Research breakthrough leads to low-cost but sturdy houses

LOS BAÑOS, Laguna – A research breakthrough has now made it possible for low-income people to build low-cost but sturdy houses.

The scientific headway has shown that paper mill solid wastes or sludge can be manufactured into cement-bonded boards (CBB) for construction purposes.

To showcase the technology’s viability, a model house made of CBB from paper mill sludge of the Trust International Paper Corp. now stands in the sprawling TIPCO complex in Mabalacat, Pampanga.

The research project is a joint undergaking of TIPCO, the University of the Philippine Los Baños-College of Forestry and Natural Resources (UPLB-CFNR), UPLB Foundation, Inc. (UPLBFI), and Department of Science and Technology Philippine Council for Industry and Energy Research and Development (DOST-PCIERD).

The model house was inaugurated recently by Sen. Ramon B. Magsaysay, Jr. and DOST Secretary Estrella F. Alabastro. Also present were UPLB Vice Chancellor Augusto Sumalde, UPLB-CFNR dean Dr. Virgilio A. Fernandez, UPLBFI Executive Director Abraham Caoili, DOST-Region 3 director Dr. Conrado Oliveros, TIPCO officials headed by George Chua (president) and Willy Chua (vice president), and Mabalacat local government officials.

"The pilot production of cement-bonded boards from sludge is technically and economically feasible," averred the UPLB-CFNR research team headed by Dr. Elvira C. Fernandez. Team members were Clevan Reyve Lamason, Dr. Margaret Calderon, and Teodulfo Delgado.

Sludge, or fiber clay, is the final solid waste or residue recovered after the treatment of paper mill effluent (wastewater). The cement-bonded boards made from these residues are good materials for interior and exterior walls, partitions, and ceiling, as exemplified by the TIPCO model house.

Portland cement to fiber clay ratio of 60:40 was used to produce boards of different thickness (six millimeters, 12 mm, 18 mm).

Dr. Elvira Fernandez told The STAR that the pilot house costs only P185,000. If the construction materials (cement-bonded boards) are produced in mass, the cost could be less, she added.

The project has been found feasible in a market feasibility study undertaken.

"The projected market demand for panelboards in the next 10 years far exceeds the projected supply, indicating the excellement market potential of sludge cement-bonded boards," the researchers stressed.

They added: "The product can be priced competitively because of the low production costs."

The results of the financial study also indicated that the proposed pilot plant is financially feasible.

Positive net incomes can be expected beginning Year 2 until Year 16. The return on investments (ROI) for Year 2 and Year 3 to 16 are 52 percent and 65 percent, repectively.

"These imply that the proposed pilot plant for sludge cement-bonded boards is highly profitable," the researchers stated.

They concluded that CBBs with sludge as the main ingredient have comparable mechanical and physical properties compared to other CBBs abundant nowadays.

For its part, TIPCO stressed: "The utilization of fiber clay as a component in cement-bonded board production cannot just alleviate most of the pulp and paper industry’s problem in disposing of their waste materials but also provide new alternative materials for low-cost housing."