UTILIZATION OF CONONUT COIR AND BAMBOO FIBER AS A CEMENT-

BONGED PARTICLE BOARD

A Research Paper
Presented to the Faculty Members of senior High School
San Agustin National High school
San Agustin, Naujan,
Oriental Mindoro

In Partial Fulfilment
Of the Requirements for the subject
RESEARCH CAPSTONE
Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics

By
TREXIE GONZALES
CHRISTIAN CANARIAS
ALBERT DE LEON
AJ BAYANAY
June 2021
 Chapter I

INTRODUCTION

Nature and Importance of the study

Wood is one of the most important natural resources

on earth and plays a vital role in the lives of every human

being. It is used in making furniture, pulp, paper, fiber

board, plywood, and also has a value for wood construction.

For developing countries like Philippines, wood is

continuosly depleting due to widespread deforestation brough

about by a significant increase in construction activities

and demand for wood products. Because of this, it is

therefore imperative to use alternative materials for wood

and utilize renewable, abundant and sustainable non-woody

resources like coconut coir and bamboo fiber in order to

lessen the continuous depletion of wood. Agricultural

industry brought so much residues as a substitute for wood

fabrication of panel products has become dominant in the

industry of making boards for it may be an alternative to

timber. However, people are mostly unaware of this

technology of utilizing agricultural wastes and recycling

them into useful and sustainable materials. The Philippines

is an agricultural country in which 408 of its land area is

intended for agricultural use. Sadly, the wastes that are

derived from different agricultural product just go to dump

sites and landfills. It is a missed opportunity as a proper

management of thee agricultural waste could generate lots of

employment, increase the earning of farmers and can also

provide other business opportunities and services. Cement-

bonded particle board can be use for a varieties of purpose

much an office and residential furniture, soundproof, home

decking, ceiling, roofing, and shuttering, cabinets,

partitioning, cladding stair treads, underlying floor,

table, shelving, store pictures, wall bracing, ceiling

boarding, constructions in the home, sliding doors, kitchen

shelves, interior designs, exam pad, photo lamination, low

cost cabin, peaked box, bulletin boards, thermal insulation,

and other industrial product. (Bjorn Marteinson and Edgar

Gudmundsson, 2018) stated that the cement-bonded particle

board are of interest as these have good fire protection

properties, along with better resistance to humidity

fluctuations than most comparable boards on the market.

Moreover, (Akinyemi and Osasona, 2017) concluded that unlike

other wood-based materials like drywall and plywood, this

kind of material is considered one-hundred percent inorganic

and therefore will be no organic matter that will promote

mold, rot shrinkage, and decomposition. Among other typical

cement bonded boards, cement fiber or natural fiber like

coconut coir and bamboo fiber which acts as reinforcement to

cement. Although, it is not totally waterproof, it has,

however, an excellent drying property and is highly

resistant in absorbing moisture. The major raw materials

that are currently being use in the production of cement-

bonded particle boards consist mainly of wood, cement and

water, with or without a catalyst. However, several studies

have already proven that different natural fibers can

replace wood as a fiber substitute to cement boards. These

fibers include coconut coir, bamboo fiber, rice husk, and

bagasse, among others. Addition of these fiber improved the

physical and mechanical of cement fiber boards according to

some researches (Noura, B., Mohammed, J., and Abbas, F. M.,

2019), (Agamveer, #., Jasprest, S., and ands Saurya, a.,

2018). And among the aforementioned natural fibers, the

researchers chose to use coconut coir bamboo fiber because,

aside from their abundance, they also exhibit excellent E.

Lorrence, properties which are comparable to wood. (Chariza

Mae, E., M.. Ma. Jhocel, D., Charles William, P., & Jerome

Jordan, F., 2019) found that the coconut coir fiber contains

high hemi--cellulose, alpha--cellulose, holocellulose and

lignin ratios. These compositions are the ones which make

the fibers stiffer and tougher. Bamboo, on the other hand,

has a high natural tonsile and flexural strength. It also

has the thinness and whiteness close to finely bleached

viscose and has strong durability. stability, high

absorbency, and firmness (Chariza Mae et al., 2019). Bamboo

can be made as a textile by extracting its fiber and can

also be used in construction and furniture industry. It is

suitable for a variety of purposes because of its abundance,

good strength, lightness, hardness, varying sizes, many

wozkability and quick maturity made it suitable.

Bamboo is a giant grass known for being a renewable

natural resource of producing a low-cost construction

material. It is a versatile building material that has high

yielding rate, high strength-to-weight ratio and resist

weathering action that makes it a good material for cement-

bonded particle board (Lorie Mae Fabia Bautista, 2018).

