International Journal of Engineering Technology, Management and Applied Sciences

[Link] March 2017, Volume 5 Issue 3, ISSN 2349-4476

A REVIEW ON PAPERCRETE
[1]
Khonica Keisham, [2] Alva Pangambam, [3]Chitra Shijagurumayum
[1] [2]
, B.E. Student, [3] Faculty
Department of Civil Engineering
Manipur Institute of Technology, Takyelpat
ABSTRACT:
This paper reviews about the environment impact caused by the paper pollution. The issue was resolved by creating
“papercrete” which now becomes a sustainable building material due to reduced amount of cement usage and recycled
paper being put to good use. Its properties includes absorption, crushing strength, hardness, presence of soluble salts,
etc. are studied. Further it discusses about the numerous advantages and disadvantages in the construction industries.
Certain measures to overcome the limitations in the properties are also mentioned. Hence, the papercrete bricks are
relatively light and more flexible so, they are potentially ideal material for earthquake prone areas.
Keywords: Papercrete, Ground Granulated Blast Furnace Slag (GGBS) compressive strength, environmental friendly,
sustainable building, recycled material.

INTRODUCTION
The environment impact of paper is significant, which has led to changes in industry. With the use of modern
technology, harvesting of 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.

Fig: Papercrete brick (Source: Montana animal farm)

Papercrete is an innovative composite material developed to build an environmental friendly house made up
of paper, cement and water. It has been reported to be a cheap alternatively building construction material, to
have a good absorption and thermal insulation, to be a light weight and fire resistant material. The paper used
in making are those that need to be recycled. It is perceived as an environmental friendly material due to the
vital recycled content. It is made by mixing the dry ingredients with water to form slurry and cast the slurry
into blocks and let it dry. It holds its shape even when it is wet and is remarkably strong. Using papercrete
helps to reduce waste gives people job in making papercrete and also help in developing the economic state of
each individual. The product is highly sustainable as it was around 80% recycled material, hence capturing
carbon dioxide emission by using waste as raw material. Papercrete is an emerging new concept however it
has limited scope. There are three derivatives of papercrete namely fibrous concrete, padobe and fidobe.
i) Fibrous concrete – mixing of paper, Portland cement and water.
ii) Padobe – mixture of paper, water and earth with clay.
iii) Fidobe- It is like padobe, but it may contain other fibrous material.

OBJECTIVE:
For a long lasting development in the field of mass construction, one needs to find an alternative way. So, the
main objective of papercrete is to replace the expensive building bricks that we use in day to day life as
construction material by utilizing the waste paper. Also a further investigation to study the structure of the

349 Khonica Keisham, Alva Pangambam, Chitra Shijagurumayum

 International Journal of Engineering Technology, Management and Applied Sciences

[Link] March 2017, Volume 5 Issue 3, ISSN 2349-4476

papercrete brick masonry was done experimentally and theoretically. The papercrete should have the
following characteristics.
i) Affordable price
ii) Eco friendly
iii) Thermal insulation
iv) Required
v) Less weight
vi) Less water absorption

PREPARATION AND DEVELOPMENT:

For the preparation of papercrete, the following materials were used:
1. CEMENT:
Cement is a binding substance used as a construction material that sets, hardens and can bind other
materials together. In today‟s construction world, cement is the most important building material 53
grade OPC confirming to IS: 8112-1982 gives the properties of cement used.
2. GROUND GRANULATED BLAST FURNACE SLAG (GGBS):
It is a byproduct which is obtained during the manufacturing process of pig iron in blast furnace. Its
chemical composition indicates the presence of silica glass which contains calcium, magnesium and
aluminium. It also has a cementitious character which enhances lower heat of hydration, higher
durability and higher resistance to chemical attack (mostly sulphate and chloride).
3. QUARRY DUST:
They are the remains obtained after the process of quarrying. The dust should have uniform size for
proper utilisation. It should be devoid of impurities but often contains organic impurities and salts.
The dust from the quarry sites has become a major source of pollution but if they are used in the
construction industry as an alternative material for sand, pollution may be reduced to some extent.
Using quarry dust in replacement of sand also reduces the cost of construction and construction
material would be saved.
4. PAPER:
Paper is principally wood cellulose. Cellulose is natural polymer. The cellulose chain bristles with
polar –OH groups. These groups form hydrogen bonds with –OH group on adjacent chains, bundling,
and the chain together. In order to form a hard and a stable crystalline region, the chains are packed
regularly so that the bundled chains gain more stability and strength.
5. WATER:
Water is an important ingredient of papercrete as it actively reacts with cement in the chemical
reaction and the pH value should be between 6 and 7.
6. WATER PROOFING COMPOUND FOR CONCRETE AND PLASTER:
Dr. Fixit Pidiproof LW+ is a special liquid waterproofing compound composed of surface active
plasticizing agents, polymers & additives which is used as an additive to enhance and modify the
properties of cement concrete, mortar & plasters. It makes concrete cohesive and prevents
segregation.

