SLIIT International Conference on Engineering and Technology

Malabe, Sri Lanka, 25thMarch 2023

Paper No. XXX (Assigned by CMT)

Investigation of feasibility to produce a ceiling sheet from combination

of the agricultural wastes and mycelium as an alternative solution for
asbestos ceiling sheet
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DO NOT ADD NAMES OR AFFILIATIONS HERE

Authors will get an opportunity
to add these after paper review.
Do not add email addresses here for review copy.

ABSTRACT
Rice husk and sawdust were the two materials that were investigated for their potential
application in the manufacturing of ceiling board. Both of these basic resources may be found in large
quantities in the immediate area, and they can sometimes pose a threat to the surrounding ecosystem.
In a similar vein, the elimination of the potential health hazards caused by asbestos is achieved by the
utilization of agricultural waste supplied locally. Sawdust and rice husk are combined in the correct
proportions of 40:60, 50:50, and 60:40 respectively. The flexural strength, wear rate, and water
absorption rate of the generated ceiling boards were all evaluated and analyzed. According to the data
that was collected, it was found that the flexural strength of the sample R40S60 is the greatest, coming
in at 1.688N/mm2. In addition to this, its wear loss is the lowest possible at 33.3%, and its resistance
to wear is the strongest possible at 3.003/kg. On the other hand, it absorbed 49.9% of the water, while
the other samples only absorbed 33.3% of the water. It is important to note that all of the samples were
able to achieve a flexural strength that was more than the specified minimum of 0.018N/mm 2 for
Gypsum ceiling board.

KEYWORDS: Rise husk, Sawdust, Producing Ceiling Sheets, Locally Sourced Materials

1 INTRODUCTION
In the building business, a ceiling sheet is used to cover the top portion of a room or interior
area. With the world's population growing and the resulting global expansion and building, the need
for ceiling sheets has been rising. The building's ceiling's main purpose is to provide extra beauty
while also providing sound and heat protection. Yakubu et al. (2017), citing Ebeh (1997), indicated
that the suggested thermal conductivity of ceiling boards should be within the range of 0.50-0.15
W/mK for performance criteria. According to Badejo (2001), ceiling sheets should have strong heat
insulation and low thermal capacity in tropical regions since their top surface is extremely reflective.
Asbestos, a natural fiber found in rocks, is mostly used to make ceiling boards. Because of its great
fire resistance, low heat conductivity, and high tensile strength, asbestos was employed
(Amenaghawon et al., 2016). All asbestos fibers are recognized to pose substantial health risks to
people, with crocidolite and amosite being the most dangerous. Persons who are occupationally
exposed to asbestos as well as people who live near to asbestos industries and mines will continue to
be at serious risk for health problems as a result of the continued use of asbestos in ceiling board
products (Kanarek 2011; Amenaghawon et al., 2016). Generally speaking, asbestos ceiling boards are
brittle, dangerous to one's health, and expensive. As a result, there is an urgent need for low-cost
alternatives that are both ecologically and humanely friendly and made from local organic ingredients.
Shredded wood, cellulose fiber, and agricultural waste are a few examples of these replacement
materials. Natural fibers work best for the socioeconomic conditions of developing nations.

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The term "waste" quickly conjures up any undesired, non-useful thing that has passed its prime
and is thus should be discarded without consideration for how such disposal methods may affect the
environment (Achadu et al, 2020). Agricultural trash in the form of husk is produced during the
processing of agricultural goods, such as the hulling of rice, and is often disposed of by burning or
dumped into waterways. The aforementioned methods are used to dispose of sawdust produced during
woodworking and the processing of timber. The purpose of this project is to investigate the
possibilities of employing cheap, locally accessible waste materials to make ceiling sheets that are
affordable and ecologically beneficial. Due to the distribution of these bio-wastes, this will help reduce
the incidence of air and water pollution.
Natural fibers are mixed with a matrix material to create bio-composite. The components of a
composite material include reinforcement (fibers and particles) contained in a matrix that maintains
the reinforcement in place while the reinforcement enhances the matrix's overall mechanical qualities.
The strength of the composite is increased when these materials are joined compared to when they are
used separately.
This project looks at how sawdust and rice husk are used to make ceiling sheets.
Objectives of the Study
I. To research the viability of using rice husk and sawdust to make ceiling sheets.
II. The physical characteristics of the ceiling sheet created from each combination ratio while
varying the ratio of sawdust and rice husk.
III. To manufacture a ceiling sheet at a lower cost in order to minimize the high rate of
importation, consequently assisting Nigeria in improving its foreign currency and economic
standing.