Based on the foregoing, this research aimed to contribute to

the small but growing empirical literatures and study on

cement fiber boards by utilizing bamboo fibers and coconut

coir in the production of cement bonded boards. It will be

beneficial not just in the production of cement-bonded

particle board in Bancuro, Naujan, oriental Mindoro, wherein

we will conduct this study, but also in other places.

Objectives of the Study

 Generally, this research aimed to utilize coconut coir

and bamboo fiber as cement-bonded particle board.

Specifically, this study aimed to;

1. To determine the physical properties of bamboo and

coconut coir fiber as cement– bonded board in terms of;

1.1 strength through drop test

1.2 water absorption

1.3 density

2. To compare the existing cement-bonded particle board

which are traditionally made of wood fibers, cement and

water to cement-bonded particle board that contains bamboo

fiber and coconut coir in terms of;

2.1 strength through drop test

2.2 water absorption

2.3 density

3. To determine which among the ratios of bamboo and coconut

coir fiber will yield the best result.

Scope and Delimitations of the Study

 This study focuses on the utilization of coconut coir

and bamboo fiber as main material in making cement fiber

board. For bamboo fiber, the researchers will use kawayang

tinik. The length of the fiber will be maintained at 50

milimeters. Coconut coir, on the other hand, will be

obtained from a coconut husk. The researchers will use the

brown coirs that came from the old or mature ripe coconuts

and will be cut into 50 milimeters length. This study will

be limited to the analysis of three experimental percent

inclusions (1.3%, 2.2% and 3.2%) of bamboo and coconut coir

fibers with water-- cement ratio of 2:1. It was also limited

to the following tests: strength through drop test, water

absorption and density.

Significance of the Study

The researcher will conduct this study to create an

eco-friendly, cheap and efficient cement-bonded particle

board that can help people in making agricultural wastes

like bamboo fibers and coconut coir into useful materials

which redounds to more opportunities for the people. This

will help to reduce agricultural wastes and preserving

natural wood reserves which is good to our environment. It

can also improve the quality of cement-bonded particle board

that have been used in general cement-bonded board

construction, and in lowering the material's cost to make it

affordble. This study will help a lot of people particularly

in construction industry.

The researchers conduct a project to design using

coconut coir and bamboo fiber to produce alternative wood

fibers fi cement-bonded particle board. The significance of

this study will give much information and facts to

strengthen and improve the quality of cement-bonded particle

board that is used in General Construction Industry.

The result of this study is beneficial to the following:

Community. This research will provide valuable

information in turning agricultural wastes into useful

material which redounds to more opportunities for

employment, additional earnings for the farmers and other

service and business opportunities for the people.

Environment. It is hoped that the research findings and

suggested cement fiber board can help the environment by

lessening the agricultural wastes and preserving natural

wood reserves. This research can also be a basis for future

studies on developing alternative materials for wood and

wood products.
 Construction industry. This research will also help the

construction industry by providing them an alternative

construction material which is comparable to commercially

available cement bonded boards but at a lower production

cost which will redound to a higher profit.

Definition of terms

For better clarifications and understanding of the

terms related to this study, the following were either

defined operatinally or theoretically.

Bamboo fiber. Use to improve the durability, stability,

absorbency, and firmness of cement-bonded particle board.

Regenerated cellulosic fiber produced from bamboo. It is

filled with various micro-gaps and micro-holes and has much

better moisture absorption and ventilations (Subrata Das,

2010).

Coconut coir. Use to improve the water absorption of

cement-bonded particle board for its ability to hold water.

It comes from the husk of the coconut fruit and is highly

absorbent medium. It is also one of the few mediums that is

renewable, pH neutral, great for holding moisture and fulk

of nutrients ( Denver Co, 2015).

 Cement-bonded particle board. This refers to the

combination of cement, water and reinforcing fibers like

bamboo fibers and coconut coir.

Typically used as a tile backing board that is composed of

wood elements onded together with an adhesive under heat and

pressure (F.A kamke, 2004)

Water absorption. This refers to the amount of water

absorbed by a material and is calculated as the ratio of the

weight of water absorbed to the weight of the dry material.

Water absorption is a method of determining the water-

tightness of cement-bonded particle board (Lan,2011)

Density. It is a measure of how compact the mass in a

substance or object like cement-bonded particle board is..

The density of an object or substance can be calculated from

this equation: density in kilograms per meter cubed is equal

to mass in kilograms, divided by volume in meters cubed. Or

in other words, density is mass spread out over a volume. Or

in other, other words, it's the number of kilograms that 1

meter cubed of the substance weights. If each meter cubed

weighs more, the substance is more dense. (David Wood, 2015)

Drop tests. It is usually involve an object being

dropped from a predefined height onto a second object or

surface. The object being tested can be either the dropped

object or the cement-bonded particle board or the

object/surface that an object is being dropped on to.

