Structural Properties Of A New Material Made
Of Waste Paper
Author(s)
J. Santamaria, B. Fuller & A. Fafitis
Abstract
Papercrete is the name of a new construction material made basically of waste
paper, cement and water. Contractors have started using papercrete to build low
cost houses relying on empirical knowledge of its structural properties. The
purpose of this study is to obtain some mechanical and physical parameters of
papercrete by doing several laboratory tests. The samples tested were made
following the most common procedures that papercrete makers are currently
using. The experimental setup used to test the samples is briefly described and
some test results are presented. Some conclusions and recommendations for the
use of papercrete for building houses are also presented.
Keywords: waste paper, recycling, sustainability, low-cost housing, greenconstruction.
1 Introduction
The necessity of low-cost housing has pushed people to look for alternative
construction materials. \“Papercrete” is a relatively new material basically made
of waste paper, cement, and water. Papercrete is a slightly misleading name. It
seems to imply a mix of paper and concrete, hence papercrete. But more
accurately, only the Portland cement part of concrete is used in the mix – along
with other admixtures. Although some sand and other additives to improve its
behavior under compressive load may be used, the basic components are still the
same.
According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the United States
recycles about 45% of discarded paper annually, U.S. EPA, 2000 [10]. This
Keywords
waste paper, recycling, sustainability, low-cost housing, greenconstruction.
Related Book
Other papers in this volume
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