RESEARCH ARTICLE | JUNE 02 2023

Improving physical properties of gypsum board by utilizing

sea mango fruit fiber and its seed extract for anti-termite
gypsum board 
Delovita Ginting  ; Romi Fadli Syahputra; Astrid Nindia Putri; Rismadani Haryanti; Tri Adelia;
Rachmawati Rachmawati; Sri Winarsih

AIP Conference Proceedings 2601, 020042 (2023)

https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0130621

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 Improving Physical Properties of Gypsum Board by
Utilizing Sea Mango Fruit Fiber and Its Seed Extract for
Anti-Termite Gypsum Board
Delovita Ginting a), Romi Fadli Syahputra, Astrid Nindia Putri, Rismadani
Haryanti, Tri Adelia, Rachmawati Rachmawati, and Sri Winarsih

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Department of physics, Faculty of Mathematics, Natural Sciences and Health Sciences,Universitas
Muhammadiyah Riau, Jl. Tuanku Tambusai, Pekanbaru 28290, Indonesia
a)
Corresponding author: delovita@umri.ac.id

Abstract. This study proposes to fabricate a modified gypsum board by adding a Cerbera manghas fiber and seed extract
as filler and coating, respectively, to prevent termite attacks. C. manghas or sea mango fruit fiber (SMFF) was alkalized
using NaOH for 2 hours, then mashed using a grinding machine to obtain fine size of ~50 mesh. Gypsum board is made by
mixing gypsum powder and water in a ratio of 1:0.5, then added SMFF as much as 1% of the gypsum mass. The sea mango
extract was prepared for coating solution by drying and grinding to fined size of 100 mesh. This extract is mixed to liquid
acrylic with a ratio (w/w %) of 100:0, 95:5, 90:10, and 80:20. The coated gypsum board was then dried for 6 hours using
oven of 40˚C in temperature. The gypsum board was tested for density, moisture content, flexural strength using the
Indonesian national standard (SNI 03-2105-2006). The gypsum board resistance test was using the national standard of
SNI 01 7207 2006. The results indicate that the physical properties of gypsum board have complied the standard. The
control gypsum board, without C. manghas extract, did not show resistance to termites, so it was classified as class IV.
Meanwhile, all boards with C. manghas seed extract coating shown good resistance to termite attack and were classified
as class II and I.

INTRODUCTION

Termites are decomposed insects, especially wood, which are widespread in almost all continents [1]. Termites
maintain their lives by expanding their range in search of food sources by attacking anything they find [2]. Termites
caninvade buildings and various types of wood-based furniture [3]. Gypsum contains calcium which is needed to build
termite nests [4]. Economic losses due to the termite invasion of residential buildings in Indonesia have reached IDR
1.67 trillion (~$117 million) [5].
Nowadays increasing global concern for environmental sustainability has resulted in a growing interest in using
natural fibers as a bio-filler in composites. There are many advantages from using natural fibers to make composite
materials such as their lightweight, low price, high specific strength, being made from renewable sources, good
interaction between the fibers and matrix phases, and being eco-friendly, resulting in superior mechanical-physical
properties of the composites [6]. One of the potential plants for a natural fiber composite to be used as raw materials
formaking gypsum board is sea mango (C. manghas). Sea mango fruit fiber (SMFF) has a lot of cellulose content. SMFF
is a non-wood lignocellulosic raw material that contains 65.47% holocellulose, 56.76% cellulose, 28.30% lignin,
29.50% calcium, and 7.55% extractives [7]. In addition, C. manghas contains saponin and polyphenolic compounds
thatare toxic and have been studied for use as anti-bacterial and pest pesticides. The toxic compounds also have the
potential to eradicate termites [8].
This study aims to utilize SMFF as additional material in the manufacture of gypsum board and to coat the board
with C. manghas seed extract to prevent termite attacks. SMFF is separated from the seeds and dried naturally

