Development of Ceiling Tile Using Matted Coconut Coir as Raw Material and
Polyester Resin as Binding Material
Raven D. Medalla, John Julius Cesar P. Pastor, Bowen M. Transfiguracion
Department of Civil Engineering Technology, Technological University of the Philippines
Abstract
Coconut is massively produced by some
countries like the Philippines where it is a big
part of their industry. In these times where the
construction industry is having crisis in finding
raw materials on producing construction
materials. The researcher thought that coconut
might help on giving raw materials that can be
used to produce materials in construction with
a greater quality and cheap. That’s how they
come up by using coconut coir as raw material
to ceiling tiles. For ceiling tiles maybe is
ignored from some cases because they have
limited purposes in construction. But ceiling
tiles gives so much for a building being
constructed. Like it reduces noise coming from
the roof, maintain aesthetical value by
enhancing the appearance of your ceiling, and
for reducing fire speed in spreading in case of
any fire related emergency. The researchers
used three mix ratios for the coconut coir and
polyester resin for testing which mix ratio will
pass all the test. They use 85% of polyester
resin and 15% of coconut coir in their first
mixture then 80% polyester resin and 20%
coconut coir in their second mixture, and 75%
of polyester resin and 25% of coconut coir. The
product undergo test like, Modulus of Rupture,
Face Screw, Internal Bond Test, Water
Absorption, and Thickness Swelling. The test
results for the Thickness Swelling and Water
Absorption passed the standard from PNS
which is 20% for Thickness Swelling and 40%
for Water Absorption. The Face Screw test with
the standard of 40kgf, the sample mixture
15:85 have the highest result having 126.1kgf.
The Internal Bond test were also conducted
with the standard of 3kg. The mix ratio of
15:85 has the highest test result of 8.74kg. The
following test are conducted in the
Technological University of the Philippines-
Manila (TUP-M) Integrated Research and
Training Center. To maintain the ceiling tiles’
aesthetical value the researchers, weave the
coconut coir so it will create a matted
appearance that gives the user a native vibe in
their place. The results shown and discussed in
the 4th chapter shows inconsistency however
some of it also passed the average of the
Philippine National Standard. The researcher
therefore concluded that these ceiling tiles
made from matted coconut coir and polyester
resin does have a potential if improved.
Keywords: Coco Coir, Polyester Resin, Ceiling
Tile, Aesthetic, Durability
Introduction
Background of the study
Ceiling tiles are well-known for their
aesthetic designs, but not for their structural
capability. These materials are not intended to
hold heavy loads unlike the other boards or
materials used in the construction. The
coconut coir is one of the well-known
agricultural wastes found in the Philippines
which is one of the biggest producers of
coconut in the world. While the farming
industry in the country is looking forward to
providing solutions to its waste management
dilemma, the construction industry is
providing innovations in improving the
materials used in the present time. Ceiling tiles
are a construction material that needs some
improvement for it lacks in some of its
characteristics to sustain or maximize its use.
The Philippines is considered an
agricultural country and one of the crops it
mainly produced is coconuts. According to
Philippine Statistic Authority, 12 million
metric tons of coconut was produced by the
state annually and so the waste from the
coconut. Agricultural waste disposal might
look easy for it was considered biodegradable,
but when there are tons of it produced, regular
disposal is not enough to contain the number
of agricultural wastes. But coconut waste has
its properties that might help some
