What is Papercrete?
Papercrete is essentially a type of
industrial strength paper maché made with paper and cardboard, sand and
Portland cement. There are many varieties of Papercrete possible. Essentially,
the constituents when mixed in different proportions result in Papercrete of
varying properties.
The basic
constituents of Papercrete are:
o
Paper: usually waste paper such as
used newsprint or cardboard.
o
Aggregate – coarse aggregate or fine
aggregate such as sand may be used depending in the desired strength of the
Paper Crete.
o
Cement: it is used as a binder and
used to provide strength and rigidity to the Paper Crete.
o
Water
A tried combination is 60% paper, 20%
sand and 20% cement. The method of making Papercrete is very simple. The dry ingredients
are mixed with water in a mixer to form slurry. The slurry is cast into blocks
or panels and allowed to dry in the sun.
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 fibres, 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.
Benefits
of Papercrete
o
Raw materials are very inexpensive
and freely available.
o
Equipment used is relatively low-tech
and inexpensive.
o
Has high compressive strength.
o
It has excellent heat and sound
insulating properties.
o
Papercrete is light weight and can be
used to make inexpensive roofing alternatives.
o
Papercrete is very workable and can
be formed into different shapes such as blocks, panels and sheets with ease.
o
It does not catch fire easily but
smolders for hours.
Limitations
of Papercrete
o
Poor moisture resistance
o
Susceptible to termite and mould
o
Disintegrates when exposed to water
for prolonged periods of time.
o
Low longevity
o
Expands and contracts frequently
leading to cracks and buckling
o
Poor tensile strength.
Papercrete is a recent technology and
its use is limited to experimental and recreation use. This has also resulted
in the limited knowledge base about the technology. Papercrete when used in
conjunction with more traditional building techniques has yielded positive and
encouraging results.
The code compliance of Papercrete
remains sketchy simply because there are no codes for Papercrete. Many rural
counties, particularly in the West, there are either no building codes or the
existing codes are loosely enforced. In New Mexico one can apply for an
experimental permit. This requires drawing up a set of plans and having an
engineer sign off on them.
Using Papercrete as a wall filler is
more likely to gain acceptance with building inspectors. One Papercrete house
has been built with a permit in Arizona. The building inspector insisted that
it be built post-and-beam, with the Papercrete used only as infilling (Solberg,
2000).
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