Eichhornia crassipes (Water hyacinth) Infused with HDPE as high-density Fiber Board

Abstract

Wastes in land and water are the common problems of people nowadays. One of which is the pollutants from the mainland that go to the bodies of water. Polluted bodies of water made a good habitat for Eichhorniacrassipes(Water hyacinth). It is a free-floating plant with an explosive growth rate. It reproduces quickly in polluted bodies of water thus depleting the water of dissolved oxygen, which in turn suffocates fish. Another is the containers of ice cream, which is thrown in land everywhere. What happens to this waste? Due to the arising problems in waste disposal, the researcher made a fibreboard from water hyacinth and HDPE (found in plastic containers). The said materials were used in making the fiberboard. Fiber Board was tested using drop test and tensile strength. Drop test was conducted with varying heights (5m, 10m, and 15 m). Tensile Strength was tested by putting weights (5 kg, 10 kg and 15 kg) on top of the fiberboard. Results showed that the fiberboard was able to withstand the drop test and tensile strength test. The researcher concluded that fiberboard made from water hyacinth and HDPE is a good alternative for commercial fibreboard sold in the market.