Proceeding of the 7th International Conference of Science, Technology, and Interdisciplinary Research (IC-STAR 2021)
AIP Conf. Proc. 2601, 020042-1–020042-9; https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0130621
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020042-1
using solar energy. The fiber will be alkalized and mashed to be mixed with gypsum powder. Meanwhile, C. manghas
seed extract was added to the acrylic solution as a coating layer material. Phytochemical testing was carried out to
identify the compounds contained in C. manghas seeds. Measurements of moisture content, density, and flexural
strength were carried out to determine the quality of the gypsum board, as well as scanning electron microscopy (SEM)
to identify the surface morphology of the gypsum board. Finally, termite attack resistance tests were carried out on all
test and control samples.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Preparation of SMFF
SMFF is separated from the seed and cut into small pieces. The alkalization process is carried out by soaking
SMFF in the solution of distilled water and 5% NaOH to eliminate the dirt, soil, and other impurities [9]. SMFF is risen,
dried, and ground by a grinding machine to obtain a fine size of 50 mesh.

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Preparation of C. Manghas Extract

C. manghas extract is obtained from the dried seed of C. manghas. The seed is collected from the plants and
naturally dried by sunlight for 3-5 days. Then, the seed is ground until the size of 3 mm immersed in 96% ethanol
solution (1:3) for 24 hours 10. The solution is filtered by Buncher funnel with filter paper. The filtered solution was
put into a rotary evaporator to eliminate ethanol content and obtain a thick extract. The yield of sea manga extract is
kept in the refrigerator at a temperature below 4° C before being used.

Fabrication of Gypsum Board

Gypsum solution is made using a mixture of gypsum powder (500 g), SMFF (2 g), water (300 ml) and stirred for
5 minutes and then put into an aluminum mold with dimensions of 20 cm × 20 cm × 1 cm [11, 12]. After being put
into the mold, the sample is flattened, then covered with glass until smooth. The sample was left in the mold for 2
hours and then removed from the mold. Then the gypsum board was left at room temperature for several days and cut
[13].

Coating Stage

The coating solution consist of extract of sea mango seed and acrylic. This solution is varied for 95% : 5% (SC-
1), 90% : 10% (SC-2), 80% : 20% (SC-3) , 100%:0% (SC-4) and a control (SC-0). Each sample will be coated by the
respective solution through spraying method [14]. This process is repeated for 3 times and kept in room temperature
for24 hours.

Testing and Characterization

Density Test

Gypsum board density testing is carried out under air-dry conditions, then weighed in mass with a 10 cm x 10 cm
test sample. Furthermore, the average length is measured with two measurement points, and the direction of the width
of the two measurement points and thickness with four measurement points to determine the volume of the test sample
SNI 03-2105-2006 [15]. The composite board density values are calculated by using the following formula:
m
𝜌= (1)
v

where: ρ = density (g/cm3); m = weight of the air dry test sample (g); V = sample volume (cm3).

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 Moisture Content

Gypsum board moisture content was determined as specified by SNI 03-2105-2006 [15, 16]. The water content
test wascarried out on each sample by weighing the sample before and after being put into the oven, the length of time
the sample was in the oven was 60 minutes with a temperature of 100 oC. The gypsum board moisture content values
arecalculated by using the following formula:
W1—W2
𝑀𝐶 (%) = 𝑥 100 (2)
W2

where: MC = Moisture Content (%); W1 = Initial weight (g); W2 = Dry weight after oven (g).

Flexural Strength Test

Flexural testing is carried out using the Universal Testing Machine Galdabini Gallarate machine referring to

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ASTM D-638(16), the sample is cut to a size of 20 cm x 1 cm. The gypsum board flexural Strength values are
calculated by using the following formula:
3P
𝜎𝑏 = (3)
2bd2

where 𝜎: Flexural strength (Kgf/cm2); d: Given load (Kgf); P: Support distance (cm); L: Sample width (cm) (Table 1).