FEATURES & BENEFITS:

1. Corrosion resistant – makes concrete more cohesive, hence protects steel better against corrosion.
2. Compatibility – Being a liquid, easily dispersible & compatible with concrete/mortar mixes.
3. Permeability – It reduces the permeability of water into concrete.
4. Strength –. The compressive strength and setting time of the concrete remains under particular limits.
5. Shrinkage – Reduces shrinkage crack development in plaster & concrete.
6. Workability – The workability is greatly improved in case of mixed cement concrete.
7. Durability – The durability can be increased by improving waterproofing of concrete.
Modifier Cum Bonding Compound Dr. Fixit Super Latex is a highly potent and versatile SBR based
liquid for high performance applications in waterproofing and repairs.

350 Khonica Keisham, Alva Pangambam, Chitra Shijagurumayum

 International Journal of Engineering Technology, Management and Applied Sciences

[Link] March 2017, Volume 5 Issue 3, ISSN 2349-4476

MATERIAL CHARACTERISTICS BRICKS:

The bricks are obtained by moulding clay in a rectangular block having uniform size and then by
drying and burning the blocks. As the bricks are of uniform size, they can be arranged properly and
further, as they are in lightweight, no lifting appliance is required for them. The common brick is
one of the oldest building materials and it is abundantly used in construction as a leading material
till now. A brick is generally subjected to the following tests to find out its suitability for the
construction work.
i) Absorption:
We take a brick and it is weighed dry. Further it is immersed in water for a period of 24 hours. It is
weighed again and the difference in weight indicates the amount of water absorbed by the brick. In
any case, it should not exceed 20% of weight of dry brick.
ii) Crushing Strength:
The crushing strength of a brick is found out by placing it in a compression-testing machine. It is
compressed till it breaks, as per BIS: 1077-1957, the minimum crushing strength of brick is 3.50
N/mm2. The brick with crushing strength of 7-14 N/mm2 are graded as „A‟ and those having above
14 N/mm2 is graded as „AA‟.
iii) Hardness:
The hardness of the brick is determined by making a scratch on the brick surface with the help of
finger nail. If no impression is left on the surface, then the brick is treated to be competently hard.
iv) Presence of Soluble Salts:
The presence of soluble salts in brick will cause efflorescence on the surface of bricks. For finding
out its presence, it is immersed in water for about 24 hours. After that it is taken out and allowed to
dry. The absence of grey or white deposits on its surface indicates absence of soluble salts. If the
white deposit covers about 10% of its surface, it is considered as moderate and the efflorescence is
said to be slight, when the white deposit cover about 50% surface. And if it is more than 50% of its
surface, the efflorescence becomes heavy and when such deposits are converted into powdery mass
it is treated as serious.
v) Shape and Size:
In this test, a brick is strictly checked. The brick should be of standard size and its shape should be
accurately rectangular with sharp edges. For this purpose, 10 bricks of standard size (190mm X
90mm X 90mm) are selected at random and they are stacked length wise, along the width and along
the height. For a good quality brick, the results should be within the following permissible limits:
Length: 1860mm to 2020mm, Width: 840mm to 920mm, Height: 840mm to 920 mm.
vi) Soundness:
In this test, two bricks are taken and they are struck each other. The bricks should not break when
they are being struck and a sound of clear ringing should be produced.
vii) Structure:
We break a brick and closely examined its structure. It should be homogeneous, compact and free
from any defects like holes, lumps etc.

THE MAJOR STEPS FOR THE PREPARARTION OF PAPERCRETE BRICKS:

Fig: Immersed paper (source: innovative paper material by [Link], [Link],

[Link], M. Harshavarthana Balaji,[Link], S. Jaya pradeep)

351 Khonica Keisham, Alva Pangambam, Chitra Shijagurumayum

 International Journal of Engineering Technology, Management and Applied Sciences

[Link] March 2017, Volume 5 Issue 3, ISSN 2349-4476

Fig: Paper pulp (source: innovative paper material by [Link], [Link],

[Link], M. Harshavarthana Balaji,[Link], S. Jaya pradeep)

1. IS sieve 4.75mm was used to remove all coarse aggregate from the sand and soil by temping.
2. Newspapers are ripped up into small pieces in a container and it is covered with boiling water. It is
then leave to soak for 3days until the paper has turned mushy.
3. A stucco mixer is used to pulp the soaked newspaper with water. If paper isn‟t pulping into small
pieces, extra water is added to make it easier.
4. It is then mixed with cement, sand into a more uniform and consistent mass with the help of stucco
mixer. The mixer was allowed to work for around 3-4minutes to obtain papercrete.
5. Moulds were prepared and the papercrete mix was then poured into the moulds and compacted on a
vibrating machine to remove voids and achieve more density, resulting in stronger and more durable
product.
6. The mix was then levelled to achieve satisfactory dimensions and finish.
7. After 40 hours, the moulds were released after the papercrete seemed to attain its sufficient amount of
strength and casted blocks were allowed to sundry for further strength gain and development of load
carrying capacity.
RESULT AND DISCUSSION:
After casting the bricks, they were analysed for using as a brick. The following tests were carried out
to check the strength of the brick.
1. Water absorption test:
WATER ABSORPTION TEST
60.00
ABSORPTION
% OF WATER

40.00
20.00 G-20%
0.00 G-30%
P1 P2 P3 G-50%
24 HOURS

Graph showing percentage of water absorption Vs time with different mix.

Water Absorption result in % (24 hours)

20% 30% 50%
Trail 40.11% 33.85% 23.74%
Mix
Table 1: The above table represents water absorption test of papercrete bricks (source: innovative brick
material)

352 Khonica Keisham, Alva Pangambam, Chitra Shijagurumayum

 International Journal of Engineering Technology, Management and Applied Sciences

[Link] March 2017, Volume 5 Issue 3, ISSN 2349-4476

The water absorption test is carried out by drying the specimen in a ventilated oven at a temperature range of
105⁰ to 115⁰C till the weight of the brick remains constant and followed by cooling the specimen at the room
temperature. Then the weight of the papercrete brick is obtained. The dried specimen is immersed completely
in clean water at a temperature of 27+2⁰C for 24 hours. The specimen is removed and swipe out any traces of
water with damp cloth and weigh the specimen after it has been removed from water.
2. Compression test:
The test was carried out by a compression testing machine. This test was conducted on the 14th day from
the date of casting the papercrete bricks. While testing the papercrete brick, great care must be taken
because papercrete brick never failed catastrophically, it just compressed like squeezing rubber. So load
was applied up to half compression. When papercrete brick failed at the higher load, the structure was not
fully collapsed. Only the outer faces cracked and peeled out. The papercrete brick are having elastic
behaviour and less brittleness.
The following steps were followed for compression testing:
 First the irregularities in the surface were removed.
 The brick was placed at the centre on the bottom plate of the universal testing machine.
 Then the upper plate of the universal testing machine was lowered down up to the brick so as to
hold tightly without any movement.
 Then the load was applied axially at a uniform rate till the brick was halved.
 Every time, three bricks which are of the same proportion were tested.

Best Compressive Strength in N/mm2

Trial
Mix 20% 30% 50%

5.9 7.5 8.7

Above table gives the compressive strength in N/mm2 for 14 days for 20%, 30% and 50% of GGBS.
COMPRESSIVE STRENGTH TEST
10
COMPRESSIVE TEST IN

8
6
G-20%
N/mm2

4
G-30%
2
G-50%
0
P1 P2 P3

percentage of GGBS in 14 days

The above chart shows a plot between compressive strength and percentage of the GGBS in 14 days.

PRESENCE OF SOLUBLE SALTS:

The soluble salts, if present in bricks will cause efflorescence on the surface of bricks. In order to find out the
presence of soluble salts in a brick, this test was carried out which includes immersion of the fibrous concrete
bricks in water for 24 hours. Then the bricks were taken out and were made to dry in shade. Grey or white
deposits were not found on the bricks surface which concludes that the bricks are free from soluble salts.

