DEVELOPMENT AND EXPERIMENTALSTUDIES OF PAPERCRETEWALL PANELS

Abstract

Papercrete is 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 a additive. It gains its inherent strength due to 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 Papererete 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 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 effective. Much research is being carried out globally on the material but it is yet to be acknowledged by Indian standard practices and codes and recognized by major building material organizations in India. This paper is used to study the properties of papercrete wall panels. It is also used for studying mechanical properties and construction technology associated with papercrete wall panels.