H.H.

M
JDT ISLAM POLYTECHNIC COLLEGE
DEPARTMENT OF CIVIL
ENGINEERING
2019 – 2022
SEMINAR REPORT
ON
PAPERCRETE IN CIVIL
ENGINEERING
SUBMITTED BY
PRANAV.P
REG. NO: 19011225
 H.H.M
JDT ISLAM POLYTECHNIC COLLEGE
KOZHIKODE

DEPARTMENT OF CIVIL ENGINEERING

CERTIFICATE
This is to certify that the seminar entitled PAPERCRETE IN CIVIL
ENGINEERING is a bonafide record of the work done by
PRANAV.P Reg no:19011225 towards the partial fulfillment of the
requirement into the award of DIPLOMA IN CIVIL ENGINEERING
during the academic year 2019 – 2022 under the Board Of Technical
Education , Kerala state.
STAFF IN CHARGE HEAD OF DEPARTMENT
NAJEEB V.K SHABANA MANZOOR
SUBHA R.S
 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
I would like to express my sincere gratitude to the principal Mr.
MANUEL GEORGE of H.H.M JDT Islam polytechnic college,
Calicut.
I express my deepest sense of gratitude to the head of the CIVIL
ENGINEERING Department Mrs. SHABANA MANZOOR for her
valuable advice and guidance.
With immense pleasure and heartiest gratitude , I express my sincere
thanks to Mr. NAJEEB V.K and Mrs. SUBHA R.S lecture of Civil
Department for their valuable suggestions and guidance. I also thank
all staff members, parents and friends, for their kind hearted support
and encouragement. Above all I thank god almighty for enabling me
to complete and present this seminar.
 INDEX
SI NO CONTENT PAGE NO:
1 INTRODUCTION 1
2 LITERATURE REVIEW 2
3 PREPARATION AND 3
DEVELOPMENT
4 SPECIMEN MAKING FOR 4
PAPERCRETE BRICKS
5 PROPERTIES OF PAPERCRETE 6
BRICKS
6 RESULTS FOR PAPERCRETE 9
BRICKS
7 SPECIMEN PREPARATION 10
FOR PAPERCRETE BLOCKS
8 PROPERTIES OF PAPERCRETE 13
BLOCKS
9 STANDARDIZATION AND 14
COMMERCIAL ACCEPTANCE
10 APPLICATIONS 15
11 ADVANTAGES OF 15
PAPERCRETE
12 DISADVANTAGES 16
13 CERTAIN LIMITATIONS IN 16
THE PROPERTIES CAN BE
OVERCOME BY BELOW
MEASURES
14 SCOPE FOR FUTURE WORK 17
15 CONCLUSION 17
16 REFERENCES 18
1.INTRODUCTION
Papercrete is also known as fidobe, fibrecrete, padobe etc. 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 as
shown in figure 1. When paper is mixed with cement, it creates a very good
bond and the final product is both lightweight and strong. Fibres contribute
to sound insulation properties and help in crack control. Portland cement is
an integral component of the mix and acts as a binder. Cement reduces the
drying time and the effect of pulp shrinkage and increases the strength and
dimensional stability. However it adds weight to the mix and makes it more
brittle. Adding coir, sand, dirt or pumice increases the volume and the
mineral content. Sand adds thermal mass and makes the mix stronger and
impervious to water but results in heavier structure.

The environment impact of paper is significant, which has led to changes in

industry. With the use of modern technology, harvesting 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.

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.
 Figure 1: Papercrete brick [8]

2. LITERATURE REVIEW
Manuel (2002). He studied that physical characteristics of papercrete are
mainly depending upon the relative amount of sand and Portland cement used.

Dunster (2007). He said addition of 20% calcined paper sludge with cement
paste accelerate setting time by 60 minutes, but results in reduction of
workability.

H. Yun et al (2010). They have found that density of papercrete was

decreased when the replacement of waste paper increased. When paper
replacement ratio was 5%, density was measured 1.88g/cm³, and it was reduced
to 15% and 22%, respectively by increasing paper ratio 10% and 15%. The
shrinkage of papercrete was increased according to increase of paper-cement
replacement ratio.