(Safeopedia, 2019).

Chapter II

REVIEW OF RELATED LIERATURE

This chapter primarily presents the different researches,

studies, and related Literature, which have significant

bearings on the variables included in the research. This

will give ideas about different agricultural waste and what

will be the contribution of this waste material in cement-

bonded particle board. Furthermore, related literature will

assist the researchers in becoming acquainted with the

existing information in the field or in which the researcher

will perform their research and in recognizing. the field's

limitations. This study's related literature includes

journals, articles, electronic materials such as PDFs, and

other arrant thesis, both international and demontic, that

are thought to be useful in raising knowledge about this

study. Cament-bonded particle board.

Cement-Bonded Particle Board

Cement-bonded particle board are becoming increasingly

widely used as prefabricated building materials. In order to

increase the use of renewable resources as materials for

industrial applications, the use of alternative plant fibers

has been gaining interest. Cement bonded particle boards

(CBPB) are traditionally made of wood fibers, cement and

water, usually with some additives to speed up the bonding

process, in traditional production caused by hydration of

cement. CHPB boards so far, dust i.e. to economic reasons

are only used to a very limited extent, compared to common

boards with organic binder (plywood, 038). However, the CBPB

boards have very interesting properties regarding stiffness,

fire, acoustics and resistance to termites and

microorganisms.

According to Ajayi and Babatunde, (2015) Cement-bonded

particle board has many advantages over resin-bonded

particleboard in that they are highly resistant to fire

outbreak, exhibit low moisture uptake and swelling under

prolonged soak in water or exposure to moisture, high

resistance to insect, could and fungi attack. Their study is

to assess the dimensional stability of cement-bonded

particle beard from agricultural waste. In conclusion, the

results obtained from their study showed that board

production is feasible from agricultural waste like coir.

Cement Particle Board (CSP) is made from a cement and

particle mixture. Cement and Particle mixture, in turn, is a

sort of concrete based on mineral binder. Small wooden

particles are used as a filler instead of sand and gravel.

Introduction of wood into the composition of board reduced

its' density, however, most importantly, wooden particles

are not just light fillers, but is a fiber that creates bulk

reinforcement that can absorb tensile load.

 A study of cement composites reinforced with natural

fibers, showed that cement hydration would initially be

improved by increasing the curing temperature, adding

chemical accelerators, and using materials with a high

surface area (Manuel, Clara, Teresa, Antonio and Maria,

2014).

Thanks to natural fibers advantageous characteristics,

our high mechanical strength cement bonded particle boards

have become important materials for building constructions

and really classifiable as eco-friendly building materials.

There are solutions made with completely natural,

recyclable, eco-friendly materials.

Agricultural Waste as an aggregate replacement

Bamboo fiber as cement-bonded particle board

Bamboo fiber is also one of natural fibers that are

being used as reinforcement to cement boards. At present,

bamboo is considered a significant plant fiber in cement

fiber board industry because of its great potential and

favorable characteristics and properties. Aside from being

fast growing, bamboos are also perennial and abundant bio

resource which belong to Bambusae family. Bamboo Fiber is a

regenerated cellulosic fiber which comes from starchy pulp

produced from bamboo items and leaves through a process of

nalkaline hydrolysis and multi-phase bleaching (Das, 2016).

Wang (2015) also stated that the bamboo fiber's

structural variation, thermal and mechanical properties,

modification of its chemical properties and fiber extraction

make it versatile for various composite industry

applications. Furthermore, Khai Zang, Fangxin Wang, Wenyang

Liang Zenging Wang Zhiwei Duan and Bin Yang (2018) have

studied that bamboo fibers demonstrate enermous potential as

the reinforcement phase in composite materials. Similar

findings were also observed in the study of Akinyemi and

Osasona (2017) which concluded that among all the

performance parameters, cement board with bamboo fiber

performed better and was therefore more versatile.

Bamboo has been used for thousands of years by many

culture around the world.Today we see a boom of innovate

bamboo products and applications or a sustainable

alternative for wood.Products made from bamboo are often

labelled as eco friendly, "bio degradable' and 'anti-

microbial irrespective of their method of manufacturing. The

claims may not always portray the products authenticity and

true environmental impact (Lupamudra and Siba,2016).

