The Carbonization of Water Lily (Nymphaeaceae) fibers and Coconut (Cocos nucifera)

husks as Charcoal Pencil

A Research Paper Presented to the Faculty of Science and Technology

NEW ORMOC CITY NATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL
Ormoc City, Leyte

Science Investigatory Project for Research II

Researchers:
Andrade, Joel R.
Boholst, Nina Jane R.
Boldo, JhenelElirozz C.
Demeterio, Nichol Andrie G.
Laurente, John Rey G.
Luna, Kristhian Kyle M.
Mosquera, Bon Exzel C.
Palacio, Remay Ann V.
Pitogo, Marc Vincent C.
Rafael,Christian M.
Rufin, Charito Jr. P.
Soria, Teofilo III C.
Velarde, Alyssa Isabel D.

To be submitted to Mrs. Eleth Thea E. Aparis

FEBRUARY 2019
 CHAPTER I:

INTRODUCTION

BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY:

Philippines, a tropical country, has an environment abundant on varying life forms. One

of these are the coconut (Cocos nucifera)tree and the water lily (Nymphaeaceae)plant. Upon

harvesting the raw materials of the coconut tree, the coconut husks are left to be as wastes and

unused. The water lily (Nymphaeaceae) plant is greatly huge in population in the slums of

Ormoc, these plants can be seen in vast quantity at the river, ponds and lakes. Yet from its

number, the plant itself is an environmental weed which is an invasive specie that can block

sunlight and oxygen through the water causing a decrease in the number of under water plants

and fishes. In attempts of ending this, the local government issued that these lilies must be

collected, but upon from collection, the lilies are left to rot and become an environment waste.

The coconut husks and lilies are now stockpiled and served as an environmental waste.

Water lilies have long stems which could be made into soft but strong fibers. The long

stem contains organic compounds such as hydrocarbons upon drying unto sunlight thus acquiring

its fibers which is mainly used as fibers for bags, cloth and ropes. In carbonization these water

lily fibers with the coconut husks the product of these two might be some type of charcoal that

may be used for fuel.

 The Water Lily is (usually) a Nymphaeaceae species; a Water Hyacinth (which, also, is

not a hyacinth at all) is Eichhornia species in the Lily order. These are mistakenly thought to be

the same by people, the difference of these two are their flowering, roots, and bladder 
 A hindrance to education not just in Ormoc but also in the whole Philippines is the lack

of supply of pencils and its cost. The commercial pencil is made from cutting trees and obtaining

charcoal, it is obviously damaging our environment lessening the number of trees around us. The

pencil heavily compromises up with the wooden shell, eraser, eraser cap, and the charcoal core.

From its production, the pencil’s price is constantly increasing and may in the future be

expensive for us to achieve. Not all people can buy such pencils which serves as a hindrance to

the Filipino’s education and trees are rapidly decrease in number.

Charcoal an important ingredient to pencil, is made up of chains of carbon. Charcoal can

be extracted to organic materials such as trees and fossils. Charcoal is the writing mechanism to

the pencil. Charcoal can be extracted through mean of carbonization and burning of fossil fuels.

A study from Los Baños, Philippines used water hyacinth as charcoal briquettes with different

molasses ratios was conducted. It showed that the water hyacinth charcoal is much more efficient

than the commercial charcoal we use.

STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM:

This study aims and aspires primarily to find a convenient, efficient, low-cost, and

treeless production of charcoal pencil through carbonization of water lily (Nymphaeaceae)fibers

and coconut husks (Cocos nucifera) using an improvised furnace.

Specifically, this study seeks to:

1. determine the properties of the result from the carbonization of water lily

(Nymphaeaceae)fibers and coconut(Cocos nucifera) husks.

 2. determine the significant difference of the charcoal from the study with the

charcoal from trees in terms of:

a) time of carbonization;

b) amount of charcoal;

c) phase/form of charcoal;

d) amount of water lily fibers

e) amount of coconut husks

f) color; and

3. compare the effectiveness of charcoal pencil from the study with different

molasses ratios using improvised furnace with commercial charcoal pencils such

as fabercastel and mongol in terms of:

a) cost;

b) boldness;

c) duration;

HYPOTHESES:

Null hypothesis (H0): There is no significant difference between time of carbonization

amount of charcoal, phase/form of charcoal, color of charcoal from carbonization of water lily

fibers and coconut husks as charcoal for pencil compared to charcoal from trees.

