Appropriate Technology for Production of Agro-Based Cement Bonded Sheets and Boards

Investigations carried out at CBRI indicate that good quality sheets and boards for various applications in a building can be made from woodwool using portland cement as a binder. Inorganic binders such as magnesium oxychloride cement and gypsum have been used extensively for making woodwool and plaster boards but they exhibit poor resistance to water. Portland cement bounded organic aggregates when pressed in the form of boards and sheets constitute a good building material with higher strength and better resistance to water attack. Another material, coir waste obtained as a byproduct of coir industry, has ben used with advantage in making corrugated roofing sheets and it is estimated that these sheets can be made commercially available at a price about half to that of AC sheets. A technology has been developed to satisfactorily produce sheets and boards making effective use of some of the agro-based products like coir waste and woodwool. A semimechanised plant has been designed, fabricated artd set-up at the Institute. Successful trials of making sheets and other products have been completed. An estimate indicates that a capital investment of Rs. 8.5 lakh is required to set up a plant to produce about one hundred corrugated sheets of size 2mX Imx 7m in an eight hour shift.

The present paper describes the production process of making sheets and boards from coir waste or woodwood. Salient features of various equipment involved in the plant are also discussed. An estimate of capital investment for the plant has been given and the aspect of profitability high-lighted.