353 Khonica Keisham, Alva Pangambam, Chitra Shijagurumayum

 International Journal of Engineering Technology, Management and Applied Sciences

[Link] March 2017, Volume 5 Issue 3, ISSN 2349-4476

SOUNDNESS TEST:
In this test, two bricks which are of the same proportion were taken and they were struck with each other. The
bricks did not break and a clear ringing sound was produced which means that the bricks are good.

STRUCTURE TEST
In this test, a brick is broken and the structure of the broken brick was closely observed. If there are any
defects like holes, lumps, etc., then the bricks are not of good quality.

HARDNESS TEST:
In this test, a scratch was made on brick surfaces. This test was carried out for all the three proportions of
brick. While the scratch was made with the help of finger nail on the bricks, very light impression was found
on the surface of the fibrous concrete brick. So this test results that fibrous concrete bricks are sufficiently
hard.

NAILING:
When compared to conventional bricks, fibrous concrete bricks are less hard. So, in order to find out whether
the brick can hold the nail or not, this test was carried out. Two specimens of bricks were taken. Out of the
two bricks, a nail was hammered on the surface of one brick and a screw is also screwed on the other brick.
The fibrous concrete brick could not hold nails but screws worked well and hold a considerable weight. So,
the screws are the anchors of choice for fibrous concrete bricks.

CUTTING AND GLUE:

The labours could not able to cut the bricks exactly what they need. But, fibrous concrete bricks can be cut
into exactly two pieces by using conventional saw blades. So, we can get any shape and size of fibrous
concrete brick. Many cut bricks are wasted in now a day. But if we apply a sufficient amount of glue on the
bottom piece, the two fibrous concrete can be hold together and hence will not come apart.

PLUMBING AND ELECTRICAL:

Fig: Hole in the brick (source: innovative brick material by [Link], [Link],
[Link], M. Harshavarthana Balaji,[Link], S. Jaya pradeep )
Installing plumbing lines requires cutting holes and channels in papercrete. Using a circular or chain saw, the
electrical runs were cut. To make holes for outlets, horizontals and vertical slits was cut with a circular saw.
Then unwanted pieces were removed with the help of a screwdriver. Home fires start, where the wiring enters
the outlet boxes. So, non-flammable mortar should be put behind the outlet boxes for safety. Once the
electrical wiring and outlets are installed and then tested, the channels for the electrical runs are for filled with
papercrete.

354 Khonica Keisham, Alva Pangambam, Chitra Shijagurumayum

 International Journal of Engineering Technology, Management and Applied Sciences

[Link] March 2017, Volume 5 Issue 3, ISSN 2349-4476

FIRE:
A brick which is used for construction should not flammable in open flame, so this test was carried
out for the bricks. This test was carried out only for fibrous concrete bricks but not for padobe bricks for
padobe bricks were already heated in kiln at high temperature so, it won‟t burn. The following are the steps
involved in this test:
 First, the brick was wiped with cloth to remove and all the foreign matters.
 Then some of the flammable sticks were fired. After that, the bricks were held on the flame for
five minutes.
 After five minutes fixing was stopped and the bricks were observed.
From the test conducted above, it was observed that the fibrous concrete bricks did not burn with an open
flame. They smoldered like charcoal. But after burning for several hours, these brick would be reduced to
ash. If the interior plaster and exterior stucco is provided on the fibrous concrete bricks, the bricks won‟t
burn.

APPLICATIONS:
1. They are largely used in the building of houses.
2. They can be mould into any different shapes to decorate houses, flowerpots, etc.
3. Can be used as sound proofing material.
4. It is less catastrophic then materials like concrete so they can be used in high rise buildings in seismic
zones.
5. They can be also used in simple furniture in interiors as it provides aesthetic and opportunity for diverse
designs.

