Innovative approaches for recycling office waste paper with potential for sound-absorbing wall panels

This study addresses the dual challenges of waste management and noise pollution by developing an eco-friendly sound-absorbing material using crushed waste printed paper. The objective is to repurpose office waste paper into a sustainable sound absorption panel board, offering an alternative to traditional materials. The novelty of this research lies in the combination of crushed waste paper with varying air-back cavity depths to optimize sound absorption, particularly at lower frequencies. Samples of varying thicknesses (10–30 mm) were evaluated using the impedance tube method across 250–6400 Hz. The findings show that the sound absorption coefficient (SAC) and Noise Reduction Coefficient (NRC) increase with greater thickness and air-back cavities. The thickest sample achieved a peak NRC of 0.56. Statistical analysis (t-test) confirms a significant variation in the sound absorption coefficient with sample thickness and the presence of an air back cavity. These results suggest that crushed waste paper could be useful for sound-absorbing panel boards in wall, ceiling tiles, and acoustic panels. Its application may help reduce carbon dioxide emissions and promote environmental sustainability.