Alternative hypothesis (HA): There is a significant difference between time of

carbonization amount of charcoal, phase/form of charcoal, color of charcoal from carbonization

of water lily fibers and coconut husks as charcoal for pencil compared to charcoal from trees.
SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY:

This study is significant to the following:

TO THE COMMUNITY,

This study will give us a reliable source of charcoal for pencil, safer for the people. This will also

help in neutralizing the number of the water lily population and lessen the stockpiled coconut

husks unused. Fishermen will benefit from the study from lessening the water lilies blocking the

lakes. This would also help the problem of the inflation rates of pencils and can be also sold in a

well-mannered price helping students purchasing which would help education.

TO THE ECONOMY,

The study will affect positively to the economy. Fishing vessels will not have any hindrance

through fishing when water lily invasion happens. Huge charcoal companies will benefit through

extraction of charcoal from water lily wastes and coconut husks which is cost less and more

efficient than charcoal from trees.

TO THE ENVIRONMENT,

The product of this study which is a pencil will undergo through an environment friendly

extraction process which the ashes from the carbonization can be used as organic fertilizers and

the fumes from it can be used as aerial fertilizers from plants due to presence of ammonia. The

study will help the tress, it would substitute the source of charcoal and will make use of the

wasted coconut husks and water lily fibers. The water lily aquatic invasion will decrease helping

the biodiversity of the ecosystem. Plants underwater will benefit from these, it would gain of

how much sunlight they can absorb and there is more room for reproduction.
TO AQUATIC LIFE,

The study will help on minimizing water lilies and fishes, plants, and algae will benefit from this,

This will help maintain its stability in organism population and its biodiversity.

SCOPE AND LIMITATIONS:

This study focuses on the usage of water lilies(Nymphaeaceae) and coconuts(Cocos

nucifera) in carbonization as charcoal for pencils.Water lilyfibers and Coconuthusks are only

types of fibers and husks to be used, and traditional process of carbonization will be used in

collecting of charcoal. This study is limited only of using an improvised furnace for the

carbonization of the raw materials. The experimentation and formulation of result will take more

than a month, and equipment to be used are only the available equipment the laboratory can

provide, and the researchers can purchase.

TIME AND PLACE OF THE STUDY:

This certain study will be conducted at Ormoc City within and outside the

schoolpremises and institutions of New Ormoc City National High School, where the charcoal

from the carbonization and production of pencil from the study will take place atBrgy. San

Vicente, O.C. and CGSO Ormoc. The collection of the raw materials is to be collected at the

local market, Anilao River, and San Vicente. The actual conduct of experimentation will be

performed within school grounds. The study will be conducted from the months February to

March 2019 and is further studied and improved after the March 2019 until June 2019.
DEFINITION OF TERMS:

Charcoal- a component from the waterlily fibers and coconuts used as writing mechanism to

pencil

Led- a phase of charcoal used as core for pencil

Carbonization- a process of extraction of charcoal through heating the water lilies and coconut

husks in a furnace

Improvised Furnace- the device to extract charcoal

Powder- a light phase of charcoal

Waterlily fibers- one of the raw materials collected from water lily stems that will go through to

carbonization in order to get charcoal

Coconut husks- an additive, one of the raw materials from coconut shell waste that will go

through to carbonization in order to get charcoal

Degumming- a process removing unwanted gum in water lily fibers

Bromelain- an extract used as a degumming agent in the water lily fibers found in pineapple

juice

Molasses-is the dark syrup from sugarcane and can be a coloring agent

Pencil Hardness Testing- a test used to identify hardness values of graphite of pencils
 CHAPTER II:

REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE

This chapter includes the ideas, finished thesis, generalization or conclusions,

methodologies and others. Those that were included in this chapter helps in familiarizing

information that are relevant and like the present study.

