6CHAPTER I

THE PROBLEM AND ITS BACKGROUND

This chapter presents the overview of the problem and background of the study. It

includes the introduction, its objectives, significance, scope and delimitation.

Introduction

Plastics are durable, lightweight and cheap single-use material which are derived

from petroleum products which transformed numerous industries as well as the daily life

of individuals. However, these characteristics of plastics have also made it quite a

problem once they are disposed in the environment (Stevens, 2015). Most of the plastic

wastes come from land-based sources and a higher density of plastic wastes go along the

deltas of rivers and drainage systems especially during heavy rains. Such as plastic

bags and food wrappers, have a lifespan of mere minutes to hours but much of this

plastics take hundreds to thousands of years of degradation and have been identified as

culprits in the deaths of birds, turtles, fish, marine animals and other terrestrial animals

via ingestion or entanglement (Parker, 2019).

As of 2015, Ocean Conservancy and McKinsey Center for Business and

Environment reported that the Philippines coastal areas has become the world’s third

largest source of plastic leaking into the ocean next to China and Indonesia and has

among the highest trash collection rates in Southeast Asia. The report also stated that the

Philippines generates 2.7 million tons of plastic waste annually and 20% or half a million

tons of that leaks into the oceans (Vila, 2018). Marine pollution arising from plastic

debris and other forms of garbage has been choking waterways across the country and

worsens disaster, particularly during rainy season. These numbers are based on a Waste

1
Design and Development of Bio-fence Using Natural Fibers: Banana… Chapter I:
Causapin, D.M.,Lincallo, J.C., Mondragon, A.L., The Problem and Its Background
Assessment and Brand Audit (WABA) methodology that was done in 21 barangays

around the country from 2014 to 2018. Global alliance for Incinerator Alternatives

(GAIA) revealed that Filipinos use more than 163 million plastic sachet packets, 48

million shopping bags, and 45 million thin bags daily. It involved the thorough analysis

of waste produced by a barangay’s citizens, tallying and classifying them according to

their material.

To aid this plastic problem, the bio-fence, a man-made structure that acts as

barrier extending from one river bank to another is produced. These structure is

originated from Guatemala which is according to World Economic Forum, have been

extremely effective with 60% less rubbish ending up in the ocean. Cebu City, Philippines

imitates the structure which ultimately blocks floating plastic waste on the river surface

preventing it from being carrying downstream and entering the ocean, shown in Figure 1.

Figure 1. Cebu City Bio-fence

2
Design and Development of Bio-fence Using Natural Fibers: Banana… Chapter I:
Causapin, D.M.,Lincallo, J.C., Mondragon, A.L., The Problem and Its Background
Figure 1 shows the Cebu City bio-fence that are made up of plastic bottles and

containers that can float, which are stuffed into mesh netting. City Environment and

Natural Resources Office (CENRO) launched a bio-fence project that would begin to

change the state of Cebu City seas. The bio-fence is a 10 meter floating fence made over

400 recycled plastic bottles held together by a fishnet. It serves to block garbage from the

upstream flowing into the seas.

The development of structure is smart, simple and cheap given that the materials

will be made by recycled wastes like plastics to trap plastics and also, it does not need

any electricity to make it work (Abdul Khalil, et al., 2012). Environmental awareness

motivates the researchers to use natural fiber aside from synthetic materials that are

widely-used in the development of bio-fence. The availability of natural fibers and ease

of manufacturing have provoke the researchers to try locally available inexpensive fibers

and study their effectiveness and functions as well as its extent to satisfy the required

specifications and applications. Natural fiber represents a good renewable and

biodegradable alternative to the most common synthetic materials.

Objectives of the Study

The main objective of the study is to design and develop a bio-fence that is made

from natural fibers.

This study specifically aims to achieve the following objectives:

1. To determine the material specifications and functions of the bio-fence.

2. To determine the effectiveness of the bio-fence considering the quantity of plastic

debris collected, in terms of the following:

a. Weight of Plastics

3
Design and Development of Bio-fence Using Natural Fibers: Banana… Chapter I:
Causapin, D.M.,Lincallo, J.C., Mondragon, A.L., The Problem and Its Background
b. Count of Plastics

c. Composition of Plastic Debris

3. To provide an operational management plan.

Significance of the Study

This study of design and development of bio-fence using natural fibers: banana

and luffa sponge fibers supports the increasing trend of the application of natural fiber-

based products. Natural fibers have excellent potential to reduce not only CO2 emissions

but also save non-renewable resources by substituting synthetic fibers. The development

of the bio-fence using natural fiber is an innovation. It is responsible on collecting more

plastic debris present in the area. The use of natural fibers in developing bio-fence may

lessen the impact of plastics in the environment specifically the plastics that will flow on

the seas and ocean. These concept will provide an insight to future researchers to design

and develop a naturally occurring materials as solution to plastic problems.