construction materials. Ceiling tiles where
used for aesthetic appeal and for acoustical
purposes. But having low durability, the ceiling
tiles value also drops to a very low rate. But
some study shows that agricultural waste like
coconut coir fibers might improve the quality
of the boards and might as well the ceiling tiles.
 Knowing the effectiveness of coconut
coir as raw material for acoustic ceiling tiles
was the main problem of this study. Acoustic
ceiling tiles marketed in the present times was
characterized with low durability and water
resistance. Humid was present in a tropical
country, and a good example is the Philippines.
These might affect the installed ceiling tiles for
it was weak in water resistance and durability.
It is very prone to expansion through the years
it has been exposed.
According to Corner Beads Blogs
(n.d.), ceiling tiles that experience leaks turn
into color yellow and eventually fall apart. The
DENR once said that coconut is one of the
biggest distributors of waste in the country
aside from rice husk etc. According to Sobel
(2012), “As the sun shines sharply in the
tropics — especially in the warm oceans with
an infinite amount of water to evaporate into
the air — the surrounding atmosphere
becomes very humid.”
Ceiling tiles installed in countries like
the Philippines experience so much humidity
that it affects the material. There are
tendencies for expansions and fading of
natural color. There are accidental leaks in the
ceiling that cause the tiles to fall for it has low
water resistance. Efficiency is a question for
existing ceiling tiles for it tends not to last
when installing to your house or building.
The researchers came up with the idea
to use coconut coir as raw material to ceiling
tiles to study the possibilities that it might
increase the durability and water resistance.
Coconut coir has fibers that might improve its
water absorption for some instances and help
the ceiling tiles last after being installed to
buildings
Research Questions
1. What is the suitable ratio of coconut
coir fiber and polyester resin on the
proposed mix design?
2. What are the physical properties of
the developed ceiling tiles with the
use of Thickness Swelling and Water
Absorption tests?
3. What are the mechanical properties of
the developed ceiling tiles through
Modulus of Rupture (MOR), Internal
Bond, and Face Screw Holding tests?
4. What is the acceptability of the output
based on the results of the
Technological University of the
Philippines evaluation instrument for
the developed ceiling tiles?
Selected Literature Reviews
Massive accumulated agricultural
waste and by-products are generated from
different industries, as a result, waste
management has become the concern among
countries including the Philippines. The
increasing awareness about the scarcity of raw
materials, land-fill space and its ever-costly
management brought about the utilization of
agricultural waste in pursuit of sustainable
compatible materials for consumptions
(Siddique, 2008).
Cocos nucifera is the common coconut
scientific name. This very tall palm tree is
always a symbol of tropics that invites you. The
plant is one of man's most valuable plants. It is
a primary food, drink, and shelter source. The
coconut palm is called "Kalpa vriksha" in
Sanskrit, which is defined as "the tree
providing all the necessities of life" (Smith,
1997).
According to the United States Patent
No. US3214565A, (1963), “The use
of ceiling tiles for giving an acoustical
treatment of living and working areas has
become exceptionally popular in recent years,
and the benefits of acoustical treatment to
living and working areas has become widely
accepted in modern construction, such
treatment in schools, offices, and homes had
become a quite commonplace.”
Conceptual Framework and Research
Hypothesis
 C is having a ratio of 25:75 mass percentage of
coconut coir fiber is 904.5 grams, 2713.5 grams
of polyester resin and 54.27 grams of MEKP.