According to http://www.imedpub.com/articles/proximate-and-ultimate-analysis-of-

eichornia-natanswater-hyacinth-pistia-stratiotes-water-lettuceand-nymphaea-lotuswater-lily-in-

t.pdf, Water hyacinth and water lilies similarly combustible and have presence of hydrocarbons,

which were found to be a source of biomass that can be heated up, yet due to low presence of

carbons, it is not quite effective to coal. The biomass from the study is similar to coal and is

cheaper, safer, and smoke-less compared to coal but not as effective.

According to a past study entitled “Converting Water Hyacinth to Briquettes: A Beach

Community Based Approach”,

According to https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/0378382083900231,
 A. Making of Improvised Furnace

Create four to five Attach the PVC tubes Using the screw gun,
holes to the sides to the holes and focus create tiny holes at
of the barrel using the end to nearby the bottom of the
screw gun. plants. barrel.

Check for any

Cover the top of
leakage on the barrel,
the barrel with
the furnace is ready
plastic wrap.
for heating

B. Charcoal Pencil
Put the raw
materials at the
Collect improvised at the
coconut furnace
husks

Collect Degum the water lily Let it dry at the sun

water lilies stems and hard press for 3 days and rinse
and cut the it, using pressers. it with water before Dispose the ash for
stem off sun drying fertilizer use and
collect the
byproduct of the
Check for any damages and defect, then raw materials
the pencil is ready to be tested

Freeze it, and attach Put the mixture at

eraser cap and the mold and add a Mix it with
eraser for a wooden pencil shell different molasses
complete pencil ratios
look
 CHAPTER III:

METHODOLOGY

RESEARCH DESIGN:

This study is an experimental research because the researcher will make use the water lily

(Nymphaeaceae)fibers and coconut (Cocos nucifera)husks as a source of charcoal for pencil. For

this study, the dependent variables are the charcoal pencil with its boldness intensity and

amount/time of the charcoal collected. As for the independent variables, the researcher made use

of the charcoal collected, its phase/form, color, amount of coconut husks/water lily stems, and

molasses ratios, which are variables that will affect the dependent variable. And the amount of

charcoal used as pencil production with equally degummed with bromelain are the control

variable for this study. Coconut (Cocos nucifera)husks and water lily (Nymphaeaceae)fibers are

used as ornaments and has not been fully utilized to its true potential which currently used as

designs by the local government and its people. The researcher will test if fibers from water lilies

(Nymphaeaceae)and husks from coconut (Cocos nucifera)is capable as charcoal for pencil.

RESEARCH MATERIALS/EQUIPMENT:

The instruments that will be used are as follows:

 Pineapple

 Juicer

 Molasses

 Knife

 Freezer

 Container
  Volumetric flask

 Beaker

 Mongol and Faber castel pencils

 Paper

 Lump of wood

For the improvised furnace

 A huge barrel

 PVC Tubes

 Fuel

 Screw gun

 Plastic wrap

For the improvised pencil

 Molder

 Rubber

 Eraser Cap

 Eraser

 Coconut husk

 Clay

Safety equipment

 Gloves

 Goggles

 Masks
GENERAL PROCEDURE:

Gathering of Coconut husks:

The Coconut husks will be gathered from the City Market and San Vicente. It can be fresh husks

or stocked husks since properties of coconut husks minorly changes for the next 10 years.

Gathering of Waterlily fibers:

The water lily fibers will be gathered from the Anilao river, San Vicente, and lakes. This

can be collected through sun-drying the stems of the water lilies. It can be fresh or stocked since

properties of the fibers does not change, nor fade until 6 months. Only make sure to rinse it and

degum it using bromelain to add strength to the fibers and eliminate any bacteria.

Degumming of Water lily fibers:

Before sun-drying, rinse the gathered cut off stems from the water lilies and degum it

using bromelain extracted from pineapple by mincing pineapple pieces and juice it into juicer.

