Paper mill waste makes good cement-bonded board

Paper mill sludge (solid waste) is a good material for making cement-bonded board (CBB).

This technology is now commerciable and its developers are looking for an investment partner to a joint venture for the product’s marketing.

The technology was generated by a research team of the UP Los Baños College of Forestry and Natural Resources (UPLB-CFNR) and UPLB Foundation, Inc.

It was developed in cooperation with the Trust International Paper Corp. (TIPCO) in Mabalacat, Pampanga, and with the support of the Department of Science and Technology-Philippine Council for Industry and Energy Research and Development (DOST-PCIERD).

The technology entails the use of fibrous sludge (the final solid waste recovered after treatment of process water in a paper mill) as a component for cement-bonded board.

"Using it will help alleviate one of the paper industry’s problems in disposing of the sludge," stressed PCIERD.

CBBs with sludge as the main component are mechanically and physically comparable with other cement-bonded boards manufactured in the country, it added.

CBBs manufactured from paper mill sludge are good materials for exterior and interior walls, partitions, and ceiling, as demonstrated by a model house built at the TIPCO complex in Mabalacat.

Production of CBB from sludge has been found financially feasible. The product can be priced competitively because of low production costs.

PCIERD concluded: "The utilization of sludge as component of CBB production will be beneficial to the housing industry as this will surely help alleviate the housing problem of the country. The availability of durable panel products for housing will help solve the housing backlog."

Still in construction, the UP College of Architecture Foundation for Built Environment, Inc. (UP-CAFBEI) and UP Building Research Service (UPBRS) have developed a fiber concrete roofing (FCR) tile that can be used for socialized and economic housing.

FCR elements are made of mortar mixture of sand, cement, water, and natural or artificial fibers. Wastes from agricultural products such as coconut, abaca, pineapple, and ramie, when properly recovered, can be used as reinforcement for roofing tiles.

Multi-layered house, church, and lean-to waiting shed roofs can be constructed using FCR. Viable markets for these products are housing developers, resort owners, and individual users.

"The technology is available for diffusion through hands-on training," DOST announced. – Rudy A. Fernandez