Papercrete is a building material made from a mixture of shredded paper, water, and Portland cement. It can be poured into molds and sets into strong, lightweight blocks like concrete. Papercrete has insulating and sound absorbing properties that make it suitable for construction. While it is not structurally strong enough for load-bearing walls, papercrete can be used for inner walls and decoration. It is an environmentally friendly alternative to concrete that utilizes waste paper but lacks regulatory approval and its use at large scale could increase deforestation.

1. BY
E.Madhulika
III YEAR,Civil
SETHU INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY

2. PAPERCRETE:
 Papercrete is a type of fibrous cement, made by
shredding paper (old newspapers...) into pulp in water
and adding Portland cement.
 The thick mix can then be poured into molds and cast
like concrete, creating blocks, panels and innumerable
other shapes.
 When cured and dried (above right), papercrete is
strong, lightweight, insulating and has many properties
which make it an ideal building material.

3. Preparation:
 Use volatile sources
– Water + waste paper + portland cement[binder]
 Add water upto 2/3rd height Tow mixture contents
sharp blade to chop paper and to mix.
 Collect waste papers.
 Put in tank paper + portland cement
 After running the tow mixture for four to five minutes
at moderate speed.
 Level it equally
 Wait for 20-30 minutes so that excess water can drain
out after 3-4 four sunny day

5. Properties of Papercrete:
• Sound absorption properties.
• Papercrete blocks are lightweight, less than a
third of the weight of a comparably-sized adobe
brick.
• Mold Resistance.
• Flame retardant.
– does not catch fire easily but smoulders for hours.
• Fungus retardant.
• Lighter than concrete.

6. Fire test:
Papercrete vs Wood

7. Less spread and damage in papercrete as compared with
wood

8. INSULATION TEST:
We can place our hand for longer time as it is anon conductor.

9. Applications:
• Large use in house building
• Used as sound and heat insulator
• Different shapes to decorate houses ,
flower pots
• Large number of shape which generate
large area of constructions.
• As it is lightweight it could be used in
various applications.

10. Advantages of papercrete:
• Environmentally friendly-one of the major component is
paper lading into the landfills. By using paper in buildings
we can significantly decrease the amount of paper landing
in the landfills.
• Everyone can make with little knowledge
• Lightweight but strong.
• Easy to use
• Insulating
• Low cost

11. Disadvantages of papercrete:
• As of 2007, papercrete lacks approval from the
International Code Council.
• Papercrete is not particularly ‘structural’, which means it
can’t be used over doors and windows without some
additional support – either wood or traditional concrete.
• Another disadvantage is that it absorbs water.so
we have to protect it from water in the rainy season.
• The cost of raw paper will increase as the number of
people using the papercrete will increase.

12. Future:
• Trying to reduce the amount of concrete required
to prepare the papercrete with same strength
and also ultimately reduce CO2 amount.
• Decrease in the carbon footprint of the house.
• Use of different materials at the place of cement
such as gypsum and lime.
• sustainable construction materials, decorating
materials and etc.
• Large market in Africa , India , China [because
people has less money]

13. Conclusions:
• Good choice to utilize waste paper.
• Big market India, China, Africa.
• Good choice for one story building.
• Inner walls of house can be made by
papercrete.
• No govt. approval-but can be used.
• Increase in demand may lead to
deforestation.