2 MATERIALS AND METHOD

2.1 Materials
Materials utilized in this study include rice husk, sawdust, epoxy resin and hardener, Portland
cement, water, and used motor oil. Locally, Rice Mill and Timber shed Kenyatta provided the sawdust
and rice husk. The hardener and epoxy resin were purchased from the international market. While old
engine oil was collected from a nearby mechanic shop, Portland cement was purchased from Market,
Enugu.

2.2 Material Preparation

In order to properly sieve the sawdust, it was sun-dried to
remove moisture. Sieving was done to get particles with
diameters ranging from 0 to 1500 m and to eliminate any
undesirable components that were present. The rice husk was
correctly sieved to remove foreign objects. To lessen its ability
to burn, black ash was partly burned; this was done to stop the
ceiling boards from spreading fire in the event of an outbreak.
The rice husk was burned partially, producing a black rice husk
ash, which was then allowed to cool. The Rice Husk Ash was
then sieved to produce particles with diameters ranging from 0
to 1500 m.
Figure 1 Partially burnt Rice Husk
ash
2.3 producing the ceiling board
The ceiling board was created using the stir casting technique. Each sample's sawdust and rice
husk ash percentage weights were calculated, added, and then properly mixed in a separate bucket
with 250g of cement. In another bucket, 270g of water, 70g of epoxy resin, and 35g of the hardener
were measured, combined, and swirled for two minutes. Then, gently pouring and stirring the
combination of Portland cement, sawdust, and rice husk ash into the bucket holding the epoxy resin,

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water, and epoxy hardener until it became slurry. Before casting, used motor oil was sparingly poured
to the mold to act as a lubricant. The wooden mold was filled with the slurry mixture, and the casting
was let too dry before being removed. This procedure was performed for each of the three samples,
each of which had varying weight percentages of rice husk ash and sawdust, as shown in the table
below.
Table 1 Weight of compositions of materials used
Sample Rice Husk Sawdust Epoxy Epoxy Cement Water
(%wt.) (%wt.) Resin Hardener (g) (g)
(g) (g)
R40S60 40 60 70 35 250 270
R50S50 50 50 70 35 250 270
R60S40 60 40 70 35 250 270

The composite ceiling sheet was dried at room temperature for uniform drying. The ceiling
sheet was ejected after 24 hours and was allowed to dry more for four days before carrying out tests of
the different samples.

3 RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

3.1 Flexural Test Result

Figure 2 Flexural strength of the samples

It was discovered that the sample R40S60, which had a flexural strength of 1.688N/mm2, was
able to absorb a flexural force of 30N before it ruptured; the sample R50S50, which had a flexural
strength of 0.281N/mm2, absorbed a flexural force of 5N; and the sample R60S40, which absorbed a
flexural force of 10N and had a flexural strength of 0.563 All of the samples had a flexural strength
that was more than the specified requirement of 0.018N/mm2 for the gypsum ceiling board (ASTM
2004). The flexural stress exerted by the asbestos board is around 1.00 N/mm2 on average (Obam,
2012).

