Chapter I

INTRODUCTION

Rationale and Background of the Study

Wafer boards are wood panels or large mats of strands commonly

engineered or artificially made and composed of flakes or chips of wood

that are glued together and compressed to create a sturdy and workable

wood-building material. Wafer board is an ideal material to apply to

furniture, shelves, panels, cabinets, and countertops in the kitchen. It can

also be used by teachers and students in some projects in schools.

Global plastics production has grown relentlessly in recent decades.

According to Cambridge Dictionary, plastic is an artificial substance that

can be shaped or molded when soft by heat and pressure and turn into

various forms with different uses. Plastic pollution has become one of the

most serious environmental issues today. Approximately 300 million tons of

plastic are produced every year and are almost equivalent to the weight

of the human population (UNEP). Plastic in our oceans arises from both

land-based and marine sources. Approximately 80 percent of ocean

plastics come from land-based sources, and the remaining 20 percent are

from marine sources (Fok et al.,2016). Researchers and scientists are still

working on a solution to plastic waste pollution.

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According to Bamboo Groove, bamboo has been utilized by

humans for centuries, it provides us with a sustainable resource that can be

used in building, manufacturing, decoration, food source, etc. Bamboo is

a subfamily of Bambusoideae, the subfamily of tall treelike grasses of the

family Poaceae, composed of more than 115 genera and 1,400 species.

Bamboos are distributed in tropical and subtropical to mild temperate

regions, with the heaviest concentration and the largest number of species

in East and Southeast Asia and on islands of the Indian and Pacific oceans

(Britannica).

Rice husk is one of the most abundant agricultural wastes generated

in the Philippines, Of the 1.8 million metric tons produced annually only 5

percent is utilized productively mainly as an energy source for cooking or

as a soil additive and the rest is burned or left to rot (DOST Scinet-Phil).

According to Science Direct, rice husks are the hard protective coverings

of rice grains that are separated from the grains during the milling process.

In this study, the waste that used to burn and thrown away into

landfills was recycled to make new products and to reduce the waste it

produced in our society by utilizing the use of fallen bamboo (Bambusa

vulgaris) leaves, rice (Oryza sativa) husks, and plastic sachets was turned to

make recycled wafer boards.

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Statement of the Problem

Generally, this study aims to determine the acceptability of bamboo

(Bambusa vulgaris) leaves, rice (Oryza sativa) husks, and plastic sachets as

components of making wafer boards.

Specifically, this study aims to answer the following questions:

1. Are the different treatments of bamboo leaves (Bambusa

vulgaris), rice (Oryza sativa) husks, and plastic sachets

acceptable as components in making wafer boards?

2. Are the different treatments of bamboo (Bambusa vulgaris)

leaves, rice husks (Oryza sativa), and plastic sachets acceptable

as components in making wafer boards in terms of appearance,

strength, and texture?

3. Are there significant differences between the different treatments

of wafer boards and commercialized boards in terms of

appearance, strength, and texture?

4. Which treatments are most acceptable as components in making

wafer boards in terms of appearance, strength, and texture?

Hypotheses

1. The different treatments of bamboo (Bambusa vulgaris) leaves,

rice (Oryza sativa) husks, and plastic sachets are not acceptable

as components in making wafer boards.

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2. The different treatments of bamboo (Bambusa vulgaris) leaves,

rice (Oryza sativa) husks, and plastic sachets are not acceptable

as components in making wafer boards in terms of appearance,

strength, and texture.

3. There are no significant differences between the different

treatments of wafer boards and the commercialized boards in

terms of appearance, strength, and texture.

4. All treatments are not acceptable as components in making

wafer boards in terms of appearance, strength, and texture.

Theoretical Framework

This study was anchored on the Feasibility of Plastic Waste Material

as an Alternative for the Production of Plywood Substitutes (Carreon et al.,

2019) The focus of this study is exactly to find out if plastic waste materials

could be an alternative material for the production of plywood.

Furthermore, the researchers conclude that plastic waste materials can be

a substitute for the production of plywood. The qualities of plywood made

from plastic waste materials were surely the same as the qualities of regular

plywood. The product had the qualities of plywood and they are strong in

the matter of its malleability, brittleness, and durability.

Furthermore, Olalere (July 2015) in his study entitled "Recycling of Rice

Husk into a Locally-Made Water-Resistant Particle Board" mentioned the

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potentiality of rice husk in the production of particleboards using starch

wood glue (Top bond) as an alternative source of adhesives. The test results

showed that the rice husk and starch wood glue combination provides

results that have a high potential to be used in the production of

particleboard.

