Eco Blocks: Nontraditional Use for Mixed Wastepaper

In 1991, approximately 37%, by weight, of the materials going to landfills was paper. Landfill space in the United States is becoming a critical problem in certain areas. This mixed paper fraction does not have a good use in traditional recycling applications. Wastepaper dealers have an excess of mixed wastepaper. This project explored the possibility of producing a value added product that would consume large amounts of mixed waste. The product selected was to produce 5 × 10 × 20 cm paper blocks. These blocks could find applications in building structures. The blocks were molded using a heated platen press and an aluminum mold, fitted with porous brass plates on the top and bottom in order to ease water removal. The material produced was similar to synthetic wood. Unlike wood, it could be molded into different shapes if desired. The density and physical properties of tensile strength and modulus were determined and compared to wood. The water absorption properties were evaluated and found to be a potential problem. Various coatings were investigated in order to improve the water holdout properties. A manufacturing process was laid out and the cost of block production was estimated to be from $0.15 to $0.24 per block, which would make it competitive with other blocks.