The figure shows the stages of Coconut Coir development. It is the step by step

procedure to produce the ceiling tiles using Coconut Coir and polyester resin with polymer

methyl ethyl ketone peroxide.

Gathering of Drying of Extraction

material Materials

Pressing weaving of Treat and

Coconut Coir Sorting
Fiber

Mixing of Curing of Trimming

Materials Mixture

Testing

Figure. 3 Project Development

Figure 1. Conceptual Framework of the Study Gathering of Material

This study uses the temporary way to identify
the most efficient mixture of Coconut Coir and
Polyester Resin with the acoustic ceiling tiles
of 60 cm x 60 cm x 1.5 cm dimensions. Physical
and mechanical property testing was
conducted on the ceiling tiles that were
developed using the following composition.
Methodology
Mixed Design Coconut Coir Polyester Ceiling Tiles
Coconut coir Coconut Coir
Mix Design fiber-Polyester Fiber
Ratio (g)
A 15:85 542.7
B 20:80 723.6
C 25:75 904.5
Figure 2. Project Design
Standard tile density is 0.67 kg/m3 base on the
table above, the mass percentage of coconut coir
fiber, polyester resin and Methyl Ethyl Ketone
Peroxide (MEKP). For sample A having a ratio of
15:85, the mass percentage of coconut coir fiber
is 542.7 grams, 3075.3 grams for polyester resin
and 61.50 grams of MEKP. For sample B the ratio
is 20:80 the mass percentage of coconut coir fiber
is 723.6 grams, 2894.4 grams of polyester resin
and 57.88 grams of MEKP. While for the sample
The coconut, gathered from Las Piñas
coconet factory, should be mature, as the
immature produce weaker coir. The polyester
resin and polymer methyl ethyl ketone
peroxide will be bought in polymer prod a
known supplier of polymer products.
Drying of material
After the meat of the coconut is extracted, the
waste part of it must be exposed directly to
sunlight in 7 days to have a brown and thick
MEKP
Polyester coconut coir.
(2% by
Resin
weight of Extraction
(g)
resin)
By using bare hands, the dried
3075.3 61.50 coconut coir can be extracted to the coconut
2894.4 57.88 shell or exocarp.
2713.5 54.27 Treat and Sorting
Treat dried coconut coir & Prepare
250g of sodium Caustic Soda in 10 liters of
water. Submerge the coir for 1 hour. Air dry for
2 -3 days. Sort the coir by grouping them in
length and cross-section so that it can be easily
matted.
The weaving of Coconut Coir Fiber
The Dried Coconut Coir will be
manually weaved into mats of different width
depending on the specific requirements set.
The approximate size of mats is 2ft x 2ft.
Pressing
The material will be placed in a mold
that will be pressed up to 2250 lbs. in the cold
press, and it will leave there in two hours to
provide better compaction of material.
Mixing of materials
To prevent the resin from sticking on
the wooden forms, plastic cover should be
placed on the forms before putting the
materials.
The R10-60 polyester resin was mixed
with hardener (Methyl Ethyl Ketone Peroxide,
MEKP) mix until its color turn brownish-pink.
The mixture and Matted Coconut Coir are
placed on the forms. The resin should be
spread according to the following proportion.
Curing of Mixtures
The boards were air cured and
conditioned under the average temperature
for one day to ensure the hardening of the resin
and its proper bond to the coconut coir.
Trimming
Trim the tile into its test quantity. Cut
the tile into necessary dimensions for the test
process.
Testing
The samples will undergo a different
test, flexural strength test, internal bond test,
Numerical Scale Interpretation
4.51 - 5.00 Highly Acceptable
3.51 - 4.50 Very Acceptable
2.51 - 3.50 Acceptable
1.51 - 2.50 Fairly Acceptable
1.00 - 1.50 Not Acceptable
face screw holding test, water absorption and
thickness swelling test.
Evaluation Procedure
1. The Ceiling tiles were presented to the
evaluators consist of Bachelor of Technology
Major in Civil Engineering Technology
Students and experts (Civil Engineers and
Construction Personnel).
2. The Technological University of the
Philippines Evaluation forms was given to the
evaluators to determine the acceptability of
the Ceiling tiles with the following criteria:
Aesthetics, Workability, Durability, Economy,
Safety, and Salability.
3. The researchers accommodated the
skepticism of the evaluators.
4. The collected data were tabulated and
computed for the mean of each criterion as
well as the overall mean.
Table 1
Likert Scale
Results and Discussion
1. The researchers have concluded that
the more suitable ratio for a ceiling tile
was using the 15% coconut coir and
85% of polyester resin for it passed
most of the tests conducted. It was
also the closest to pass the Modulus of
Rupture test through the ceiling tile
mix ratio still failed to reach the
standard MOR results.
2. The researchers conducted a test for
the product's physical properties,
which is the swelling thickness and
the test for water absorption. The test
results show that for PNS 230:1989 or
medium density boards, the three
sample mixtures with different ratio
did not reach the maximum value.
These tests were considered to pass
the mixtures.
3. The mechanical properties of ceiling
tiles that were tested are Modulus of
Rupture, Internal Bond, and Face
Screw tests. The Modulus of Rupture
of all the samples did not pass the
standard value. However, the
examples of ceiling tiles made from
coconut coir and a polyester resin as
binder passed the Internal Bond and
Face Screw tests. The ratio of 15:85
have the highest test results from the
test that were conducted.
4. The conducted evaluation for fifteen
professors and students within or
outside the university proper shows
that the product was "Very
Acceptable." The weaving of the
coconut coir was noticed for being
inconsistent.
Conclusion and Recommendations
Conclusion
The researchers conclude that there is no ratio
that can be recommended for the use of ceiling
tiles for all fail to pass the MOR test. However,
we can say that the 15:85 ratio reach the
highest results in terms of physical and
mechanical properties tests conducted on the
ceiling tile. The researcher also can say that the
polyester resin can really enhance the strength
if the ceiling tile samples.
Recommendations
1. The researchers recommend finding
another way of maintaining aesthetic
value of the ceiling tiles because using
researcher's method of matting which
is weaving the material is so time-
consuming and it is also very difficult
to keep the appearance because of
different sizes of coconut coir fiber
manually rolled.
2. The researchers recommend putting
more polyester resin to the raw
material so it will have a better
outcome in terms of strength and the
appearance is much better when there
is a higher amount of polyester.
3. The researchers also recommend
providing an aluminum mold because
using wooden molds requires putting
some plastic covers that were
deformed by the polyester resin when
applied.
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