Conceptual Framework

Independent Variables Dependent Variable

Treatment A - 15g (Bamboo Leaves), 30g

(Rice Husks), 30g (Plastic Sachet), and 200mL

(Wood Glue)

Treatment B – 30g (Bamboo Leaves), 15g (Rice

Husks), 30g (Plastic Sachet), and 200mL (Wood Acceptability of
Glue)
Wafer Board in
Treatment C - 30g (Bamboo Leaves), 30g (Rice
terms of:
Husks), 15g (Plastic Sachet), and 200mL (Wood
Appearance
Glue)
Strength
Treatment D - 25g (Bamboo Leaves), 25g (Rice
Texture
Husks), 25g (Plastic Sachet), and 200mL (Wood

Glue)

Controlled Variable – cork board

(commercialized)

Figure 1. Schematic diagram showing the independent and

dependent variables of the study.
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Significance of the Study

This study was conducted to determine the acceptability of bamboo

(Bambusa vulgaris) leaves, rice (Oryza sativa), and plastic sachets as

components of making wafer boards. The result of this study will be of great

benefit to the following:

Consumers. This study can be beneficial to the consumers knowing

that the materials are being recycled and providing cheap, eco-friendly,

and good-quality wafer board.

Entrepreneurs and Companies. This could be a tool for entrepreneurs

and companies to come up with new and innovative ideas to create a

product that can be sold to the market in the future. This study can also

widen their knowledge, particularly in setting up a similar business.

Community. The community will benefit from the result of the study to

lessen and utilize the use of dry leaves, crop residues, and plastic sachets

that cause different environmental problems.

Future Researchers. The findings of this study will serve as reference

material for future researchers who want to undertake a similar study.

Scope and Limitations

The study only focused on the acceptability of different treatments

with different amounts of bamboo (Bambusa vulgaris) leaves, rice (Oryza

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sativa) husks, and plastic sachets as components in making wafer boards.

The conducting of the study took place from the 13th day of November

2022 until the end of June 2023. The bamboo (Bambusa vulgaris) leaves

were tested at the Department of Agriculture in Roxas City, Capiz.

The product was evaluated based on its sensory qualities such as

appearance, strength, and texture by the thirty (30) respondents that were

conveniently selected from the Grade 11 students of Colegio de la Purisima

Concepcion Senior High School Department. The statistical tools that were

used are mean, an Analysis of Variance (ANOVA), and multiple

comparisons using SPSS software.

Definition of Terms

Appearance. The way someone or something looks to other people

(Longman Dictionary, n.d).

In this study, it is a parameter used to determine the acceptability of

wafer boards based on their looks.

Bamboo. Any of various chiefly tropical tall woody grasses including

some with strong hollow stems used for building, furniture, or utensils

(Merriam Webster, n.d).

In this study, bamboo is the kind of tree where dry leaves were

collected and used as components in making wafer boards.

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Component/s. One of the parts of something, and an important

piece of something (Britannica, n.d).

In this study, the components are the primary material or ingredients

that will be combined in the study.

Experimental Design. The process of carrying out research in an

objective and controlled fashion so that precision is maximized and specific

conclusions can be drawn regarding a hypothesis statement (International

Encyclopedia of Human Geography, 2009).

In this study, the research design that was used is experimental

design.

Husks. A usually dry or membranous outer covering of various seeds

and fruits (Merriam-Webster, n.d).

In this study, husks are part of the rice crop residue that was used as

one of the components used in making wafer boards.

Leaves. One of the flat usually green blades attached to the stem of

a plant. (Collins Dictionary, n.d).

In this study, leaves are part of the bamboo tree that were used as

variables and components in making the wafer boards.

Plastic. A synthetic material that can be molded when soft and

formed into a solid shape (Vocabulary, n.d).

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In this study, plastics are one of the independent variables used as

components in making wafer boards.

Rice. The starchy seeds of an annual Southeast Asian cereal grass

(Oryza sativa) are cooked and used for food. (Merriam-Webster, n.d).

In this study, rice is the crop where husks will be collected and used

as components in making wafer boards.

Sachets. A small closed container made of paper or plastic,

containing a small amount of something, usually enough for only one

occasion (Cambridge Dictionary, n.d).

In this study, sachets are the kind of plastic used as components in

making wafer boards.

Strength. The ability to do things that demand physical effort or the

degree to which something is strong or powerful (Cambridge Dictionary,

n.d).

In this study, it is a parameter used to determine the acceptability of

wafer boards based on solidity.

Texture. The quality of something that can be known by touch, or the

degree to which something is rough or smooth or soft or hard (Cambridge

Dictionary, n.d).
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In this study, it is a parameter used to determine the acceptability of

wafer boards based on the tactile quality of the surface.

Wafer board. A structural material made from wood wafers of

controlled thickness and length bonded together with waterproof phenolic

resin under extreme heat and pressure (Dictionary, n.d).

In this study, wafer boards are the final product made up of bamboo

leaves, rice husks, and plastic sachets that will be tested in terms of strength,

appearance, and texture.