 Bamboo is the most important non-wood species which

is abundantly grows in most of the tropical and subtropical

zone.Bamboo fibers can use as an alternative for wood for

cement bonded particle board or in any application. Today,

there are thousands of bamboo products made from bamboo

fibers that completely replace wood ranging from paper and

pulp products, flooring, furniture,construction materials

and so on. In addition,bamboo fibers are much stronger than

wood fibers and less likely to deform due to changing

atmospheric conditions (Stephane Schroder, 2017).

Coconut Coir as cement-bonded particle board

The Philippines being a tropical nation, has an

abundance of sources of coconut, and it belongs to the

worlds largest procedures of products from coconuts such as

oils, furnuture, and more. Based on some studies coconut

coir is possibly a useful replacement in the production of

composite materials for housing construction, such as

cement-bonded particle board.

Few types of research have been conducted that

relate the use of coconut coir in cement bonded particle

board because of its ability to absorb water and

investigated its natural properties such as lignin content,

and mechanical properties. Natural fibers, including coir

and water hyacinth, possess great benefit to the environment

as it doesn't have health hazards and non-abrassive in

nature.

Natural insulating materials, such as coconut coir

have recieved increasingly attention due to their low dru

density, good mechanical properties, easy processing,

stability, low health impacts, availability, low price, and

reduced environmental impacts due to their production,

biodegradability. recyclability, and waste management

practices.

(Valerie Cabalo, 2015) have studied that the

mechanical properties of coconut coir were investigated as

to the modulusof rupture and nail-head pull thru. Her study

is to utilize of coconut color and abaca stripping waste

fibers for cement bonded board. In conclusion, the results

showed that coconut coit can be utilized as cement bonded

board for house construction.

Asasutjarit (2017) found that the coconut cair fiber

contains high hemi-cellulose. alpha-cellulose, holocellulose

and lignin ratios. These compositions are the ones which

make the fibers stiffer and tougher. Several studies were

already made in using coconut coir fibers in making cement

boards.

(Andrew, B., Jonathan, K., & Leon, g., 2019) have

studied that coconut coil can used as materials for certain

wall applications that can provide a beneficial improvement

for homes located in extreme climates and had a positive

impact on the bending strength of the panel and the results

of structural tests. Their study is to investigate the

coconut coir cement panels as wall insulation and structural

diaphragm. In conclusion, the process of fabricating coconut

coir revealed several opportunities for the use of reclaimed

materials, helping to reduce the costs of building

construction in low-income setting.

Asasutjarit et al. (2017) for instance, studied the

properties of board panels with treated coconut coir fiber.

It was observed that there was in improvement on the

mechanical and thermal properties as compared to commercial

flake board composite.

Overall, the coconut coir as cement-bonde particle

board is better than the other conventional panel board

because copconut coir are less swelling, has low water

absorption,high modulus of rupture and low modulus of

elasticity that benefits the construction industry,

especially in the countries where wood is less available

compared to other cellulosic natural product.

Density

According to Martha Marie (2002), Density is a physical

property of matter that expresses volume. The more mass a

relationship of mass to an object contains in a given space,

the more dense it is. It is important to remember, though,

that this relationship is not just about how closely packed

together the atoms of an element or the molecules of a

compound are. Density is also affected by the atomic mass of

an element or compound. Since different substances have

different densities, measurements are a useful means density

for identifying substances, Density can sometimes be

confused in our minds with weight because the denser of two

equal-volume objects will be heavier.

Remember, though, that it is the relationship between

mass and volume that determines density and not volume or

mass alone, or even how closely packed the atoms or

molecules (Anthony Carpi, 2015).

Drop test
 Drop test is a test designed to examine the

structural integrity of cement-bonded particle board.

Drop tests usually involve an object being dropped

from a predefined height onto a second object or surface.

The object being tested can be either the dropped object or

the object/surface that an object is being dropped on to, if

the object is what's being tested, its ability to withstand

a specific amount of physical impact is measured by dropping

it from a given height onto a standardized hard surface such

as cement bonded particle board. if the surface being

dropped onto is what's being tested, its ability to.

withstand a specific amount of impact force is measured by

dropping a standardized amount of weight and mass (often a

sandbag) onto it from a defined height. The former type of

test is commonly used to ensure the safety of portable

hazards such as chemical containers, while the latter is

used to ensure the effectiveness of fall protection systems

(such as safety nets) and to identify any surfaces that may

present fall hazards: (Dominick, A., Irina, A., James

Alexander, David. A, and Samantha, B., 2019).

Water Absorption test

 Water absorption is defined as the amount of water

absorbed by a material and is calculated as the ratio of the

weight of water absorbed to the weight of the dry material.

Water absorption (WA) is the percentage of the

increase in weight of cement bonded particle board over

original weight or initial weight. This test was carried out

to determine the dimensional stability of produced boards.