Ms. S. Suganya (2012). She stated that papercrete bricks are relatively light
weight, good sound absorbent and more flexible but it has high percentage of
water absorption than conventional bricks. It can be easily cut into desirable
shape. And also it does not expand or contract due to surround environment.

J.N Akhtar et al (2011). They computed six different mix proportions by

utilizing the Paper pulp and industrial by products like Fly ash, Rice husk ash.
And also, due to the addition of paper pulp the bricks have low thermal
conductivity, and it reduces the energy requirement for temperature control.
While using paper pulp to make bricks, it will reduce approximately 50% of
weight of the brick. Therefore these bricks will reduce the dead weight of the
structure to considerable amount. So it changes our design and building as
economical one.

Akinwumi et al (2014). They found the water absorption and fire resistance
of papercrete to be high and increased with increasing waste paper content
while the bulk density and compressive strength of papercrete were low and
decreased with increasing waste paper content. Papercrete was recommended to
be an effective and sustainable material for the production of lightweight and
fire-resistant hollow or solid blocks to be used to make partition walls of
especially high-rise buildings. Mix proportions were recommended for
production of hollow and solid blocks using papercrete. It was first patented in
USA in 1928 but for next 50 years did not move into mainstream usage. In 1980
two Americans Eric Patterson and Mike McCain independently invented mixers
(tow mixers) that allowed papercrete to be made quite easily and started a
revival of the material.

3. PREPARATION AND DEVELOPMENT:

Khonica Keisham et al (2017). They suggested the following materials
can be used for the preparation of papercrete :

a) 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.

b) GROUND GRANULATED BLAST FURNACE SLAG

(GGBS):
It is a by product 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).

c) 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.

d) 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.

e) 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.

f) 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.

4. SPECIMEN MAKING FOR PAPERCRETE BRICKS

Paper is the major constituent of the mix proportions. H. Umarfarook et al
(2017). They used papers with cement, fly-ash, sand, paper pulp are used as
ingredients of the mix with various proportions. From these materials, 9 mix
proportions were used and studied in terms of compressive strength and
percentage of water absorption.
 Table 1 shows the details of mix proportions used in the study.

Sl. No. Mix Designation Cement: Flyash: Sand:

Paper
1 A1 1:3:4:6
2 A2 1:3:3:6
3 A3 1:3:2.5:6
4 B1 1:2:3:4
5 B2 1:2:4:4
6 B3 1:2:2.5:4
7 C1 1:1.5:2.5:2
8 C2 1:1.5:4:2
9 C3 1:1.5:3:2

All the proportions were taken on a weight basis. Papers were taken in wet
condition, i.e. slurry form. Flyash was taken from Shrinivasan Enterprises. In
this project, Koromandal king 53 grade Pozzolona Portland cement has been
used in all times.

4.1 Formation of Pulp for Papercrete Bricks

a. As the collected papers cannot be used directly so first papers were converted
into slurry form, known as pulp then is mixed with other ingredients.

b. Pins, threads and other materials attached to the collected paper were
removed.

c. Then papers were torn into small pieces and all the torn pieces of papers were
immersed in water.

d. The papers were kept in water for 3 to 4 days, and they soon degraded into a
paste like foam.

e. After that period, the papers were taken out from water tank and shredded
into little pieces by manually on large wire mesh. The shredded papers were
converted into pulp.
f. The paper pulp had residual water in itself, and it was not good enough for
mixing the ingredients. So the required amount of water was added at the time
of mixing.

Figure-2: Casting the papercrete brick [9]

4.2 Casting of Specimen for Papercrete Bricks

The paper pulp is mixed uniformly with flyash, cement and sand. The specimen
was casted in form of cuboids of dimension 235mm x 105mm x 90mm, as
shown in figure 1.

