SYSTEM TECHNOLOGY INSTITUTE 1

Benefits of Eradicating Water Hyacinth and

Reusing it along with Waste Paper as a Fertilizer in *

A Research Paper Presented to the

Faculty of the Senior High School Department
System Technology Institute, Campus
Quezon City

In partial Fulfilment
Of the Requirements in
Practical Research For the
STEM 404

Geron, Jowie
Marin, Prince
Ponce, Arvin Ian
Reales, Nicole Shinji
Vicente, Dean Mark

December 2019
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Chapter 1
THE PROBLEM AND ITS BACKGROUND

Introduction

Fertilizer is a natural or artificial substance containing the chemical elements that

improve growth and productiveness of plants. Fertilizers play an important role in the

development of crops by providing required nutrients. They may also improve the quality of

crops. Fertilizers enhance the natural fertility of the soil or replace the chemical elements

taken from the soil by previous crops. Many farmers around the world execute the use of

fertilizers in their farms because better crop means better income so they invest also on

fertilizers to have better product and better crops to sell.

Although the plants can grow naturally without the use of fertilizer, assisting its

growth with fertilizer is not a bad idea because for example, the fruits of plants assisted with

fertilizer is better than the fruit of a plant that has not been assisted by a fertilizer.There are

types of fertilizers first is the Organic Fertilizer, it is a kind of fertilizer that is made from

organic materials like animal feces, vegetable or other plant matter that are mostly naturally

made on the nature. On the other hand Synthetic Fertilizer are “Man-made” inorganic

compounds, they are normally derived from the products of the petroleum industry.

Both of the fertilizers contain the essential components for plant growth which is the

Nitrogen, Phosphorus, and Potassium. If the two fertilizers are compared, the Organic

Fertilizer contains lesser N-P-K (Nitrogen-Phosphorus, Potassium) than the Synthetic

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Fertilizer so if Organic Fertilizer is to be used larger amount is needed so suffice the needed

nutrients of the plants but the Organic Fertilizer contains vital organic matter for the soil that

helps to improve it.

In this study, the researchers will create an Organic Fertilizer made from waste

papers, water hyacinths, and other clay materials. The chosen components will provide the

essential nutrients for the plants. Not only providing the essential nutrients for plants but also

helping the environment by reducing the number of water hyacinth that is according to

research can block the drainage causing floods. Reusing waster paper as fertilizer is also a

good help for the environment because large amount of papers are commonly disposed

without reusing it. Waste papers have a lot of potential for other uses than just being

disposed.

Water Hyacinth is a type of plant that grows above the water and what’s more of it is

its quick reproduction ability. The researchers chose it as one of the components for the

organic fertilizer because it can be gathered easily without causing a lot of money. The

researchers believe that it will have a significant effect on the fertilizer because the Water

Hyacinth leaves also contain the nutrients that will help the plants grow.

People may be wondering why the researcher used waste paper on this research,

many people don’t know that paper can be a potential component for a fertilizer and he

researchers have found a way to use it. Paper comes from the tree that is a good source of

carbon and according to our research, paper also contains carbon. Carbon in the papers can

be used as assisting the plant’s growth by being the food for the decomposers. The feces of
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the decomposers underground helps the plant growth because it contains the essential

nutrients for the plants. So if the paper if processed correctly it can be a food for the

decomposers and they are the ones who will keep the soil more healthy for a plant to grow.

Background of the Study

The main reason why the researchers conduct this study is because the rapid

reproduction of water hyacinth in rivers is alarming and it also causes flooding in some of the

areas due to blockage of drainage. The researchers aim to present a reason for the people to

remove the water hyacinth not just because it pesters the water systems but because it can be

also used as fertilizer. The second one is the papers that are just being disposed without being

reused. A lot of trees around the world are cut down to make papers so the researchers

believe that after using paper it should be reused because some papers are just wasted and

that means that the trees it came from will also be wasted. Papers is a potential component

for the fertilizer because of the elements inside it.

The water hyacinth has severely infested Philippine waters with its rapid rate of

reproduction. It is the most damaging aquatic plant worldwide because of its capability to

reproduce at an extraordinary rate, thereby choking lakes and rivers. With high measure of

survival and growth it is generally difficult to clear water bodies infested with water

hyacinth. Water hyacinth has been demonstrated to be useful to develop super-capacitors, for

production of ethanol, and to improve the immune resistance of plants and animals.In Laguna

de Bay, for instance, water hyacinth is considered a nuisance. “These plants now cover some
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20% of the lake's surface area,” said Edgardo Manda, general manager of Laguna Lake

Development Authority. He added that such proliferation threatens survival of aquatic

species there since these plants block sunlight’s penetration into the water.

