PAPER FROM BANANA FIBER AND WASTE PAPERS

Production of Paper from Banana (Musa) Fibers and Waste Papers

Fuentes, Reign Jeilaica M., Quesea, Rhaetia

Margueritte A.

Pedro Guevara Memorial National High School,

Sta. Cruz, Laguna

VANESSA B. VILLACARLOS
Research Adviser
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PAPER FROM BANANA FIBER AND WASTE PAPERS

DEDICATION

This research work is dedicated to Our Almighty God, for the love, wisdom,
knowledge, and guidance in her everyday life.

A special feeling of gratitude to her loving mother, Morena Fuentes, who has
always loved and supported her unconditionally in all the things
she does.

To her brothers and sisters, Jaycelone, Lyra Marie, Karl Angelo, and Regina who

have never left her side in any struggles she takes.

To her groupmate, Rhaetia Margueritte, to her classmates and friends who are

there to remind her that she’s not doing it alone.

To the teachers that taught her what Research is, Mrs. Perez, and especially,

Mrs. Jennifer Talaver who has been handling their section for 3

years.

She dedicates this research study to the future improvement in the paper

industry with the hope that the findings will be useful as a basis

for the future researchers.

R.J.M.F.
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DEDICATION

This research is wholeheartedly dedicated to those who have supported us all the

way. To those who have helped us, guided us, until the very end.

To her beloved parents, Richard and Maureen Quesea, who were an inspiration and

provided their unwavering support and unconditional love.

To her closest friends and seniors in school who have been encouraging her with

their kind words and their share of knowledge and experiences.

To her teachers, especially Mrs. Jennifer Talavera, who has been with us, teaching

and giving us pieces of advice for three years. The researchers are eternally

grateful for her guidance and teachings.

And lastly, to her research partner, Reign Fuentes, who has been with her

throughout the whole research journey. She wouldn’t have gotten this far

without her.

R.M.A.Q
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

With heartfelt appreciation and sincerest gratitude, the researcher

would like to give credits to these individuals who have contributed to the

realization of this project. Those who supervised and extended their valuable

assistance in the preparation for the completion of their project study.

The researchers would like to acknowledge their dearest parents, Mr.

and Mrs. Fuentes, Mr. and Mrs. Quesea, as well as their respective siblings,

for the love, moral support and providing their needs throughout the whole

study. They served as their inspiration to do better and work with

determination and dedication.

To Mrs. Jennifer Talavera who is very willing to give the researchers

suggestions in order to have favorable outcomes of the design of the project

study. Her patience in correcting mistakes is really appreciated in order to

make the study better.

To Mrs. Adela Torres and Mrs. Queenie Ortinero of the University

of the Philippines Los Baños College of Forestry and Natural Resources for

helping and assisting the researchers in the making of the product and in the

testing as well. Without their help, this study would not be made possible.

And more than anything else, their Lord and Savior, Almighty God

for His unconditional presence throughout the whole process. For the

The Researchers
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ABSTRACT

This research aims to produce handmade paper from banana sheets and

waste papers and along the way test its tensile, tearing, and bursting indices after

the data collection. The research will also compare the ratios of handmade 100%

banana fiber paper and 50% banana fiber:50% recycled paper using the Anova:

Single Factor in Microsoft Excel 2013. Then later on, the researchers will

compare them with the 70% bagasse: 30% soft wood fiber paper basing its data

from a previous study done by Mr. Enas A. Hassan in August 2010 entitled

Improving Bagasse Pulp Paper Sheet Properties with Microfibrillated Cellulose

Isolated from Xylanase-Treated Bagasse. The major materials needed are caustic

soda, screen box, casserole, weighing scale, mold & deckle, and more

importantly, the banana fibers and the waste papers. The long process mainly

involves screening, disintegration, sheet forming and drying of the paper. After a

long working, test results are as follows; for 100% banana fiber, the tensile index

is 29.55 N.m/g, tear index is 25.63 N.m²/g and burst index is 4.58 kPa.m²/g. For

50%:50% (banana fiber: recycled paper), tensile index is 6.22 N.m/g, tear index

is 19.78 N.m²/g, and burst index 1.37 kPa.m²/g. quality than the 100% banana

fiber paper just by looking at the raw data provided.

Keywords: Handmade paper, Banana, Waste Paper, Mechanical Properties

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

Preliminaries

Page

Title Page ………………………………………………1

Dedication.………………………………………………2

Acknowledgements…………..…………………………4

Abstract…………………………………………………5

Table of Contents………………………….…………… 6

List of Tables.…………………………………………… 8

List of Figures…………………………………………….8

CHAPTER 1: THE PROBLEM AND ITS BACKGROUND

Introduction……………………………………………9

Background of the Study………………………………10

Objective of the Study …………………………………13

Hypotheses……………………………………………13

Significance of the Study…………………………….14

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Scope and Limitation……………………………………………..4

CHAPTER 2: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

Research Design… .................................................................................. 16

Risks and Safety… .................................................................................. 16

Tools and Equipments ............................................................................. 17

Procedure… ............................................................................................. 19

Statistical Treatment… ............................................................................ 22

CHAPTER 3: RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS

Results and Discussion……………………………………………………

24

CHAPTER 4: CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

Conclusion………………………………………………………………...
28

Recommendations…................................................................................ 28

BIBLIOGRAPHY

APPENDICES

A. Tools and Materials….............................................................................. 32

B. The Prototype… ...................................................................................... 33

C. Approval Letter… ................................................................................... 34

D. Curriculum Vitae .................................................................................... 35

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LIST OF TABLES

Table

Page

Table 1. Tools and Materials, and their Uses………………...17

Table 2. Data……………………………….……………….…24

Table 3. Statistical Treatment…………………………………25

Table 4. Grouped Data…………………………………………25

Table 5. Statistical Treatment…………………………………26

Table 6. Grouped Data…………………………………………26

Table 7. Statistical Treatment…………………………………27

LIST OF FIGURES

Figure 1. Flowchart of Methodology………………………..18

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CHAPTER 1

THE PROBLEM AND ITS BACKGROUND

Introduction (1-2 PAGES)

In 2018, the global consumption of paper and cardboard accounted for 422

million metric tons and in 2019, the market size of paper and pulp industry was

valued at $348 billion whereas products include wrapping paper and packaging,

news print, and writing paper (Statista, 2021 by Ian Tiseo.) There are many

different paper products which have varying quality, characteristics and uses. For

instance, glossy paper is ideal for printing photos and others with vibrant colors.

Wallpaper is chiefly used to decorate plain walls and bond paper which is

frequently used for school and work purposes like printed reports and narratives.

The invention of paper greatly affected the world where people live now.

It is an undeniable fact that paper still plays an extremely huge role in our

everyday lives and with that, it still also takes huge production which usually

utilizes wood fibers from forestries. How much oxygen will the techy future

generations be able to gasp if this continues? Ms. Christina Nunez stated in a

published work on National Geographic (2019) 46% forest trees are being cut

down and about 17% of the Amazonian rainforest has been destroyed over the

past 50 years taking into account the fire that burned it in 2019. A declining

number of trees can result in far more than less oxygen to breathe. Less trees

means more carbon dioxide in the earth’s atmosphere that leads to even worse

global warming and climate change. Not to mention the waste and air pollution
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caused by paper production and paper itself. For that reason, this research focuses

on taking advantage of other plant species that have fibers suitable for paper

production mainly highlighting the use of banana fibers which are present in their

pseudo stem to find alternatives for wood and help solve named environmental

issues.

Background of the Study ( 2 pages)

Using mixed textile fibers and fibers from the bark of the mulberry in

water, Chinese citizen named Ts’ai Lun invented the very first paper in history

dating back to 105 A.D. This invention paved the way for the storing of important

documents even in the earlier times and greatly affected the spreading of

literature and literacy in the past. However, the production traditionally uses 40%

of the global woods which causes the alarming rate of deforestation. As the

present generation tries to advance into the paperless world, many are also

exploring different plant species where we can extract fibers. This includes the

pineapple, abaca, sugarcane, bamboo, and banana being one of them too.

Bananas are grown almost all around the world. According to the Food

and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations in 2020, they are

predominantly produced in Asia, Latin America and Africa. India being the

biggest producer, China, Philippines, Ecuador and Brazil follows which makes

the Philippine one of the top 5 banana producers. Approximately 5.6 million

hectares of land are dedicated to banana production globally (FAOSTAT, 2017.)

Unlike bananas which only take roughly about a year to be harvested, trees near
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the equator usually take up to 10 to 20 years before reaching maturity.

Banana fibers can be found in a banana tree’s stem or ‘pseudo stem’,

usually in wet parts of it. Its outer layer is fibrous, green sheath that is inedible

and tough to remove. They are known to have long fibers and are durable.

Banana fibers as paper were already proven and used already before. According

to the study, Production of Wrapping Paper from Banana Fibers by Amit

Ramdhonee and Pratima Jeetah in 2017, certainly, banana fibers can be used for

making paper combined with sugarcane fibers too. Results showed that the 100%

anana fiber has a bursting strength of 1.05 kPa m²/g.

Objective of the Study

This study’s main purpose is to create a paper out of banana sheets and

waste papers that can fit mass use and can be done at home and to help solve

deforestation.

Specifically, the study aims to achieve the following objectives:

1. To test the properties of 100% pure banana fiber and 50% banana fiber: 50%

recycled paper in terms of:

1.1 Tensile index

1.2 Tearing index

1.3 Bursting index

2. To conduct a comparison between the physical properties of two different ratios

in terms of tensile, tearing and bursting index.

3. To conduct a comparison between the tensile, tearing and bursting indices of

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Hypotheses

Ho: There are no significant differences between the tensile, tearing and

bursting indices of handmade 100% banana fiber paper, 50% banana fiber:50%

recycled paper, and 70% bagasse: 30% softwood paper.

Ha: There are significant differences between the tensile, tearing and

bursting indices of handmade 100% banana fiber paper, 50% banana fiber:50%

recycled paper, and 70% bagasse: 30% softwood paper.

Significance of the Study ( 5 significance)

As stated in the objectives, the research study focuses on utilizing waste

papers and banana fibers in forming a paper. For instance, cutting down mature

trees to mass produce paper will go down. In the bigger picture, we can contribute

in solving the environmental issue of deforestation all over the world. Global

warming and climate change will also be somehow resolved this way.

The pseudo stems of bananas are being cut down once fruit is harvested

in view of the fact that they will not bear fruits again. This results in billions of

tons of banana stems and leaves thrown away annually. Although they can be

decomposed and become nourishment for the soil, producing paper out of them

will also be a great innovation. Thrown used papers on the other hand, undergo

several treatments in factories as they are collected. Recycling them at home is a

great help in waste management. This will contribute less to waste, water, and

air pollution as stated in the background of the study.

Definition of Terms ( ATLEAST 5)

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Scope and Limitation

The general intent of this study is to create paper made from banana sheets

and waste papers. Most of the materials are also available elsewhere and are easy

to find. However, the machines to be used in creating the product will take place

somewhere more proper. The procedure of this study can be done at home like

cooking the banana sheets for example, though most of its process will be done

in the University of the Philippines, Los Baňos including the testing of the

product. The total cost for making this product is about P 5,500 including the

transportation expenses. The study is limited only in producing paper out of the

said material, testing significant differences between groups studied and also

comparing them to the paper from the bagasse of sugarcane.

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CHAPTER 2

REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE AND STUDIES

( atleast 2 pages )

CHAPTER 3

METHODOLOGY

Research Design

This research used an experimental design in testing the independent and

the dependent variables as it attempts to investigate and do experimentation on

the banana sheets and used papers. According to Sugiyono (2006:80),

experimental research’ purpose is to find the cause-effect relationship among

variables in a controlled condition. The essential feature of experimental research

is that investigators deliberately control and manipulate the conditions which

determine the events in which they are interested, introduce an intervention and

measure the difference that it makes. An experiment involves making a change

in the value of one variable – called the independent variable and observing the

effect of that change on another variable – called the dependent variable (Louis,

2007:291).

Risks and Safety

This section talks about the threat of damages that can happen and the
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Researh Materials
Table 1. Tools and Materials, and their Uses

Tools and Materials

Banana Sheets, Waste Papers Main materials to be used in making the

paper.
Caustic Soda Chemical to be used in melting down the
banana sheets’

fiber needed in making paper.

Casserole Material where the banana sheets are
placed when

cooking.
Stove For cooking the banana sheets.

Sieves/Screen box For washing the banana sheets after

cooking.
Disintegrator For disintegrating the fibers of the
banana sheets.
Weighing scale For weighing the amount of banana
sheets and waste

papers needed for paper.

Basin For sheet forming and/or washing the
fibers.

Drying Boards For a flat surface to place the wet

product when drying it.
Felon To be used to place the wet sheet forms
and will be used

to help conduct the suction pressing.

Mold & Deckle For forming the fibers into paper sheets.

Press For drying the papers by pressing them

to suck out the

water as much as possible.

Dye For providing color and design to the
paper.
Table 1 shows the list of the main materials to be used in the study

and the role it will play while the research is being done.
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Flowchart of Methodology

Figure 1. Flowchart of Methodology

The above graphical representation indicates the general steps to be

followed in the research study.

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Procedure

1. Raw Material Preparation

First, prepare the raw materials namely the banana sheets and then the waste papers.

Banana sheets can be found from the banana stem, it is usually wet so drying it

should be done. Waste papers, on the other hand, need to be torn apart and then

soaked on a pail of water.

Aside from banana sheets and waste papers, also prepare the materials

needed to perform the next procedure such as casserole, stirring rod, stove, etc.

2. Fiber Cooking

Place first the banana sheets inside the casserole. The raw material needs

to be soaked in water and for a kilo of banana sheets; its equivalent is 30 liters of

water. The casserole shall be heated until the water reaches its boiling point;

however, banana sheets’ fibers are hard. Caustic soda will be applied, at least

30%, to help soften its fibers. You have to mix the banana sheets every 10

minutes to make sure all of it will melt at some point. Cooking the banana fibers

will take up to 4-6 hours.

3. Screening

Before screening the cooked banana sheets, make sure to check if the fibers

have softened by pulling them apart. If the pulling part is a bit risky, it still needs

more heating.
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4. Disintegration

After screening, the banana sheets will be settled inside the disintegrator

with water. The disintegrator will break the banana sheets’ fibers apart, which will

seem like loose hair strands. The process will take up to 20 minutes. The same

process will be done with the waste papers separately to turn them into a smooth

and fine mixture.

5. Pulp Screening

Pulp screening will prove if the raw material’s fibers are acceptable to form

into paper sheets. The banana sheets will be placed in a basin filled with water. In

this procedure, we will involve the mold and deckle in testing the acceptability of

the banana sheets’ fibers.

The mold and deckle will be placed underneath the water and when you

bring it up, there should be fibers filling up and shaping into a paper sheet. Once it

works, carefully remove the mold then place the deckle onto the drying board. If it

sticks to its shape, then the raw material is good for paper making.

As the research is being conducted, there are two ratios that need to be

proved; 100% (banana sheets only), and 50%:50% (banana sheets and waste

papers.) For these two ratios, we will have ten samples each which will make a total

of 20 small sheet replicates.

6. Sheet Forming

Sheet forming is the same as pulp screening. Sheet forming will depend on

how many papers you want to create. This time, you may go through the process of

bleaching and dyeing before sheet forming.

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When dyeing, the procedure is also the same as when bleaching. Dye

like the brand Jobos can be used to color the fibers.

7. Couching

Sheet forming will take a lot of time since there are moments of failed

molding and repetition of work. Before couching, it is advised to do a suction

pressing to lessen the water soaked in the fibers. After this, you must leave the paper

a moment to dry.

8. Pressing

After drying, the paper shall be placed on a heat press to fully dry and

form like a proper paper. The heat press will take up to 10 minutes.

9. Drying

Once the heat press is done, it’s best to make sure the product is dry

before testing. One thing that is advisable is to place the newly done papers under

the sun.

10. Testing

For the testing, we leave the products to UPLB since they were the ones

to conduct the tests for the paper’s physical properties. Test methods are as follows;

ISO 1924 (Determination of tensile properties) which also uses a certain tensile

tester machine. According to SSG IPS TESTING, it works as a test piece of given

dimensions is strained to break at a constant rate of elongation using a testing

machine that records both the tensile force and, if required, the elongation. If the

tensile force and elongation are continuously recorded, the strain at break, the

tensile energy absorption and the modulus of elasticity may be determined. From
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Next method is ISO 1974 (Determination of tearing resistance) that uses the

Elmendorf Tear Tester. According to SGS IPS TESTING, we can find the tear

index when an initial cut is made in a test piece (of four superimposed sheets),

which is then torn out-of-plane through a given distance along one single tear line

using a pendulum. The work done in tearing the test piece is measured as the loss

in energy of the pendulum. The mean tearing force of a single sheet is calculated

by dividing the work done by the distance torn and the number of sheets in a test

piece. However, they stated that this test cannot be applied to corrugated

fiberboards, but it may be applied to the components of such boards. It is not

suitable for determining the cross-direction tearing resistance of highly directional

paper (or board).

Last is the ISO 2758 (Determination of bursting strength.) A test piece,

placed over a circular elastic diaphragm, is rigidly clamped at the periphery but free

to bulge with the diaphragm. Hydraulic fluid is pumped at a constant rate, bulging

the diaphragm until the test piece ruptures. The bursting strength of the test piece is

the maximum value of the applied hydraulic pressure (SSG IPS TESTING).

Statistical Treatment

After the outputs have been tested, the data results obtained will be

gathered, analyzed and interpreted. The statistical treatment and calculations will

use the ANOVA: Single Factor of Microsoft Excel 2013 in comparing the physical

properties of the paper of the handmade banana sheet paper and bagasse paper from

sugarcane in terms of its tensile, tearing and bursting indices. It’s objects are (1)

estimate treatment means, and the differences of treatment means; (2) test
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CHAPTER 4

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

This chapter presents the findings of the research study, Production

of Paper from Banana (Musa) Sheets and Waste Papers. This will present the

different data collected and data interpretations.

Results

After almost a month of working on the product in University of the

Philippines in Los Baños, on March 10, 2020, the researchers received the test

certificate containing the data gathered from different tests done under Forest

Products Research and Development Institute.

Table 2. Data obtained from the 100% Banana Fiber and 50% Banana

Tensile Index Tear Index Burst Index

(N.m/g) (N.m²/g) (kPa.m²/g)

100% Banana 29.55 25.63 4.58

Fiber
Banana Fiber 6.22 19.78 1.37
(50%) and
Recycled Paper
(50%)
The table 2 shows the different data collected from the tests done. The

product samples were tested according to TAPPI/ISO Standard Procedures under

the following room condition; dry bulb temperature, 23±1 0 ºC; Relative Humidity,

50±2.0%. The following properties were tested using the following test methods

consecutively, ISO 1924 (determination of tensile properties), ISO 1974

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CHAPTER 5

SUMMARY, CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS ( atleast 3)

Summary of Findings

Based on the findings of the study, the following conclusions were drawn:

1. Barely concluding from table 2, we can say that paper from pure banana fibers

have greater tensile, tearing and bursting strength than the banana fiber

combined with recycled paper which means that the former mentioned is

durable, tear resistant and can withstand pressure more than the latter one can

do.

2. Continuing the first statement however, the statistical treatment showed that we

do not reject the null hypothesis. Therefore, besides the first conclusion, there

is still no significant differences between them in terms of tensile, tearing and

bursting indices.

3. Overall conclusion, there is no significant difference between the tensile,

tearing and bursting indices of the 100% banana fiber paper, 50% banana fiber:

50% recycled paper, and 70% bagasse: 30% soft wood fiber paper.

Conclusion

Recommendations

To the future researchers, we recommend the following for improvements and in

holding comparisons between variables related to the topic.

1. Test the significant differences between the ‘best’ papers from wood

fiber and plant fibers available in place.

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2. Compare significant differences between handmade paper and machine-

processed.

3. In paper making, researchers recommend to have it in an environmental

way as much as possible which not only considers upgrading the product but also

considers nature.
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BIBLIOGRAPHY

Alphabetical APA 7th style

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APPENDIX A.

Tools and Materials

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APPENDIX B.

The Prototype

50% Banana Fiber: 50% Recycled Paper 10% Banana

Fiber Paper
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APPENDIX C.

Approval Letter if any

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Curriculum vitae

Name PICTURE

PERSONAL INFORMATION----------------------------------------------------------

Address:

Email Address:

Contact Number:

Sex:

Age:

Date of Birth:

Place of Birth:

Nationality:

Religion:

Civil Status:

Father’s Name:

Mother’s Name:

EDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENT-------------------------------------------------------

Junior High School:

Elementary School:
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