5. PROPERTIES OF PAPERCRETE BRICKS:

H. Umarfarook et al (2017). They tested the above lab scale manufactured
papercrete brick for key properties and following values were obtained.

a. 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 papercrete 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.
b. 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.

c. 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.

d. 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.

e. 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.

f. 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.
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.

g. 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 smouldered 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.
6. RESULTS FOR PAPERCRETE BRICKS

Table 2 shows the physical characteristics based on the study.[9]

SI Mix Cement:Flyash: Water Weight(kg) Compressive

NO Designation Sand:Paper Absorption strength
(N/mm2)

1 A1 1:3:4:6 39.54 2.2 1.86

2 A2 1:3:3:6 41.94 2.085 1.66

3 A3 1:3:2.5:6 48.11 1.99 1.37

4 B1 1:2:3:4 34.46 2.355 2.43

5 B2 1:2:4:4 31.81 2.45 2.51

6 B3 1:2:2.5:4 37.47 2.26 2.35

7 C1 1:1.5:2.5:2 23.26 2.80 2.91

8 C2 1:1.5:4:2 18.95 3.07 3.24

9 C3 1:1.5:3:2 33.3 2.52 3.03

7. SPECIMEN PREPARATION FOR PAPERCRETE
BLOCKS
J. T. Sheth et. al illustrated the methods adopted for manufacturing building
blocks, studied the mechanical properties of papercrete building blocks
associated with the construction technology.

The main materials used for papercrete mix preparation were waste paper
(newspaper), Portland cement PC-53 grade, Sand, Potable water and Soil.

The following paragraphs illustrate the aspects of production, testing and

construction based on this work. Four types of mixes were prepared for the
experiment.

Table 3 shows the mix proportions by volume

SI NO Mix Designation Wet paper pulp: damp

earth:Portland cement: dry
sand

1 Type 1 5:3:1:1

Type 2 6:2:1.5:1.5
2
Type 3 6.5:2.5:1
3
Type 4 7:1.5:1.5
4

Damp earth typically indicates sandy dirt, clay or clay-sand mix.

Typically, earth may be sandy dirt, clay or clay-sand mix. It is desirable to have
earth with high clay content.

The major steps for preparation of blocks and related equipment used are
described below:
1. IS sieve 4.75mm was used to remove all coarse aggregate from the sand and
soil.

2. Shredded newspaper was wetted in water in the curing tank and a motor run
machine called the pulp beater machine was used to obtain wet paper pulp.

3. Next, the soil, sand, pulp and cement were mixed into a more uniform and
consistent mass with help of a cement mixer. The mixer machine was allowed
to work for around 3 to 4 minutes to obtain papercrete.

4. Wooden moulds were prepared in the experiment but acrylic or plastic sheets
can also be used for mould. The moulds were then greased with burnt oil or
taping was done on the moulds which may help in releasing the blocks quickly
and easily.

5. The papercrete mix was then poured into moulds and compacted on a
vibrating to remove voids and achieve more density, resulting in stronger and
more durable product. Temping bar was also used for the same purpose.

6. The mix was then levelled to achieve satisfactory dimensions and finish.

7. After 40 hours, papercrete seemed to attain sufficient amount of strength after

which the moulds were released and casted blocks were allowed to sundry for
further strength gain and development of load carrying capacity.

The first mix results in a hard and dense material and the following mixes result
in comparatively lighter and softer finished material.

J. T.Sheth et.al. Also studied small structures in compression such as

compound wall and arch as shown in figure 3.
 Figure 3: papercrete interlocking arch [10]

The masonry unit was bonded using mortar for the compound wall and fitted
without mortar using a key and hole mechanism inbuilt in the form of the block.
Three types of mortar were prepared for bonding: (a) Cement, sand and water
(C: S-1:4) (b) Cement, sand, water and paper pulp (C:S:P- 1:4:6) and (c)
Cement, paper pulp and water (C:P:W-2:4:1). The last one was found to be
most appropriate and it was used for providing proper strength and bonding in
the papercrete masonry.

When it hardens up, papercrete is lightweight (its 80 percent air), an excellent

insulator (R 2.8 per inch), holds its shape even when wet, and is remarkably
strong (compressive strength of 260 psi). And, since it contains paper fibers, it
has considerable tensile strength as well as compressive strength (Solberg,
2000).

Papercrete is suitable for making low cost homes with limited longevity and
durability. It is also suitable for making community rooms, sale booths, storage
rooms and dwellings for livestock. Papercrete can also be used as a plaster. It
can be sprayed on walls to give them good sound and heat insulating properties.
8. PROPERTIES OF PAPERCRETE BLOCKS
J. T. Sheth et. al. They tested the above lab scale manufactured papercrete
blocks for key properties and following values were obtained:

Compressive Strength
Compressive strength tests on 15 cm x 15 cm x 15 cm papercrete cubes revealed
an average compressive strength of 0.57 N/mm2 after 3 days of cube
preparation. Other research also suggests similar results. [1, 5]. For more
strength, higher grade of cement can be used.

