Abstract

The study is entitled THE EFFECTIVITY OF REJECTED WOOD CHARCOAL IN PRESERVING FRUITS AND VEGETABLES . The charcoal powder will be strained and will be mixed with zoy and banana stalk fiber will be included as a binder. It will be dried for a number of days.In every one kilogram of charcoal powder;300 grams of zoy will be added with twenty (20) banana stalk fiber to serve its purpose in the investigation.The hardened charcoal powder will be cut into different shapes and will be placed inside the boxes as interior moisture absorber medium.Before the boxes were formed: four (4) selected fruits (apple, banana, tomato, and mango) will be placed inside the boxes and will set aside in a place for observation on the number of days.The same process will be done among four (4) selected vegetables (cabbage, cauliflower, eggplant, and kangkong).No chemicals will be added to the fruits and vegetables.It will be thoroughly washed and be dried before placing inside the boxes. Results of the study will be revealed after a number of days.The fruits and vegetables will be still intact and not spoiled.The number of days per fruit and vegetables will be depending on the kind.

Chapter I

The Problem Background of the study

The abundance of fruits and vegetables directly affects the demand and supply in the market. When the fruits and vegetables are in full harvest; the fruit growers are helpless on how the product prices are maintained and should be prevented from going down. There are problems on the fruit storage for exportation. Many fruit growers venture to sell their produced fruits and vegetables just to pay the cost of the inputs. But the problem on how to preserve fruits and vegetables in the market without adding preservatives and chemicals to make the fruits and vegetables last for a number of days and even months remain a concern. This study has been done to recycle rejected charcoal powder without compromising the health of the consumers. Most of the fruits and vegetables are seasonal. Thus, when the fruits are in season; massive harvest of fruits swarms in the market in lower price. The quality of vegetables and fruits are also affected by its abundance and season. The problem of hoarding is a practice in economics to control and manipulate prices to meet the demand in the market. The poor farmers are always the loser in this case. The abundance of fruits and vegetables are not helping the farmers but rather the wholesalers and big time buyers of fruits benefited a lot in this scheme of market process. Since my family owns an agricultural farm with some fruit growing plants, still the problem remains unattended by government agencies. It is in this simple intention the researcher wants to help other fruit growers and the researchers family in little way by conducting an experiment to utilize rejected charcoal powder to be process into a box interior absorber with the use of recycled cartoons as box for fruits and vegetables. In medicine, powdered charcoals are used to absorb moisture from capsules and tablets and other medicine that are exported and imported to many countries. Aside from that charcoal is a medicine for stomach problems like indigestion and loss bowel movement. Powdered charcoals are even used in eliminating odor of some hospital wastes (Shyrock,1992). In industry, charcoal is used to decolorized water and also in dry cell carbon which is being refined into very fine powder and exported to other countries like Germany, United States and other countries in Europe for varied purpose and importance (Guerrero,2003).

Statement of the Problem

This study aimed to utilize rejected charcoal powder as box interior moisture absorber for fruits and vegetables. Specifically, it attempts to answer the following sub-problems:

1. What are the chemical components present in charcoal. 2. Is there a significant difference in the level of efficiency of rejected powdered charcoal as box interior moisture absorber for fruits and vegetables when analyzed by: 2.1 Number of days 2.2 Effectiveness 2.3 3. Is there a significant difference among the treatments when analyzed by: 3.1Size of the box 3.2 Length of time in the preservation of fruits and vegetables 3.1 Appearance of fruits . 4. Is there a significant relationship among different treatment of fruits and vegetables when analyzed: 4.1 Number of days 4.2 Kinds of fruits and vegetables

Objectives of the Study

This study sought to evaluate the efficacy of rejected charcoal powder as preservative box for fruits and vegetables. Specifically, it aimed to: 1. Determine the efficacy of rejected charcoal powder as preservative box for fruits and vegetables. 2. Determine the significant difference among treatments of fruits and vegetables. 3. Determine the numbers of days of preservation between fruits and vegetables.