Test specimens were soaked in water (at room temperature)

for water uptake for 24 h, and the final weight was

recorded. The percentage water absorption for the test

samples were calculated using.

Chapter III

METHODOLOGY

Research Design
 This study followed a true experimental approach to

examine the feasibility of coconut coir and bamboo fiber as

cement-bonded particle board. Hence, the results that will

be needed to address the objectives are the physical and

mechanical properties of cement-bonded particle board. The

study required two stages, stage one is the gathering of

materials and mixing portions of the material: coconut coir,

bamboo fiber, cement, and other additives that include.

Stage two is the testing of the finished product, testing

part covers the strength and durability through drop test

and water absorption of cement-bonded particle board.

Research Procedure and Documentary

This study was created with the assistance and

recommendations of a group of people, as well as several

research papers with similar content to ours. Materials was

gathered and prepared, major materials were soaked, stripped

and crushed to turn them on what they should be. If the

previously mentioned materials were wet, such as the coconut

and bamboo, they should undergone through drying process

before turning them into powder or smaller particles. To

produce the necessary quantities of each content, the

appropriate amounts of cement, coconut coir and bamboo fiber

were determined before development begins. All materials

were rechecked to remove any unnecessary particles and to

obtain its mechanical properties will be tested.

Trials on a small sample of cement-bonded particle

board have been conducted to determine whether the amount of

each material is precisely measured and accurate. This trial

was done to evaluate the characteristics of each mix

proportion for cement bonded particle board. The final

product was made after the proper mix proportions have been

determined and its mechanical properties will be tested.

The materials were blended, and a small amount of

water was added, which is then mixed for nearly ten minutes

or less to properly mixed all of the poured materials. The

exact dimension of the cement bonded particle board is

achieved by making based on the preferences of the

researchers, After molding, the cement-bonded particle board

was cured for a day or more. Following that the measurements

and weight of the cement-bonded particle board was recorded

in preparation for various research tests such as strength,

cement density and water absorption.

Operation and Testing Procedure

This section outlines the techniques, proedures, and

test that were carried out as a part of out study.

I. Material Preparation

A. Bamboo Fiber

The materials and apparatus needed are

bamboo, caustic soda, blender and bolo. First,

cut the one year old bamboo into small equal

parts using bolo. Next cut or divide the bamboo

into smaller pieces before putting them in

caustic soda, caustic soda is one of the mainly

explored for opening and loosening of bamboo

fiber bundles. And lastly, blend and mix it

thoroughly until you see the bamboo fiber.

B. Coconut coir

The materials and apparatus needed are

coconut husk, blender and pliers. First, separate

the coconut husk from its shell using pliers or

your bare hands, Next, cut or divide the husk

into smaller parts before putting them in a

blender and lastly, blend and mix it thoroughly

until you see the coconut powder

II. Making the specimen

MATERIALS MIX PROPORTION BY WEIGHT

 The cement-bonded particle board were made using 750

grams of coconut coir, 22 kilograms of bamboo fiber, 6

kilograms of cement, and 3.25 liters of water with the total

wieght of 32 kilograme that is enough to make 5 six cement-

bonded.

III. Testing Procedure

A. Drop Test

Strength and durability of cement-bonded particle board

is required to know the suitability of these in construction

works for various purposes. And to test the product we made

wich is cement-bonded particle board, the researchers

undergo to a test to know if the product is durable enough

to be an alternative cement-bonded particle board for wall

cladding, both massive as well as frame one. The age of each

cement-bonded particle board shall be 4 days before

collecting because it needs to dry thoroughly.

B. Water Absorption

Water absorption test on cement-bonded particle board

were conducted to determine the durability property of

cement-bonded particle bcoard such as the degree of burning

and the quality and behavior of cement in weathering. To

test the water absorption of the product, three full-sized

cement-bonded particle board were submerged in clean water

at room temperature for about 24 hours. The cement-bonded

particle board were then removed from the water and allowed

to drain for one minute by putting them on coated wire mesh

or some other material that allows them to drain. Visible

surface water is removed with a damp cloth, and the

saturated and surface dry cement-bonded particle board were

weighted immediately.

The water absorption calculated as given below.

W |¿|¿= W f - Wi

where;

W |¿|¿ = Total Value of Absorption (kg)

W i = Initial Weight (kg)

W f = Final Weight (kg)

C. Cement-bonded particle board Density

The density of the cement-bonded particle board was

found by dividing the mas by its volume. To measure the

length, width and height of the cement-bonded particle board

the researcher used a carpenter tape measure to be able to

calculate its volume