
considered as a basic mix proportion for the test on their engineering properties through series of experiments.
Torned / chopped small pieces of Papers / Cardboards will be kept under soaking condition in water for
minimum 3 – 4 days. Top mixer (Grinding machine) as shown in Figure-6, will be used to make the slurry form
of mixed papers. The workability of pulp could be ensured by decanting-off the excess water through the
bottom drains of the grinding machine. 230mm x 110mm x 80 mm is the standard size of the mould to be used
for making the Papercrete. As the initial stage of Papercrete have the tendency of adhesiveness under the wet
condition, the oiled tiles will be used to place the mould to enhance the tamping and dressing processes.
The following are the tests to be done on the samples with varying proportions of mix:
1. Test on compressive stresses @ 10% strain, 20% strain, 30%strain and less than 40% strain. The
Papercrete specimens will be tested for their capacity at compression stage. Sample specimens will be
tested after 14 days to have comparative data on how the behavior of Papercrete develops as it
matured.
2. Water absorption test
3. Weight and Density calculations
4. Fire resistance test
5. Flexural strength test
6. Slump test
7. Cost comparison – Cost comparison on Papercrete against Ordinary hollow concrete

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Fig.-6: Top Mixer Arrangement

[Source: Yogesh Shermale and Mahavir Balmukund Varma, 2015 [14]

Table-1: Mix Proportion under Test for Papercrete

Mix Ratios
SN. Mix Type
(Paper : OPC : River sand)
1 PP1 1:1:0
2 PP2 1:2:0

3 PP3 1:3:0

4 PPS1 1:1:0.5

5 PPS2 1:1:1

6 PPS3 1:1:1.5

7 PPS4 1:1.5:1

8 PPS5 1:2:1
Source: Rasheed Khan I, et.al., (2017), [7]
IV. EXPECTED OUTPUT
The expected output of the proposed research includes:
 Economically cheap construction material
 Reduction of solid waste through recycling process
 Bringing a sustainable Green home in future (Figure-7)

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Fig.- 7: The Expected Green Home in ‘Future’ through Papercrete applications

V. CONCLUSION
This research proposal aims at learning the suitability of Papercrete for various civil engineering projects like
low cost houses, offices, commercial buildings, arches and temporary shelters. The findings could help to
reduce the carbon foot print and thus all the major environmental related problems could be eradicated.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Thanks to Ambo University, School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Ambo, Ethiopia for their
encouragement and boosting to develop the research proposal focusing the future green town.
VI. REFERENCES
[1] Juan A.Conesa, Araceli Gálvez, Andrés Fullana, (2008), Decomposition of Paper Wastes in Presence of
Ceramics and Cement Raw Material, Chemosphere, Volume 72, Issue 2, pp: 306-311.
[2] Jil Tushar Sheth , Saransh Joshi, Paper Crete: A Sustainable Building Material, Strategic Technologies of
Complex Environmental Issues-A Sustainable Approach - ISBN: 978-93-83083-85-5.
[3] Titzman Clincton L.,http://www.scribd.com/doc/87323737/Titzman-Thesis, Analysis of low cost
building material for the mixalco process, December 2006
[4] Bhooma Nepal and Vanita Aggrawal, (2014), ”Papercrete: A study on green structural material,
International Journal of Applied Engineering Research”, Volume 9,
[5] Information on http://www.greenhomebuilding.com/papercrete.htm
[6] Barry J. FullerApostolos Fatitis, F. ASCEJorge L. Santamaria, The Paper Alternative, Civil Engineering
Magazine, Volume 76, Issue 5, 2006.
[7] Rasheed Khan I, Prakash Kumar Sekar, Suresh Kumar K, Robinson I, (2017), Economical Eco-Friendly
Light-Weight Building Blocks Using Waste Paper, International Journal of Innovative Research in
Science, Engineering and Technology, Volume 6, Issue 8, pp: 16734- 16738.
[8] Selvaraj R, Priyanka R, Amirthavarshini M, Dr. Prabavathy S, (2015), “Evaluation of Papercrete: An
Innovative Building Material”, IJEART, Volume-1, Issue-6, December 2015.
[9] Dr. Subash Thanappan, (2019), A Proven map to success with Engineering Research and Dissertation,
Volume 8, Issue 12, pp: 1772-77.
[10] Dr. Subash Thanappan, Gammchis Merga, Kidist Dinsa, Jifara Dirirsa, Lami Terefe, Segni Teesisa, (2021),
Solid Waste Management: Plan of Action for Healthy Environment, International Journal of Advances in
Engineering and Management (IJAEM), Volume 2, issue 12, pp: 707-711.
[11] Subash Thanappan, Bharath A L, Arvindraj M, Sakthi Ganesh G, Dumesa Gudissa, (2019),
Environmental Quality for EIA, International Journal of Engineering and Advanced Technology (IJEAT),
Volume 9, Issue 2, pp: 4501-4506.
[12] Thavasumony D, Subash Thanappan, Sheeba D, (2014), High Strength Concrete using Ground
Granulated Blast Furnace Slag (GGBS), International Journal of Scientific & Engineering Research,
Volume 5, Issue 7, pp:1050-54.

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[13] T. Subramani, V. Angappan, (May 2015), “Experimental Investigation of Papercrete Concrete”,
International Journal of Application or Innovation in Engineering & Management (IJAIEM), Volume 4,
Issue 5, pp: 1-10.
[14] Yogesh Shermale, Mahavir Balmukund Varma, (2015), Papercrte: An efficient use of waste paper,
Recent Trends in Civil Engineering & Technology, Volume5, Issue 3, pp: 54-59.

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