A project proposal on

Design and fabrication of cost effective constructing materials using recycled Tetra Pak

By

M Sandeep Jayaram

M Datta Sandesh

Sasimithran

N Vijay Krishna Ankit

Submitted under : Design for Sustainable Well Being & Empowerment

Student project competition: “Design: Rejuvenating Waste”

To

IISc Bengaluru

1 Name of the institution Amrita School of Engineering Bangalore

2 Department Mechanical Engineering

3 Project title Design and fabrication of cost effective constructing materials using recycled Tetra Pak

4 Name of the project mentor R Pramod

5 Designation of the mentor Assistant professor and deputy academic co-ordinator

PROJECT SUMMARY

Introduction

Tetra pak has been used as packaging material for dairy, beverages, cheese, ice-cream and prepared food for around 60 years. It has gained popularity as it uses aseptic packaging technology that can preserve liquids for a very long time. Many popular brands like Tropicana, Pespi Co , Nandini milk Corp. are using Tetra-pak. Over the past ten years there has been a tremendous increase in demand for it. People prefer packaged products over those that are sold out in open in the market.

Tetra Pak composition

Courtesy: Tetra Pak

The above data shows the estimated increase in the customers using packaged liquid dairy products indicating a direct increase in the usage of Tetra - pak. Used Tetra paks are being widely recycled in cities like Bombay but comparatively on a smaller scale in other metropolitan cities.

Aluminum FoilPackages designed to store food without refrigeration also contain a thin layer of aluminium foil. This

protects the product from oxygen and light.

Polyethylene

Thin layers of polyethylene(a commonly used plastic) are added to seal in the liquid and to protect the product from external moisture. Hence there is one layer of polyethylene in the inside and one layer in

the outside of the tetrapak.

Paperboard

Paperboard is used to make the package stable and light weight.

Pilot survey

We conducted a survey in our college and hostel on how many used tetra pak's are being generated on an average daily basis. There are about 2400 students in our college.We found the following details.

Type Numbers producedFruity (small) 98Appy 65 Maaza 54Tropicana (small) 78Total. 294

In one month the number would be 8820. We also found that on an average a family of four would use about 3 large 1ltr containers of

Tetra Pak which would sum up to 90 per month. Bengaluru's population is about 10 million. If about 50% of the population uses Tetra Pak,

about 15 million tetra paks would be used per month.

Methodological design

Step 1 Collection - Used tetra packs from fruit juices, beverages, milk etc that form a part of our daily garbage are collected in bulk.

Step2 Shredding and pulp making – Collected tetra packs are fed into a paper shredder machine to obtain paper chads. These chads are mixed thoroughly with water to give a mixture of paper pulp and shredded polyethylene and aluminum foils pieces. On a small scale the above process can be achieved by the help of a domestic mixer grinder.

Aluminum and polyethylene pieces

Step 3 Separation : In this process the pulp is separated from the foil pieces. This can be achieved by manual separation.

Step 4 Recycled paper: The paper pulp can be water dried to obtain recycled paper that can be used for various purposes such as card making, wrapping cover etc.

Step 5 Heating and compression of foil: A die of the required shape is prepared. The pieces of aluminum and polyethylene are placed evenly inside the die and placed in a hydraulic compression machine. When compressed at such pressures the mixture is heated and takes the shape of the die in which it is kept.

Die prepared

MERITS :

*The separation of aluminum foil and the polyethylene layer from the paper is very simple and can be done in domestic areas.

* The end products are recycled paper and compressed metal and polyethylene layer that have diversified applications.

* The compressed metal and polyethylene layer is very light strong and at the same time flexible in nature.

* The process on the whole is a low investment process.

* It has good heat resistant properties for roofing and insulating purposes.

Applications:

1 Recycled paper: The recycled paper can be used for making greeting cards, paper covers etc

2 Aluminum foil and polyethylene composite

a) Roadside bunkers: Destitute people most of the time remain homeless. The strong recycled metal plastic can be used as the house construction materials.

b) School equipments: Schools in rural areas are usually devoid of basic requirements like desks and tables. It’s a great deal for the students to sit on the floor during their classes which not only affect their sitting posture but also their sight. Recycled tetra pak can be used as a material to make such tables and desks

c) House Roofing : The recycled product is strong and heat resistant

d) Agricultural water piping networks: piping networks form a major part of irrigation in agriculture. Often it is required to interconnect the fields in order to redistribute the used water. Regular PVC pipes can be replaced by cheap recycled composite.

e) Dustbins: This recycled material can be used as a substitute for plastic in making dustbins.

g) Mobile case covers: The material is strong and shock proof. Hence designer cases can be manufactured for mobiles.

h) Replacement for plastic barricades: Due to the high tensile and compressive strength, these can be used as barricades which are most commonly used in tool plazas on highways.

BUDGET ESTIMATION

Sl.No Type Cost (rupees)

1 Procuring waste Tetra Pak Nil

2 Die material (Hardened steel) 1000

3 Die making (sparking process) 750

4 Blender for shredding 800

5 Mesh for draining liquid from pulp 80

6 Wood for making the frame 100

7 Net cost 2730