Water hyacinth also reduces biological diversity, impacts native submersed plants,

alters immersed plant communities by pushing away and crushing them, and also alter animal

communities by blocking access to the water and/or eliminating plants the animals depend on

for shelter and nesting. In Lake Victoria, African fishermen have noted that, in areas where

there is much water hyacinth infestation, the water is still and warm and the fish disappear.

They also complain that crocodiles and snakes have become more prevalent.Water hyacinth

was introduced into many parts of the world, including the Philippines, as an ornamental

garden pond plant due to its beauty. But today, it is considered a pest as 10 plants could

produce well over 650,000 offspring within eight months. (Tacio, 2009).

According to an article of (Tenorio et al., 2001). Waste paper contributes to nineteen

percent (19%) of the total municipal solid waste in the Philippines and it is the second most

produced solid waste, next to kitchen waste. A report of the Development Bank of the

Philippines indicates that the local pulp and paper industry supplies about 61% of the total

paper consumption while the rest is imported. In fact, the annual per capita consumption of

paper in the Philippines is 13 kg, which is still much below the per capita paper consumption

of developed countries (DBP, 2005).

Synthetic Fertilizers are great fertilizers but it can be costly because the raw materials

needed can be hard to find or the whole process to make the fertilizer can cost a lot of money.
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So the researchers of this study aims to make an Organic Fertilizer that is less costly than the

other organic fertilizers but can provide the same or even greater effect than them using

materials such as the water hyacinths, which can prevent the flooding in some areas when

reduced and waste papers, which are just being disposed without being reused.
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Theoretical Framework
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Conceptual Framework Water Hyacinth are becoming a problem

on *, due to it's quick reproductive ability

Water Hyacinth
it blocks the water systems on rivers
pestering the
water systems. causing flood.

Old papers are sometimes just disposed

Waste papers without being reused. Paper is a solid
disposed without
waste that can be recycled so waste
being reused
papers should be reused to help

environment as well.
Idea of making
fertilizer The researcers looked for ways to use

these materials as one product because the

utilization of these materials can help the

Gathering of environment and thats where the idea of
materials and
Experimentation fertilizer came up.

Paper-Hyacinth Fertilizer is an organic

fertilizer that is made from used papers

Paper-Hyacinth and Water Hyacinth binded by clay

Fertilizer materials. The rresearchers believe that

this organic fertilizer can provide the

essential nutrients to help the plants grow

at a low cost.
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Statement of the problem

1. Is the Paper-Hyacinth Fertilizer applicable to all vegetable crops?

2. Does the Paper-Hyacinth Fertilizer provides the right amount of N-P-K (Nitrogen-

Phosphorus-Potassium) for the plants?

3. Does the Paper-Hyacinth Fertlizer shows significant changes to the growth of the

plants?

Research Hypothesis

1. Paper-Hyacinth Fertilizer is applicable to all vegetable crops.

2. Paper-Hyacinth Fertilizer provides that the sufficient nutrients needed by the plants.

3. Paper-Hyacinth Fertilizer will show significant changes to the growth of the plants.

Significance of the Study

To the STEM students, This study will provide them additional knowledge about

paper hyacine organic fertilizer and discover another innovative fertilizer in the future.

To the Agricultural teachers, this study will help them acquire more knowledge

about this potential paper hyacine fertilizer thus they can encourage other professor to study

this research for future use and be more aware of what organic waste can help us promotes

organic recycled fertilizer to the future generation.

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To school admistration, this study will help them educate more students about this

method of fertilizer specially the agriculture related course, and this study will be beneficial

to those student/professor that studies agriculture related course.

To the future researcher, this study would be a great help for the future generation

for it will be a source of additional knowledge and information that are providing here in this

study.

Scope and Limitations

This particular study is limited to 30 respondents from (insert brgy). The

chosen respondents are the interested sample in the study which is the Benefits of Eradicating

Water Hyacinth and reusing it with Waste Paper as a Fertilizer. These respondents will

cooperate to find the positive effects of the Paper-Hyacinth Fertilizer.The method that will be

used is quantitative method through survey and analysis. The researchers will give

questionnaires to the selected respondents. These questionnaires will reveal the effects and

the benefits of eradicating Water Hyacinth and reusing it with waste Paper as a fertilizer.
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Definition of Terms
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Chapter 2

REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE AND STUDIES

Foreign Literature

According to Identification of impacts, some biology of water hyacinth (Eichhornia

crassipes) and its management options in Lake Tana, Ethiopia, a research paper of MH

Julien, MW Griffiths, John Stanley(2001), Water hyacinth is widely recognised as the

world's worst aquatic weed. Originally exported from its native Amazonia because of its

attractive flowers, the species rapidly established and spread throughout tropical, subtropical

and warm-temperate regions of the world. Water hyacinth forms a dense impenetrable mat

across the water surface, limiting access by man, animals and machinery. Navigation and

fishing are obstructed, and irrigation and drainage systems become blocked. The

consequences are devastating for those communities reliant on water bodies for water, food,

sanitation and transport. Programs to control its growth have been initiated in most countries

where it occurs.