Significance of the Study

This study is designed to help the following people: Fruit Growers- for them to use the preservative box for their produced fruits and vegetables that will last for a number of days and months. Vendors- for them to preserve the fruits and vegetables that will be sold in a fair price and will not rotten easily. The buying public- for the consumers to use the preservative box to store their fruits and vegetables that are abundant. The researcher- for her to help the fruit and vegetable growers preserve their products in an environmentally friendly preservative box.

Scope and Limitation of the Study

This study will focus on the rejected powdered charcoal that is available in the market and everywhere. It will be used to preserve four (4) kinds of fruits (apple,banana,mango, and tomato) and vegetables (cabbage,cauliflower,eggplant,and pechay). These fruits and vegetables are all available here in Calapan City. The powder charcoal to be use is a wood charcoal that will come from ipi-ipil tree that is sold in the market. The preparation of charcoal plate will be done in a ratio which is in every 1kg of charcoal powder there will be 300kg of zoy and a few twine of banana stalk as a binder.

Definition of Terms Charcoal- A black and amorphous powder that is dry and is thrown anywhere by charcoal vendors without use. Also contains small amounts of impurities, such as sulfur and hydrogen compounds. Preservative- Having the ability to protect something from decay and spoilage. Toxins- A poison produced by a living organism. Drinking plenty of water eliminates toxins.

 Adsorption- The adhesion of a thin layer of molecules of some substance to the surface of a solid or liquid.

Hypotheses of the Study Problem number 1 is hypothesis free only problems 2,3 were derived: 1. There is no difference on the level of efficiency of rejected powder charcoal as box interior moisture absorber for fruits and vegetables when analyzed by: 1.1 number of days 1.2 effectiveness 2. There is no significance difference among treatments when analyzed by: 3.1 size of box 3.2 length of time in the preservation of fruits and vegetables 3.3 appearance of fruits 3. There is no significant relationship among different treatments of fruits and vegetables when analyzed by: 3.1 number of days 3.2 kinds of fruits and vegetables

Review of Related Literature and Studies

Charcoal is a black, brittle substance that has many uses. For example, charcoal is used in pigments (coloring matter); in filters to remove unwanted colors, flavors, and odors; as a fuel; and as a drawing instrument. (The World Book Encyclopedia,1985) Several other forms of elemental carbon also exist. Charcoal appears to be amorphous form of carbon, but they consist of very small microcrystal graphite. Carbon black soot is formed when component of carbon and hydrogen (hydrocarbons) are burned in a minimum amount of air.(Silberberg,2007) Charcoal results from burning woods, saw dust, or other organic matter at high temperature is the absence of air. Charcoal is extremely porous, burning a large surface of area relative to its volume. Activated carbon can be produced by heating charcoal with steam or carbon dioxide at high temperature. Charcoal can be used as decolorizing agent in the sugar industry,and it reduces pollution as a purifying agent in the treatment of water and air. Charcoal can be used in many ways because of its absorbing ability.(Holtzclaw et al, 1991)

Monkeys on the island of Zanibar have a most unusual eating habit. They like too much eating charcoal. Charcoal has the ability to absorb toxins, which allows the monkey to eat leaves that would otherwise be poisonous (Health and Home, 2000). One additional use of charcoal rediscovered recently is in horticulture. Although American gardeners have been using charcoal for a short while, research on Terra preta soils in the Amazon has found the widespread use of biochar by pre-Columbian natives to turn otherwise unproductive soil into very rich soil.(www.Wikipedia.com) Wood, coconut shells and bones of the animals do not produce harmful chemicals, such as methylcholantrene and benzopyrene in the process of burning. Hippocrates, as well ancient Egyptian Doctors, suggested as a physical purposes (Stine,1994) Charcoal is used to decolorize sugar and to purify drinking water, oils and a variety of substances in the chemical, food, and pharmaceutical industries. It is used in air-conditioning system to remove odors and irritants. Its 1845 edition says powdered charcoal is an antiseptic and adsorbent. (Tiggelbeck,1971)

PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF CHARCOAL

Charcoal is defined as an amorphous, porous form of carbon made by destructive distillation of almost any carbonaceous material such as wood, coconut shells, animal bones and corn cobs. (Encyclopedia Americana,1992) In 1783, a German-Russian pharmacist, Tobias Lowitz, discovered the decolorizing and deodorizing properties of charcoal. He reported to the Russian navy in 1795 that he could purify water with charcoal. In 1793, Karl Hagan first explained the adsorptive characteristics of charcoal as physical properties (Sonnedecker,1963). INDUSTRIAL USES OF CHARCOAL Charcoal is used as a domestic fuel for both heating and cooking. It is used for replacing coke (a black substance from coal used as fuel) in the processing of some types of iron, for making black gun powder, for carbonizing steel, for production of calcium carbide, sodium cyanide and carbon tetrachloride, and for making arc electrodes. Activated charcoal is used to decolorize sugar and to purify water, oils, and a variety of substances in the chemical food and pharmaceutical industries. It is used as in air conditioning system to remove odors and irritants. It is used in industrial and military gas masks. It is also used in removing carbon dioxides and purifying air in atomic submarines (Tiggelbeck,1971). ABSORTIVE PROPERTIES OF CHARCOAL The most important work of charcoal powder in the treatment of diseases is to adsorb chemical substances that are harmful to the body, like germs, viruses, toxins, wound secretions and other product of infections.(Sorby, 1965) Kloss (1998) said that no home should be without charcoal and the knowledge to use it effectively. It is marvelous antidote for many kinds of poisons and an excellent air deodorizer when placed in the refrigerator or where unpleasant odors are present, as in the comfort room.

Charcoal does not absorb but it adsorbs substance. To adsorb means to take up, to hold on, or spread out in the surface of the molecules. Charcoal works like a magnet. It collects foreign substances around itself, bonding them all together and dispose them through the outside of the object. Charcoal will adsorb anything. The total surface area of all the particles is just one little cube of finely ground charcoal. That means that about 50 thousand billion of them make one pound of charcoal (Rosenvold,1968).

CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK

Rejected wood powder charcoal

Experimental Process

Preservative Box

Chapter II METHODOLOGY Materials: Beaker Stirring Rod Weighing Scale Small Glasses Measuring cup Scissors 4 variety of vegetables Powdered charcoal EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN The study will be laid out in Complete Randomized Design (CRD) with eight (8) treatments in three (3) replications. The treatments of the study were as follows: T1 - Apple T2 - Banana T3 - Mango T4 - Tomato T5 - Cauliflower T6 - Chinese Cabbage T7 - Kangkong T8 - Eggplant Graduated cylinder Zoy Strainer Empty small cartoons Elmers glue 4 variety of fruits Plate for drying Mortar and Pestle

Rep. I T T T T T T T T

Rep. II T T T T T T T T

Rep. III T T T T T T T T

Procedure: 1. Gather all the materials in the conduct of the experiment. 2. Using the masking tape all the beakers to be used in the experiment will be labeled. 3. Some course particles found in the powder will be weighed and pounded using the mortar and pestle. 4. Strain the powdered charcoal for three times to ensure that it will be thoroughly powdered and very fine. 5. Mix the powdered charcoal with the prescribed amount of Zoy with enough water and dry for two days under the heat of the sun. 6. When the thin charcoal was hard; it will be inserted inside the box. 7. Prepare all the small boxes using cartolina or cartoon in uniform measurement and in different sizes depending on the desired boxes for four fruits and vegetables. 8. Pick out the four kinds of fruits and vegetables and weigh each before subjecting the same for the experiment. 9. Record the date, time, and day when the four fruits and vegetables are under observation. 10. Present a tabular presentation of the variables and write the whole process as a reference for the study. DATA GATHERING PROCEDURE The cleaned fruits and vegetables will be placed inside the prepared boxes for testing. The boxes will then set aside and will be evaluated weekly to determine the

condition of the treatments. The number of days of the longevity and retention of the treatments will be then recorded. DATA ANALYSIS The number of days of treatment retention will be subjected to scrutiny using Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) to determine the significant effect of the charcoal to the eight (8) treatments tested.