Scope and Delimitation

The study of design and development of bio-fence will be evaluated the

specifications and functions of every materials. This study focused on the effectiveness

of natural fibers used in the bio-fence that serves as barriers on floating plastic debris

only that will be installed in Munting Tubig River at Balayan, Batangas. This study is

also focused on providing an operational management for its installation on river. The

type of solid waste disposal system of the area is not considered in this study since the

focus of the study is to test the effectiveness of bio-fence.

4
Design and Development of Bio-fence Using Natural Fibers: Banana… Chapter I:
Causapin, D.M.,Lincallo, J.C., Mondragon, A.L., The Problem and Its Background
Conceptual Framework

The conceptual framework presents the work flow followed by the researchers for

the completion of the study. The conceptual paradigm presents input, process and the

output of the study is shown in Figure 2.

Input
Design of the bio-
fence using CAD
Output
Prepare the materials Process
in the development Quantified amount of
Creating the bio-fence
such as plastic bottles, collected plastic debris
luffa sponge fibers and Installing the bio-fence
Operational
ropes and nets made on the river
management plan
from banana fibers.
Data regarding to the
dimension of the river

Figure 2. Conceptual Paradigm of the Study

The researchers used the IPO Model or Input-Process-Output Model. Figure 2

describes the framework of the study wherein the input box contains the independent

variables which are composed of design and the materials to be used in the development

of the bio-fence as well as the data regarding the river. Next box shows process of

creating of the structure as well its installing procedure. The output box is the result of

the study where the researchers maintain the effectiveness of the bio-fence and the

amount of plastic debris collected and quantified.

5
Design and Development of Bio-fence Using Natural Fibers: Banana… Chapter I:
Causapin, D.M.,Lincallo, J.C., Mondragon, A.L., The Problem and Its Background
Definition of Terms

The following list of terms are conceptually and operationally defined for the

readers to have a deeper understanding of the study.

Banana Fiber. It is a natural fiber which is obtained from the pseudo-stem of

banana plant (Thakur, et al., 2012).

Biodegradable. A type of waste which is typically originating from plant or

animal sources that are degraded by other living organisms (Collins, 2019).

Biodegradation. The process of breaking down of organic substances by natural

means, happens all the time in nature (Guern, 2019).

Bio-fence. Eco- friendly feature of a product which are constructed of substances

that are either biodegradable or recycled (Power, 2007).

Development. It is a set of activities that are carried out early in the system to

collect and prioritize operational needs (Oland, et al., 2017).

Luffa Sponge. A subtropical plant which has ligneous netting system in which

the fibrous cords are disposed in a multidirectional array forming a natural mat (Shah et

al., 1980).

Macroplastic. It is a particle that have a diameter of greater than 5 millimeters

(Stevenson, 2014)..

Microplastic. It is a particle that have a diameter between 1-5 millimeters and

results of the fragmentation of larger plastic products into smaller pieces (Stevenson,

2014).

6
Design and Development of Bio-fence Using Natural Fibers: Banana… Chapter I:
Causapin, D.M.,Lincallo, J.C., Mondragon, A.L., The Problem and Its Background
Natural Fiber. It covers a broad range of vegetable, animal and mineral fibers

which help in preserving the fast depleting non-renewable resources (Collins, 2019).

Plastic Debris. Waste that can vary in size from large containers, fishing nets to

microscopic plastic pellets or even particles (Guern, 2019).

Synthetic. The joining together of thousands of small molecular units known as

monomers (Crawford, 2002).

Acronyms

ASTM American Society for Testing and Materials

BF Banana Fiber

CAD Computer Aided Design

CCENRO City Environment and Natural Resources Office

DENR Department of Environment and Natural Resources

GAIA Global Alliance for Incinerator Alternatives

IPO Input-Process and Output

LC Luffa Cylindrica

LF Luffa Fiber

NOAA National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration