Feasibility of Bandera Espanola (Cana Indica) Stem in Making Paper

Abstract

INTRODUCTION

Since papers are made from trees, researchers have been searching for other materials that can replace plastic so that it won't affect our environment. One of it is the Bandera Espanola (Cana indica).

METHODS

The Bandera Espanola (Cana indica) was gathered and cut into very small pieces. Each set up contain 150 grams of Bandera Espanola (Cana indica) stem with 600 mL of water and 20 ml of NaOH. The first set up has no starch and this serves as the control group or paper A; for treatment 1, 10grams of starch is added -paper B; and for treatment 2, 20 grams of starch is added -paper C. The three set ups were cooked for 1.5 hours. It was washed in running water and was beat using an egg beater. The mixture was wrapped in white cloth and flattened using silk screen and stirring rod. It was dried overnight and we used hair dryer to dry it further. To test the hypotheses, the two-way analysis of variance ANOVA is used, and the computed value of F for each group is compared using F test.

RESULTS

There is a slight significant difference in terms of strength, texture and water absorbance between paper A, paper B, and paper C.

DISCUSSIONS

Bandera Espanola (Cana indica) is feasible in making paper in terms of strength and durability but not in making a writable paper. There is a need to improve its texture.