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Figure 3 Result of the wear test for all samples

3.2 Wear Test Results

According to the findings of the wear test, which are shown in figure 3, When subjected to a
wearing agent moving at a speed of 0.599 meters per second, the R40S60 sample exhibited the least
amount of weight loss due to wear at 33.3%, and it exhibited the maximum amount of wear resistance
at 3.003 kg-1. It's possible that the high amount of sawdust (60%) in comparison to rice husk ash
(40%) is to blame for this. Sawdust, when combined with epoxy resin, is known to take on a
particularly robust quality, which contributed to an increase in the material's resistance to wear. It was
also noted that the sample R50S50 had a percentage wear loss of 66.6%, a wear rate of 0.01110 kg/s,
and a wear resistance of 1.502kg-1. In contrast, the R60S40 sample reported a percentage wear loss of
50.0%, a wear rate of 0.00833 kg/s, and a wear resistance of 2.000kg-1. After some kind of wear
action has been carried out on the material, the negative numbers that were obtained in the table under
the % wear loss column just indicate that there was a drop in the overall weight of the sample that was
being tested.

3.3 Water Absorption Test Results

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Figure 4 Result of analysis of water absorption test

 SLIIT International Conference on Engineering and Technology

After being submerged in a bowl of water for three hours, it was discovered that samples
R40S60 and R50S50 were able to absorb 33.3% of the water in the bowl. This resulted in a water
absorption rate of 3.1 x 105 kg/s, whereas sample R60S40 was able to absorb 49.9% of the water and
had an absorption rate of 4.6 x 105 kg/s. This indicates that the rice husk ash produces a great deal
more space inside the material where water may get trapped compared to the situation when there is a
large proportion of sawdust. Yakubu et al (2017). Pozzolanic materials also have a high rate of water
absorption in their makeup. Therefore, the absorption rate is going to be higher if there is a greater
amount of rice husk ash present in the samples.

4 CONLUSION
The following may be concluded from this research:
I. To create ceiling boards locally, rice husk ash that has been partially burned and
sawdust may be combined.
II. Sample R40S60, which has a high wear resistance and a low water absorption rate, may
be extremely beneficial, particularly in humid environments because to the low water
absorption rate that it has.
III. That the material's ability to resist fire may be increased further by increasing the
quantity of the fire retardant, so enabling the material to gain the majority of all the
attributes that are desired.
IV. That the outcome of this effort might deliver ecologically responsible composite ceiling
boards that are also competitively priced for use in building Rice husk and sawdust are
two waste products that are readily accessible in developing countries, and these nations
should make an effort to capitalize on their potential.

5 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
I would like to thank Eng. K. Kajeenthan, my lecturer, for all of his assistance, suggestions, and
kindness. I was inspired to finish this artwork by his concern and optimism. I'm grateful to our
buddies for helping me complete the required experiments for this study on time.

REFERENCES
Achadu, A. A., Maliki, A. A. and Attahiru, A. (2020). Production of Ceiling Board Using Bio
Composite of Arachis Hypogaea and Eleas Guinessis Waste with Amylum as Adhesive. American
Journal of Engineering Research (AJER), 9(6): 169-176

Amenaghawon N. A., Osayuki A. W. and Okieimen C. O. (2016). Production of Particle Boards

from Corn Cobs and Cassava Stalks: Optimization of Mechanical Properties using Response Surface
Methodology. J. Mater. Environ. Sci. 7(4): 1236-1244

Badejo, S. O., (2001); Saw-dust utilization for building materials production in Nigeria-
Technical report, No. 50, Forestry research institute of Nigeria, Ibadan

Ebeh, S. E., (1997); Recycling of solid domestic and agricultural wastes for use in building
industry as an alternative to asbestos ceiling boards; thesis, University of Agriculture Makurdi

Yakubu, I., Yahaya B. S., Mbishida M. A., Achema F., and Karfe G.S. (2017). Production of
Agro Waste Composite Ceiling Board (A Case Study of the Mechanical Properties). Journal of
Scientific and Engineering Research. 4(6): 208-212

Obam, Sylvester Ogah, (2012). Properties of saw-dust, paper, and starch composite ceiling
board. American journal of scientific and industrial research. 300-304 ISSN: 2153-649X

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