Let it degum for 2 hours and it’s ready for sun-drying for 3 days

Improvised Furnace:

Prepare all the materials mentioned. Create four to five holes to the barrel using screw

gun for ventilation of smoke. Then attach the PVC tubes to the holes and focus the end to nearby

plants. The smoke from the carbonization is safe and can be a source of air fertilizer for plants.

Lastly using the screw gun again create tiny holes at the bottom of the barrel for the fuel and

ignition and cover the top of the barrel with plastic wrap.
Production of Charcoal from Carbonization:

Put the water lily fibers and the coconut husks in the furnace. Heat up the furnace and

observe the burned raw materials. Stop the heating of it until black powder can be shown from

the top of barrel and record the needed data for the study. For comparable study make use of the

trees slumps and acquire charcoal through the same process and record the need data upon

acquiring the charcoal.

Manufacturing of Pencils:

Prepare the gathered charcoal from the water lily fibers and coconut husk then mixed it

with different molasses ratios for each pencil. After, store it at the freezer in a container for 3-6

hours. To the mold apply clay and rubber to form a pencil shape to the mold then put the

charcoal mixtures in the middle sandwiched with coconut wood.

Testing the Pencils:

At the paper draw skews from the pencils manufactured with different molasses ratio,

compare this to the skew created by the mongol and faber castel pencils and record the its

duration and apply Pencil Hardness Testing then record its results.

AFTER TESTING:

Disposal of unwanted materials such as parts of the water lily wastes excluding the stem

fibers are to be treated and put under soil for organic fertilizer, the gas emission from the furnace
will be concentrated at the plants for aerial fertilizer and presence of carbon dioxide and

ammonia
SAFETY MEASRURES:

Before conducting the experiment, the following must be done:

 Wear safety googles and gloves in carbonization

 Properly wash the materials after using

 Never tinker with the improvised furnace when heating

In conducting the experiment, the following must be done:

 Wash hands before conducting

 NEVER play with the equipment

 Consult chemist if any charcoal has gotten to any wounds

 NEVER touch or taste chemicals used

In handling the equipment and raw materials, the following must be done:

 Be careful on handling sharp objects

 Do not tinker with the raw materials unless given in the procedure

 Keep the materials out of reach to any animals

STATISTICAL TOOL:

The statistical tool to be used in this study is ANOVA. Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) is

applied to determine if there is a significant difference between adding different ratios of

molasses to the study, the charcoal from the wood, and the charcoal found in the study. This

deals to different means of populations regarding the relationship of the means for every variable

tested.
Table 1: The amount of charcoal collected with the same amount of water lily fibers and coconut
husks, but with different time of time of carbonization
NO. OF TRIES TIME AMOUNT OF AMOUNT OF AMOUNT OF
(MINUTES) WATER LILY COCONUT CHARCOAL
FIBERS HUSKS COLLECTED
(KILOGRAMS) (KILOGRAMS)
1 20 1 1 ?
2 30 1 1 ?
3 40 1 1 ?
4 50 1 1 ?
5 60 1 1 ?

Table 2: The amount of charcoal collected with the different amount of water lily fibers and
coconut husks, but with same time of time of carbonization
NO. OF TRIES TIME AMOUNT OF AMOUNT OF AMOUNT OF
(MINUTES) WATER LILY COCONUT CHARCOAL
FIBERS HUSKS COLLECTED
(KILOGRAMS) (KILOGRAMS)
1 20 0.5 0.5 ?
2 20 1 1 ?
3 20 1.5 1.5 ?
4 20 2 2 ?
5 20 2.5 2.5 ?
COMMENTS AND FEEDBACKS:

 CHANGE YOUR TOPIC SINCE PINEAPPLE IS A VERY COMMON PLANT

 “WHAT IF THERE’S NO PINEAPPLE FOUND ON OTHER PLACES IN THE

PHILIPPINES?” MAAM ABUNDA ASKED.

 CHANGE YOUR TITLE

 DETERMINE WHO WILL CULTURE THE VIRUS SINCE ITS RISKY

 DEFINITION OF TERMS MUST BE CORRECTED

 IMPROVE RESEARCH AND FOCUS MORE ON SAFER TOPICS