Gunnarsson and Petersen (2005) stated in their literature work: Water Hyacinths as a

Resource in Agriculture and Energy Production, Water hyacinths are becoming a problem in

lakes, ponds and waterways in many parts of the world. This paper contains a literature study

of different ways to use water hyacinths, mainly in agricultural or alternative energy

systems.The literature review indicated that water hyacinths can be rich in nitrogen, up to
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3.2% of DM and have a C/N ratio around 15. The sludge from the biogas process contains

almost all of the nutrients of the substrate and can be used as a fertiliser. The use of water

hyacinth compost on different crops has resulted in improved yields. The high protein

content makes the water hyacinth possible to use as fodder for cows, goats, sheep and

chickens. Water hyacinth, due to its abundant growth and high concentrations of nutrients,

has a great potential as fertilizer.Transporting of fresh water hyacinths means, if used as

fertiliser in amounts large enough to enhance or effect crop growth, an unreasonably large

labour requirement. Based on the labour need and the limited access to technology, using

dried water hyacinths, as green manure is a feasible alternative in many developing countries.

According to Keawmanee's literature, Water Hyacinth - The Green Potential (2015),

aggressive invasion of floating water hyacinth has always been a big problem in Tropical

countries, including Thailand. The ever growing amount of water hyacinth has polluted and

block the flow of water in many rivers. A current solution for this problem is removal of

water hyacinth from the rivers which basically harvest the plants from the rivers and dispose

them someplace else. Water hyacinth is known for its elastic yet tough property which could

be turned into green fibers for handicrafts and artifacts, either by the water hyacinth itself or

the combination with other materials. The goal is to encourage Thai local villages who have

different skill sets and spare time to get together and create something valuable from such

material. And design could play an important role to make that something special so it would

According to Impact of Water Pollution on Human Health and Environmental

Sustainability, Mujere Never (2015)The literature has shown that water hyacinth is native to

the Amazon Basin and one of the world's most noxious aquatic weed. Lack of natural
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enemies together with nutrient enriched water bodies facilitate the spread of water hyacinth

in temperate, tropical and sub-tropical waters. The weed causes a variety of socio-economic

and environmental problems when its rapid mat-like proliferation covers areas of fresh water.

With control, the mechanical method is the most cost-effective, followed by the biological,

manual and chemical methods. Regardless of its problems, water hyacinth has been found to

be useful for industrial, agricultural, household and environmental purposes.

According to D.L. Klass and S. Ghosh (1980) journal entitled Methane Production

by Anaerobic Digestion of Water Hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes), Water Hyacinth is under

conventional high-rate digestion conditions exhibited higher CH4 yields and energy recovery

efficiencies when grown in sewage-fed lagoons than when grown in a fresh water pond.

Mesophilic digestion provided the highest recovery of feed energy in the product gas as CH4,

while thermophilic digestion, when operated at sufficiently high loading rates and reduced

detention times, gave the highest specific CH4 production gas rates. CH4 yields, volatile

solids reduction, and energy recovery as CH4 from the sewage-grown water hyacinth were in

the same range as those observed for other biomass substrates when digested under similar

conditions.
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Foreign Study
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Accoding to Khan, M.A., Mingzhi, W., Lim, BK. et al. J Wood Sci (2008) They

developed a slow-release fertilizer from waste paper and urea. This approach has the

advantage of a slow-release fertilizer in that it avoids surface runoff or leaching of nutrients,

while providing an excellent medium for the recycling of waste paper. The successful

impregnation of urea into waste paper was confirmed by scanning electron microscopy. This

study also evaluated the release patterns of N from impregnated waste paper using a

simulated soil solution and distilled water as leaching solutions.

Rosano-Ortega, Avila-Pérez, Zavala, Santiago, Canizal, Ascencio (2007) stated in

their study that in order to use the Water Hyacinth and to get its nutrients Water hyacinth

samples were thoroughly washed to remove all adhered soil particles. Samples were cut into

small pieces, air dried for 2 days and finally dried at 100° C ± 1° C in hot air oven for two

hours. In warm condition, the samples were ground and passed through 1 mm sieve. Water

hyacinth fine powder samples (2 g/50 mL distilled water) were subjected to acid digestion by

adding 10 mL concentrated nitric acid on hot plate and filtrate was diluted up to 50 mL with

distilled water.