Weight and Density

Density of the material increased with increase in the percentage of cement in
the mixture and reduced with increase in the amount of the paper in the mixture.
Average weight of 8 cubes casted was observed to be 3.624 kg, thus block
density was about 1.07 gm /cc. This is therefore lightweight in comparison to
standard concrete or brick masonry units.

Shrinkage
Shrinkage measured was between 8-9% in each block.

Water absorption
Water absorption of the blocks was about 30% in all cases.

Drying time
40 hours at least are needed for drying of papercrete before it can be demolded.
After this it should be sundried for 4 days before usage for better strength. Or it
can be placed in oven at nearly 70 °C for 40 hours after casting. Putting it at
higher temperature than this can result into segregation of material.

Tests for other properties such as 7 day and 28 day compressive strength,
thermal resistance, sound insulation, behavior under fire etc. are under progress.
Standardization and commercial acceptance:
Papercrete gets its name from the fact that most formulas use a mixture of water
and cement with cellulose fibre. The fibre is usually acquired from recycled
newspaper, lottery tickets and phone books. The mixture has the appearance and
texture of oatmeal and is poured into forms and dried in the sun, much like the
process for making adobe.

As of 2007, papercrete lacks approval from the International Code Council.

This limits its range of use within the city limits of most incorporated United
States cities where building codes apply. It is not used as a load-bearing wall
where building codes apply. However, its strength in model structures has been
proven, and homes and small commercial buildings are being constructed.
There is little or no evidence of its long-term durability at present.

In these small building projects, papercrete is being used as an in-fill wall in

conjunction with structural steel beams or other load-bearing elements.

Dried papercrete has very low strength, but fails by slow compression (due to
the large air content and hence compressibility) rather than in a brittle manner.
Concrete and wood are not known for their insulating qualities; however,
papercrete also provides good insulation.

Papercrete's R-value is reported to be within 2.0 and 3.0 per inch (2.54 cm);
papercrete walls are typically 10 to 12 inches thick (about 25–30 cm). Unlike
concrete or adobe, papercrete blocks are lightweight, less than a third of the
weight of a comparably-sized adobe brick. Papercrete is mold resistant and has
utility as a sound-proofing material.

Papercrete has also been tested for its tensile strength. Fuller notes that a
papercrete block is the equivalent of hundreds of pages of paper - almost like a
catalogue. Papercrete has very good shear strength as a block. Lateral load
involves sideways force - the wind load on the entire area of an outside wall for
example. Because papercrete walls are usually a minimum of twelve inches
thick and usually pinned with rebar, they may be strong laterally.

The Rabons had prior experience as homebuilders and are owners of a ready-
mix cement plant in Mason. They have invested in research and testing on their
product for several years. However, they consider their product a proprietary
formula. They have filed for a separate patent even though a patent for
papercrete had already been filed in 1928. The block developed by Mason
Greenstar is known for its uniform shrinkage (all papercrete blocks go through a
lengthy dry-time that involves some shrinkage), giving it a sharper edge.

Fuller has remarked that in tests he has performed on the Rabon block, it has
outperformed other formulas.

Papercrete is claimed to have benefit of being a project that involves little cost
to start. The materials are claimed to be cheap and widely available. Machinery
suitable for small-scale construction is simple to design and construct.

When properly mixed and dried, the papercrete wall can be left exposed to the
elements. In its natural state, it is a grey, fibrous-looking wall. For a more
conventional look, stucco can be applied directly to it.

