INTRODUCTION

Paper is an essential item for all humans. It is always used in everyday life. Back then,

people tend to write on leaves and walls of caves. During 3000 BC, Egyptians have mastered

creating papyrus as their writing material and for construction of other artifacts, such as reed

boats, mats, rope sandals and baskets. As time passed by, countries from all over the world had

made use of paper and the process of papermaking has evolved. Papyrus, writing material of

ancient times and also the plant from which it was derived, Cyperus papyrus (family

Cyperaceae), also called paper plant (“Papyrus”, n.d.). In the present year, paper is still used and

it is the one of the most important thing for the people’s everyday life (“Timeline of

Papermaking”, n.d.).

Dagdag here.

The papermaking process involves the use of organic materials all found in nature. This

includes natural fibers, and pulp, which are found in plant cells. Pulp can be made from wood or

non-wood alternatives. However, most of the paper manufacturing companies nowadays use

wood as pulp (“Paper and Papermaking”, n.d.). Abundant trees like pine, spruce, eucalyptus, and

fir trees are used to produce wood pulp (Casey, 2017). Non-wood pulp like grasses, corn stalks,

bamboo, and abaca can also be used as an alternative component of paper. Although it is

different from wood pulp, its properties are good or much better than softwood materials (Hui,

Liu & Wang, 2018). Cotton, a non-wood fiber, is one of popular components in the production of

paper. Its strength and unique feel makes it great for documents and letterheads (Casey, 2017).

The process of papermaking has two basic stages: pulping and interleaving. The first step

is chemical pulping. Chemical Pulping involves using chemicals. One of which is sodium
hydroxide, a household material obtained in specialty cooking stores (“Paper and Papermaking”,

n.d.). The purpose of pulping is to separate cellulose from non-fibrous materials present in the

wood, specifically lignin, an organic material that glues fibers of cellulose together (“Paper and

Papermaking”, n.d.). The wood or non-wood materials are placed in machines where chemicals

are added and heated to disintegrate the binds between the cellulose fibers from the other

materials in the wood, resulting in the fabrication of pulp (Casey, 2017). Wood pulp is primarily

brown in color. Prolonging the chemical process results in severe fiber degradation, so bleaching

is done to remove the lignin and to increase the whiteness of the wood pulp (“Paper and

Papermaking”, n.d.).

The second half of the papermaking process is interleaving. In factories, interleaving is

done by giant machine called “Foundrinier” machine. According to Woodford (2018), the

machine is separated into eight parts with each having its own purpose. The process starts with

the mass of wet pulp is placed on a moving belt. From there, meshes and suction boxes remove

the water from the pulp and it is then dehydrated by heated dryers. Lastly, the dried pulp is rolled

by calendars to smoothen the paper. The paper is all finished and is ready to be delivered in

cutting factories.

Paper plays a big part of how we live. Almost everyone use paper for purposes. Because

of the increasing demand of paper, trees are cut down which results in deforestation around the

world.

According to Matthews (2016), the production of paper receipts itself creates huge

problems in the environment. Millions of trees and hundred gallons of oil are wasted in the

making of it. Overall, receipts make for 1.5 billion pounds of waste in America.
 Paper is made of strings of cellulose extracted from organic materials present in nature.

Cellulose is a polysaccharide, a long chain of carbohydrates, found in cell walls of plants. It is

the most abundant organic material on earth (Bioresource Technology, 2016). Cellulose can be

considered as nature’s building block, as it found in all trees and plants. Cellulose is used in a

number of industrial products such as plastic, paper, and film (“Cellulose”, n.d.).

A study titled “Pulping and Papermaking of Non-Wood Fibers” stated that the use of

wood pulp is more favored by paper manufacturers than using non-wood pulp. Using non-wood

pulp such as grasses, corn stalks, bamboo, cotton, abaca and bagasse is effective as using

softwood pulp. Using non-wood pulp will help in controlling of the scarcity of wood resources

(Hui, Liu, & Wang, 2018).

Related studies dagdag here.

The researchers will use Buko and Pili pulps for the study.

This study aims to test the feasibility of using Buko (Cocos nuciefera) fiber and dried Pili

(Canarium ovatum) pulps as main components of paper. Furthermore, the study aims to answer

the following questions below:

1. What will be the best ratio of dried Pili pulp and Buko fiber paper among the following setups:

a. 100% Pili pulp

b. 75% Pili pulp and 25% Buko fiber

c. 50% Pili pulp and 50% Buko fiber

d. 25% Pili pulp and 75% Buko fiber

 e. 100% Buko fiber

2. What are the characteristics of Buko fiber and dried Pili pulp paper in terms of:

a. Thickness

b. Absorbability

c. Tear Index

d. Folding Endurance

e. Burst Index

3. What is the difference of the Buko fiber and Pili pulp paper from the commercially

made paper?

This study aims to test the feasibility of Buko fiber and dried Pili pulp as an alternative

ingredient for making paper. The study is conducted to recycle Buko fibers and dried Pili pulp.

Moreover, the study is conducted to reduce the deforestation.

This study assesses the feasibility of Buko fiber and Dried Pili Pulp as alternative

components in paper making and therefore shall be expected to benefit the following:

Environment. The study may help reduce the utilization of wood as component of paper to

reduce the risk of deforestation and the trees will be preserved for the future generations instead

of being used in the production of paper.

DENR. The use of alternative components may help reduce global warming and can lessen the

waste accumulated from these resources.

Paper Manufacturers. The paper industry can benefit from this study by using Pili pulp and Buko

fiber as alternative component for paper.

Future researchers. The future researchers may use this study as a guide and as reference for their

study

DEFINITION OF TERMS:

Cellulose. A long-chain polymer that can be considered nature's building block, as it is the basic

structural material of all trees and plants.

Pili pulp. Pili pulp oil comes from the fruits of the Canarium ovatum tree. Only here in the

Philippines are found commercial quantities of Pili, concentrated in the Bicol region and

neighboring areas. Once harvested, Pili fruits are depulped and separated from the shelled

kernels. The pulp is further processed to separate the oil, while the kernels are removed from the

shells for roasting or other preparation for eating.