Sustainable Cement Composite Integrating Waste Cellulose Fibre: A Comprehensive Review

Abstract

This review presents the research conducted to date in the field of cement-based composites reinforced with waste paper-based cellulose fibres, focusing on their composition, mechanical properties, and durability characteristics. The literature demonstrates that the properties of raw material (depending on their own chemical composition) significantly influence the formation of the cement composite binders. When considering fresh properties, the presence of silica and magnesium compounds generally lead to favourable effects on the setting of the cement composite when combined with waste paper cellulose fibre. Reduction in density values, i.e., approximately 25%, was observed with the inclusion of waste paper fibres from 20 to 80% in cement composites. The homogeneous dispersion of fibres in the matrix is one of the crucial factors to achieve in order to develop composites with well-balanced mechanical properties incorporating waste paper cellulose fibres. Hence, dispersion of fibres can be improved by increasing water quantity corresponding to the optimal value, which was a water/cement ratio of 0.64 leading to optimum strength properties of the composite. Even though the effect of fibre dispersion in the matrix improves with the addition of water, higher porosity and voids govern the strength properties beyond an optimum water-to-cement ratio. Higher porosity leads to an increase in the water absorption and a lowering of the thermal conductivity properties with the addition of paper fibre in cement binders. Paper fibre absorbs a high amount of water leading to higher water absorption. This phenomenon is related to the hydrophilic nature of cellulosic fibres absorbing some volume of water due to their microporous structure.

Cement-Based Mortars with Waste Paper Sludge-Derived Cellulose Fibers for Building Applications

“…In particular, the mortar specimens incorporating 2% of cellulose fibers (CM-II-2) presented compressive strength reductions of 30% compared to the traditional mortar (TM-II-0). In accordance with [15], this result should be related to the increased amount of voids and porosity resulting from the higher water content in the mortar. It is worth mentioning that, as reported in Section 2.2, the cellulose Concerning the specimens obtained from series I (CM-I-1 and CM-I-2), the flexural tensile strength values did not present significant variations compared to the traditional mortars (relative differences lower than 5%).…”

“…One promising alternative to traditional solutions involves the incorporation of industrial byproducts and waste resources into cement-based materials [12][13][14]. In particular, paper sludge-derived cellulose fibers, a residual product of the paper recycling industry, have emerged as a potential candidate for such incorporation owing to their potential to enhance mechanical performance while concurrently mitigating the environmental impact [15][16][17]. For instance, only about 100,000 tons/year of deink paper sludge is produced in Italy, of which about 46% is disposed of for incineration and 4% is disposed of in landfills, with considerable costs but especially with significant environmental repercussions.…”

Reviewing the potential of waste paper incorporation in enhancing concrete sustainability

“…Different varieties of writing paper have the potential to serve as substitutes for conventional writing paper, including materials such as cardboard, magazines, pamphlets, and other similar sorts. The majority of WP is sourced from paper mills or landfills, as indicated by various studies [8,9]. In addition, it is worth noting that WPC can be seen as a viable and efficient alternative to conventional waste disposal methods such as landfills and incinerators.…”