A study model home made of papercrete has been built at the Lyle Centre for
Regenerative Studies. This study model is a sample of homes to be built for a
sustainable community in Tijuana by students of California State Polytechnic
University, Pomona

Since 2006 a small company based in England, Econovate Ltd has developed,
with the support of Cambridge and Bath University, a papercrete formula and
production process for breeze blocks to be accepted by British Standard and a
green certification for Europe. This new mixture of papercrete is to withstand
the wet and harsh English weather. As of 2009 Econovate was in the process of
developing this product and reaching manufacturing trials stage. A patent was
filed in 2011 for the production process of breeze blocks with this material. De
design of machinery was necessary to achieve a successful scale up of
production. In January 2013 Econovate became fully funded to set up its first
demonstration plant capable of producing up to 1.5m blocks a year which
expected to achieve certification by October 2015. The company has tested the
product at UKAS register testing houses for 18 rigours test such as fire,
strength, moisture movement, acoustics, thermal, durability and others toward
the product certification. This certification by LABC was achieved in dec 2015.
The company was also in the process of achieving ISO 9001, 14001, 18001 and
BS eN 6001 (responsible sourcing). Its ISO 9001 certification was achieved in
October 2015. Econovate with its product Econoblok is producing a breeze
block, UK standard size (440mmx215mmx100mm) with 5Mpa and another
with 7Mpa. The difference between the two will be the amount of fibre within
the mixture and this can range between 55% to 79%. The more strength the less
fibre thus less thermal. After gaining Certification the company has increased
production and the product is called "econoblok®". Initial commercialization
will be in the UK until the production process is fully tested and ready for up
scaling to a full size plant. From January 2017 the company will start preparing
for the full size plant of 5-6 million block production, this will be based in the
UK. Econovate plans to expand to other region of the world where some basic
recycling system exist.

Compressive test on papercrete block reveals that papercrete can withstand load
up to its 30% axial compressive strain.

9. 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.

10. ADVANTAGES OF PAPERCRETE:

1. They are lightweighted but strong

2. Easy to use

3. Low cost

4. They can be easily made by everyone

5. They are environmentally friendly

6. They provide good insulation

11. DISADVANTAGES:
1. Papercrete is not structural

2. It is water absorbent

3. They have low durability

4. Papercrete is a brittle material

5. The cost of raw paper will increase

6. Unavailability of suitable equipments

Certain limitations in the properties can be overcome by below

measures:
1. Modification of mix proportions can help achieve optimum properties.

2. Addition of reinforcement like coconut fibre (5%-10%) or fly ash can be

done to improve compressive strength of papercrete.

3. Color and texture can be added to papercrete for better aesthetics and design
versatility.

4. Addition of silicon, concrete sealer or epoxy compound can help in

waterproofing of papercrete.

5. Admixtures can also be added to improve setting and bonding properties.

6. Higher strength can be obtained by using higher grade of cement.

7. Papercrete made with certain mixes are resistant to fire, fungi, and pests to a
larger extent.

8. Papercrete blocks made with a sufficient quantity of Portland cement and

sand have improved fire resistance.
SCOPE FOR FUTURE WORK
There is a lot of scope for further research and meaningful work in this
endeavour. Some of these include the study of

1. The effect of supplementary cementitious materials like metakoline, blast

furnance slag , ground granulated blast furnance slag etc, on the strength
and durability of light weight papercrete can be rewarding.
2. The strength and durability of other papercrete building elements like
wall panel , floor slab etc are to be studied.
3. The papercrete structural behaviour of reinforced papercrete structural
members like beams, slab,etc needed to be investigated in depth.
4. The performance of infilled frame with papercrete bricks under
earthquake is to be studied further with respect to ducitility and other
performance with more number of specimen and to be validated
analytically also.

12. CONCLUSIONS:
This study was conducted with an aim to learn the small scale preparation of
papercrete blocks, its design and construction skills and also had a focus on the
assessment of the properties of this building blocks. The study recognized
papercrete as a sustainable building material and emphasized on more research
towards its performance parameters. The manufacturing, processing and
construction techniques are still not developed enough to facilitate its use and
this requires extensive amount of research. 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. It is thus evident that it can be
looked upon as a sustainable building material and has a promising future. 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.

REFERENCES

1. John S. Manuel (2002) “How Do Paper Houses Stack Up? ” Environmental

Health Perspectives, Vol. 110, No. 3, pp. 126-129.

2. Dunster Andrew M. (2007) “Paper Sludgeand paper sludge ash in Portland

cement manufacture” World conference on Integrated WASTE Management.

3. H. Yun, H. Jung, C. Choi (2010) “Mechanical Properties Of Papercrete

Containing Waste Paper” 18th International Conference On Composite
Materials.

4.. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Papercrete.