Anti-Termites Test

The anti-termites test method according to JIS K1571-2004 [17]. The sample was cut to a size of 2 cm x 1 cm,
then weighed (W1). 150 dry wood termites were added to the test container. The test container was given wet cotton
and placed in a dark room for 3 weeks. The humidity of the test container is kept stable and if there are dead termites
removed from the test container. The test container was dismantled, the surviving termites were counted to determine
the mortality value of the test termites. The test sample was washed, baked in an oven for 48 hours at a temperature
of ± 60°C then weighed (W2). Percent mass loss of the individual wood specimen is calculated by the difference
between the before and after weights according to the following equation:
(W1–W2)
𝑊= 𝑥 100 (4)
W1

where: W = Weight loss (%); W1 = Weight of oven-dried wood specimen before test (g); W2 = Weight of oven-dried
wood specimen after test (g) (Table 2).

Phytochemical test of Sea Mango Seed Extract

Phytochemical tests defined as bioactive nutrient plant chemicals of the bintaro seed extract, the 6 selected
compounds were Identification of flavonoids, alkaloids, saponins, tannins, terpenoids, and steroids [18].

Morphological Determination

Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) to identify the surface morphology of the gypsum board using Hitachi TM
3000 SEM. One sample is selected as a control sample, and 1 sample is selected for the sample that has the highest
weight loss after termite-proof testing.

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 TABLE 1. Physical properties of particle board (SNI 03-2105-2006)
No Properties Standard
1 Density (gr/cm3 ) 0.5-0.9
2 Water Content (%) <14
3 Flexural Strength >8 MPa

TABLE 2. Classification of wood resistance to drywood termites based on mass loss

(SNI 01-7207-2006)
Class Level resistant Mass loss (%)
I Very High < 2.0
II High 2.0 - 4.4
III Moderate 4.4 - 8.2
IV Low 8.2 - 28.1
V Susceptible > 28.1

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RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

Analysis of particle size of SMFF and sea mango seed

Particle size testing of SMFF and sea mango seed was carried out using HORIBA L300 particle size analysis. The
distribution of the results can be seen in Figures 1 and 2. The test results show the smallest particle of SMFF is 0.584
m, the largest particle is 592.38 µm, with an average diameter of 165.53 µm. Meanwhile, the smallest particle of sea
mango seed is 0.389 µm, the largest particle is 592.3 µm, with an average diameter of 134.9 µm. Both particle size is
classified as medium size grain [19]. The medium size of reinforcement material can be used to increase the density
of the matrix [20].

FIGURE 1. Distribution of particle size of SMFF

FIGURE 2. Distribution of particle size of sea mango seed

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 Phytochemical Test Results

Phytochemical testing was carried out by quantitative method. This method provides a rapid test for chemical
compound identification but did not consider the compound amount. This is in line with proposes of this work in
practical use. Screening for active compounds was carried out on extracts and fractions of sea mango seeds which
included qualitative tests with color reagents to identify secondary metabolites. The test results are given in Table 3.
The substances contained in the extract of sea mango seeds are flavonoids, saponins, alkaloids, and steroids. This is
similar to the previous reports [21].

TABLE 3. Phytochemical testing chemical content in sea mango seed

Compound Reactor Result Reaction
Alkaloid Mayer (+) White sediment
Steroid Chloroform, Acetic acid, Sulfuric acid (+) Forming a blue
ring

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Saponin H2O (+) Foaming
Flavonoid Mg powder, HCl (+) Orange

Fabricated Gypsum Board

FIGURE 3. (a) Gypsum powder, (b) SMFF, and (c) the fabricated gypsum board.

We fabricate gypsum board by mixing gypsum powder, water and SMFF. The presence of SMFF not significantly
change the gypsum board appearance. The surface color is remained white and clean as shown in Figure 3. Note that
the size of fabricated gypsum board is 20 cm × 20 cm × 1 cm, as suggested in SNI 03-2105-2006 for flexural test.

Density of the Gypsum Board

Gypsum board density test can be seen in Figure 4 below. There is an increase in density with increasing levels of
extract in the gypsum board. This is because the amount of extract solution has a high density. Overall, the density
value of the gypsum board has surpassed the standard of SNI 03-2105-2006. The standard density for gypsum board
is ranged from 0.5 to 0.9 gr/cm3 as mentioned in Table 1.