Das and Jana, (2003); Kumar et al., (2004) The nutrient content of organic fertilizers

varies greatly among source materials, and readily biodegradable materials make better

nutrient sources. Nitrogen and phosphorus content is lower, often substantially lower, in

organic fertilizers compared to chemical fertilizers. Moisture content is another factor that

reduces or dilutes the nitrogen and phosphorus concentrations of organic fertilizers. Thus, it

can be cost ineffective to transport high-moisture organic fertilizer long distances. However,
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use of locally available sources is perfectly reasonable if its use is consistent with the

production strategy.

According to Mikkelsen (2019) High crop yields often come under scrutiny because

of the fertilizer levels needed to produce such yields and because of the perception and

reality of the potential environmental impacts of those inputs. Yet, maintaining food

production for the growing world population requires using new technology and intensifying

production and management to grow more food on current cropland. Fertilizer is essential for

accomplishing this. MisuseMisuse of agricultural fertilizers have undoubtedly occurred, and

its impact on the environment needs to be minimized. But it’s important to remember to

compare the risk of fertilizer application with the benefits for food production.

Local Literature
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Local Study

Accoding to Department of Science and Technology ( 2006), organic materials when

added to the soil have numerous beneficial effects, which include increased soil fertility,

balanced supply of nutrients, and build up of organic matter (OM). However, these effects

are strongly influenced by the nature of the organic materials, their nutrient content, and the

process of their decomposition in the soil. Organic materials such as compost have

considerable effect on soil physical properties such as structure, bulk density, porosity, and

others. Organic fertilizer is slowly gaining acceptance throughout the country. Farmers and

producers are now finding the advantages and benefits that organic fertilizers bring to their

crops,land,andenviroment,including their health. However, the rate of adoption is too slow to

influence the effects of even greater economic and environment issues and concerns. Thus,

there is a need to fast-track the production, promotion and advocacy of organic fertilizer to

contribute to the achievement of economic and environmental restoration and recovery.

Through this publication Philippines Recommends For OrganicFertilizer Production and

Utilization. That hope to realize the ultimate effect of organic fertilizer that of maintaining

and sustaining the natural resource base.

According to K.K. Opina(2008) Water hyacinth is considered one of the most invasive

aquatic plants in the world. One of the solutions to this problem is by utilizing it as a source of fiber

for handicrafts. This involves drying of water hyacinth which is a critical process since it influence

the quality of the product and its strength. However, there are very limited studies regarding proper

drying of this plant. There is a need to address these problems to be able to develop a solution to
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further improve the quality of the handicrafts produced in the Philippines using water hyacinth. This

study determined the drying characteristics of water hyacinth.

Benabisea, M. Navalb, R. Bancilesc, H., Quirino State Coll., Diffun, Quirino(2012) stated

that Organic farming is becoming popular in Cagayan Valley. The organic fertilizers known and used

by farmers are limited to organic compost, vermi-based, animal manure, bio-organic, plant-by

products, and bat guano. The study aims to assess the demographic and farm profile of farmers; their

level of awareness to the environment, health and nutrition and economic benefits; their awareness

status as compared to their level of adoption; problems and constraints that affect the use of organic

fertilizer. There were 720 respondents drawn from the three provinces of Cagayan Valley using

purposive, quota and convenience sampling. Data gathered were analyzed using the Statistical

Package for Social Sciences Program. The respondents are mostly females with a mean age of 44.28.

Majority received formal education and had been using organic fertilizer for four years; most of the

farms are rolling, with clay loam and sandy loam soil and receives irrigation from NIA and communal

irrigation system. The farms located on top of the rolling hills not reached by the irrigation systems

are rainfed. The farmers owning small parcel of land, planted crops like leafy vegetables applied with

organic fertilizers while the farmers owning more than one hectare farm planted rice if the area is

irrigated and corn for the areas with no irrigation. The farmers are more aware on the environmental

impact of organic farming than its economic and health benefits. The DA technicians are the main

source of information for the environment and economic benefits of organic farming while the health

workers, television and radio for the health and nutrition benefits. Organic compost registered the

highest level of adoption as against their level of awareness. Slow effect of organic fertilizer is the

pressing problem encountered while lack of skills and technical know-how in preparing organic

fertilizers is the top constraint.

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Chapter 3

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

This chapter presents the research method used, respondents of the study used,

instrumentation, data gathering procedure and statistical treatment of data used in answering

the problems raised in this study.

Research Method Used

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Respondent of the Study

Instrumentation

Data Gathering

Statistical Treatment of Data

Chapter 4

PRESENTATION, ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION OF DATA

This chapter present the analysis of data gathered in relation to the general and

specific problems of the study.

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Chapter 5

SUMMARY, CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS

This chapter present summary of finding, conclusion and recommendations.

Summary of Findings

Conclusion
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Recommendations

Students

Parents

School

Bibliography

Appendix
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Tabulation of Data