ADVANTAGES OF PAPERCRETE:
1. They are lightweighted but strong:
Unlike concrete or adobe, papercrete blocks are lightweight, less than a third of the weight of a
comparably-sized adobe brick. It is strong enough to hold up the load of roof on “low height” buildings.
2. Easy to use:
It is quick, easy to make and durable as well as fairly inexpensive and while most municipalities
would not recognise it as an acceptable building material.
3. Low cost:
Papercrete is suitable for making low cost homes with limited longevity and durability. They are
remarkably inexpensive, since all the ingredients except for the cement are available for free or nearly free.
4. They can be easily made by everyone:
As the basic constituents of papercrete are only paper, cement and water, it can be easily made by
following the steps.
5. They are environmentally friendly:
By the term environmentally friendly, it simply means having a lifestyle that are better for the
environment. By using paper in buildings we can significantly decrease amount of paper landing in the
landfills. Using the concept of recycling of waste materials, papercrete is not only reducing the amount of
cement using but also making it environmentally friendly.
6. They provide good insulation:
According to Jeododibroto (1983), raw material of paper contains a lot of fiber cellulose. The content
and coating of paper contain aluminium fiber influence to the heat resistance to building material, so that it
can save heat energy to cool the room. Unlike those of concrete where heat from the sun heats the wall up and
the concrete allow that heat to pass all the way through and radiate into the interior of the house.

DISADVANTAGES:
1. Papercrete are not structural:
It means that they cannot be used over doors and windows without some additional support i.e. either by
wood or concrete.

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[Link] March 2017, Volume 5 Issue 3, ISSN 2349-4476

2. It is water absorbent:
Another disadvantage to papercrete is that it absorbs water. One must be careful to put a good protective
coating on all exterior surfaces that are meant to expose to rain. It is also not actually to be used on the
ground as it will absorb water from the surrounding earth.
3. They have low durability:
Durability is another major issue owing to the tendency of paper to degrade due to thermal, biological and
chemical actions like fire, micro-organisms and sulphate and chloride attacks respectively.
4. Papercrete is a brittle material:
In brittle materials, fracture happen mainly due to the presence of flaws on the surface or inside the
material where flaws act as crack initiation site. Therefore, they tend to break before their stated limit and
the point where such type of failure occurs depends on the size of flaw which again depends on how
material was processed or handled.
Also brittle materials are much more (10 to 15 times) prone to failure due to tension than compression.
They also stretch elastically when loaded to a certain point but they tend to shatter very quickly if loaded
beyond this point.
5. The cost of raw paper will increase:
As papercrete grows in popularity, it will become harder to find enough paper. Right now, there is an
overabundance of excess paper, and one can get as much paper as we want for free. As papercrete grows in
popularity, people will realize there is a market for old paper and start selling it – thus the cost of building
with papercrete will go up.
6. Unavailability of suitable equipments:
Machinery designed for use with traditional concrete are built for use with very heavy materials, therefore
the machines are heavy and costly. The extreme durability is not necessary for those machines which
certainly work for papercrete. Since papercrete weighs a small fraction of traditional concrete, lighter-
weight machinery would easily suit. However, because of the less number of people building with
papercrete at this time, that type of machinery is not commercially available, which means that one must
either buy the expensive machines or build their own.

Certain limitations in the properties can be overcome by below measures:

1. Addition of reinforcement like coconut fibre (5%-10%) or fly ash can be done to improve compressive
strength of papercrete.
2. Addition of silicon, concrete sealer or epoxy compound can help in waterproofing of papercrete.
3. Admixtures can also be added to improve setting and bonding properties.
4. Higher strength can be obtained by using higher grade of cement.
5. Papercrete made with certain mixes are resistant to fire, fungi, and pests to a larger extent.
6. Papercrete blocks made with a sufficient quantity of Portland cement and sand have improved fire
resistance.
CONCLUSION:
 The study recognized papercrete as a sustainable building material and emphasized on more research
towards its performance parameters.
 Papercrete bricks are suitable for non-load bearing walls only i.e. buildings made from this could be only of
one storey.
 The weight of this brick is 1/3rd to 2/5th lesser than conventional clay brick.
 These bricks are not suitable for water logging and external walls. It can be used in inner partition walls as
they are water absorbent.
 Due to less weight of these bricks, the total dead load of the building will be reduced.
 Since, these bricks are relatively light weight and more flexible, they have now become an ideal building
material for earthquake prone areas.
 Papercrete can be developed as a material which is suitable for low cost housing and temporary shelters and
offices and can help reduce carbon footprint.
 Since, the waste materials are used it will reduce the landfills and pollution.

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[Link] March 2017, Volume 5 Issue 3, ISSN 2349-4476

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357 Khonica Keisham, Alva Pangambam, Chitra Shijagurumayum