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 1.30 1.24
1.25 1.22
1.20

Density (g/cmt)
1.15 1.16
1.15
1.10 1.04
1.05
1.00
0.95
0.90
0 5 10 20 100
Concentration of sea mango seed extract (%)

FIGURE 4. The density of gypsum board

Water Content

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Testing the moisture content of gypsum board can be seen in Figure 5 below. There is an increase in density with
increasing extract content in the gypsum board. The moisture content of gypsum board increases on gypsum board
with coating combined with acrylic, namely the water content is above 7%, while the control gypsum board and 100%
extract coating are quite low, namely below 4%. Overall, the value of the moisture content of the gypsum board has met
SNI 03-2105-2006.

10
8.25
Water Content (%)

7.7 7.7
8
6
4.11 3.87
4
2
0
0 5 10 20 100
Concentration of sea mango seed extract (%)

FIGURE 5. Water content of each sample

Flexural Strength Properties

The gypsum board strength test can be seen in Figure 6 below. There is an increase in flexural strength for gypsum
board with table top coating. The results of the flexural strength test do not meet with the standard in Table 1. The
flexural strength of pure gypsum board which is about 4.5 MPa [22]. Note that the proposed gypsum board was reinforced
by SMFF under particulate size. Particle size of SMFF and gypsum powder is relatively similar, so that the SMFF is
not significantly reinforced the gypsum strength [23]. To gain higher flexural strength, gypsum board can be mixed
witha proportional amount of cement [24].

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 4
3.37

Flexural Strength (Mpa)

3.5
2.81 2.82
3
2.5 1.96
2 1.76
1.5
1
0.5
0
0 5 15 20 100
Concentration of sea mango seed extract (%)

FIGURE 6. Flexural strength of each sample

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Resistance to Termite Invasion

The gypsum board resistance test against termites was carried out in accordance with the SNI 01-7202-2006 [25].
The results of the gypsum resistance test can be seen in Table 4 that as many as control boards lost a total of 8.6% and
were included in class IV not resistant to termite attacks. The results are based on the ratio of the total weight of the
5%, 10%, 15% and 20% extract coatings. The resistance of gypsum board to termite attack belongs to class II, namely
to termite attack. In the 100% extract coating the gypsum board lost a total weight of 0% and was included in class I,
which was very resistant to termite attack. The results of testing the number of termite deaths on all gypsum boards
can be seen in Figure 7. The graph shows the termite control gypsum board died on the 15th day, while the gypsum
board with 100% coating of termite extract completely died on the 7th day.

TABLE 4. Mass loss of gypsum board in termite resistance test

Sample Initial mass Final mass Mass loss (%) Class
(gr) (gr)

Control 2.3 2.1 8.6 IV

SC-1 2.5 2.4 4.0 II
SC-2 2.6 2.5 3.85 II
SC-3 2.5 2.3 4.0 II
SC-4 2.4 2.4 0 I

200
150
Number of Life Termites

100
50

10 15 20
Days
SC-0 SC-1 SC-2 SC-3 SC-4

FIGURE 7. The number of life termite by days for each sample

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 Surface Morphology

The SEM image show that there is a deep rough surface caused by termites. The control board loses its mass
significantly because it is consumed by termites. Meanwhile, the gypsum board with coating of sea mango extract
(SC-4), has smoother surface and denser surface morphology.

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FIGURE 8. SEM photograph of the gypsum board. (a) Gypsum board with coating of 100% extract of sea mango seed and
(b) the board without coating.

CONCLUSION

The results of this study indicate that the physical properties of the gypsum board have met SNI 03-2105-2006.
Meanwhile, from the results of the termite resistance test SNI 01-7202-2006, the gypsum board without coating is
classified as class IV category, which is the category that is not very resistant to termite attack. Meanwhile,
particleboard with extract coating and according to the assessment of class II category is resistant to termite attack.
While the gypsum board with a coating of 100% sea mango seed extract is classified as a class I gypsum board
category, which is very resistant to termite attacks.

ACKNOWLEDGMENT

The author thanks to the Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology of Republic Indonesia for
funding this research through Student Creativity Program (PKM) 2021. The authors also acknowledge to the
Universitas Muhammadiyah Riau for facility supports.

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