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Water Hyacinth Fibers for NFRP Composites, water hyacinth fibers locally found in Philippine waters,
which are used to reinforce orthophthalic-type unsaturated polyester (ortho-UP) resin, and the
composites mechanical properties and carbon storage potential are assessed. Fiber treatment was used
as a remedy like grafting functional moieties using coupling agents for the high moisture absorption and
poor wettability of natural fibers. Water hyacinth fiber was tread with alkali and enzyme before
laminating into an ortho-UP composite. Sodium hydroxide was used for the alkali treatment while
In their study, there are three concentrations of NaOH that were used namely: 2.5%, 5%, and 10%
NAOH (by weight). The most previous study considered the 15% NaOH concentration, but the fibers
were damaged dueto high alkali concentration. The sample were treated with NaOH for 2,4,8,12 and 24
hours. Full factorial design methodology was used in their study, which shows that there ,ust be a total
of 30 runs for the alkali-treated composites wherein there is an equal amount of runs with the tensile
specimen and wit the flexural specimen, each specimen has 15 runs and each combination of
On the other hand, there four enzyme concentrations used in the optimization studies, these are
varying percentage of 1%, 2%, 4% and 8% xylanase by volume. These concentrations were based on
literature survey from a study by John and Anandjiwala in 2009 on the chemical modification of non-
woven flax fiber-reinforced polypropylene composites using 2% zein solution and 2 hours of fiber
immersion. But on the study of Tumolya and his colleagues, water hyacinth fibers were soaked in
xylanase solution for 1,2,4 and 8 hours. There were also a total of 30 runs conducted for xylanase-
treated fibers, same goes with the distribution of runs from the alkali-treated to the flexural specimen
and tensile specimen in enzyme-treated. After treatment, fabrication of fibers were conducted where
fibers were flushed with copious amount of water. A solution of HCI was prepared in advance for the
neutralization of the samples. The produced water hyacinth fibers were molded to be produced as
In their study, flat bars abide ASTM D638 for the tensile specimen and ASTM D790 for the flexural
specimen production. It is necessary to determine the changes that occur in the water hyacinth fibers
after treatment with alkali and enzyme, wherein a detailed study of properties and characteristics of
untreated and treated fiber will yield sufficient data as to how the fiber will behave as reinforcement to
a polymer. In their study, chemical analysis, tensile property evaluation of treated and untreated fiber,
FTIR studies and SEM studies were conducted due to time constraint.
After conducting all the necessary experiments, the researchers of this literature survey, conclusions
were made based on the results of their study. Alkali and enzyme-treatment reduce the tensile strength
of the water hyacinth fibers while the corresponding tensile strain is significantly improved. Sodium
hydroxide is the most effective alkali treatment which yielded to best tensile strength with a
concentration of 10% treated for 4 hours. And 5% NaOH for 8 hours for the best flexural strength, alkali-
treated fiber-reinforced composite. For the highest enhancement in tensile strength, the best treatment
condition for xylanase treated fiber reinforced composite is 2% for 1 hour, but 4% xylanase-treated
composite soaked for 1 hour yields superior strength. Alkali treatment, NaOH yileds a better result in
flexural and tensile properties compared to xylanase treatment. It is 10.25% and 6.71% higher compared
with xylanase-treated fiber-reinforced composite. With alkali treatment, there is 51.65% and 74.66%
improvement in flexural and tensile strength respectively compared with untreated fiber reinforced
composite. Also, chemical composition of decorticated water hyacinth fiber was along with properties of
Table number
According to the study from Indian Journal of Chemical Technology conducted by N.K Singh,
P.C Mishra, V.K Singh, & K.K Narang on the Effect of HPMC on the properties of cement. HPMC
stands for Hydroxypropylmethyl cellulose, is just one of the water soluble cellulose based on
polymers and has viscosity modifying admixture. Cellulose components with antifoaming agents
and glasses as modifier have improved the bending strength and other properties. In one
percent of HPMC in cement, it has been found in the mix to have improved strength and
fracture toughness. In the case of its heat hydration, it has been reported that the heat of
hydration is higher at early ages when carbohydrate and some other water-soluble
Table number
The Organic polymers acts as a retarder and have a distinct behavior towards setting of
cement and the setting time may be varied according to the physical and chemical properties
thereof; like solubility, viscosity, chain length, polarity and functional groups etc. The initial and
final setting times of cement were as follows respectively: 130 and 230 min. The initial and final
setting times for lower addition, which is 0.1 percent, of HPMC were observed as 145 and 250
min and for higher, which is 4 percent, as 250 and 695 min, respectively, showing that the HPMC
is a retarder.
decorticated water hyacinth fiber. Cellulose is also an insoluble substance that is the main
polysaccharide consisting of chains of glucose. Hansen magnified the cause of the slow
setting reactions due to the organic set retarding agent containing HC-OH group in their
molecules , delayed the rate of absorption of water ions on cement universal surface.
In the case under compressive and tensile strengths, the setting delays are the
aftereffect of the ageing of the cement hydration process and also retard generation of
heat hydration. The nature and amount of additive and water cement ratio builds the
effect of strength. Setting and strength development are not strictly correlated. Also, it
was reported that the organic set retarders increase the strength of cement at late curing
ages. In the study of the authors mentioned above, it has found out from their data that
the compressive strength of cement of 7,8 and 91 days were observed as 31.3, 43.7,
and 53.5 Mpa and tensile strength of 2.9, 3.9 and 5.3 Mpa, respectively. There is a 0.25
percent additive content at 7 days and it has given a maximum compressive strength of
32.2 Mpa in cement-HPMC; 1 percent at 28 days, 48.3 Mpa and 4 percent at 91 days
64.4 Mpa. While the maximum tensile strength for 0.25 percent addition at 7 days was
3.2 Mpa; 1 percent at 28 days, 4.7 Mpa and 4 percent at 91 days, 6.4 Mpa.
Dr. Ragauskas cited in his journal Anselme Payen (1838) as the first to recognize
the composite nature of wood and referred to a carbon-rich substance also known as the
encrusting material which embedded cellulose in the wood then Schulze (1865) later
named this encrusting material as lignin. Lignin then become as a random, three-
dimensional network polymer comprised of variously linked phenylpropane units and the
second most abundant biological material containing and limited only by cellulose and
macromolecule which provides mechanical support to bind plant fibers together. It has
an advantageous role in the transport of water and nutrients, wherein it decreases the
permeation of water through the cell walls of the xylem. Furthermore, it has an important
destructive enzymes through the cell wall. Lignin is not only present in woods and plays
a worthy macromolecule work for wood of the trees but also in plants, lignins are broadly
divided into three classes: softwood the gymnosperm, hardwood the angiosperm and
grass or annual plant the graminaceous lignin. Guaicyl lignin, Guaiacyl-syringly lignin,
Graminaceous lignin are the three different phenypropane units, or monolignols are
responsible for lignin biosynthesis, Guaiacyl lignin is composed of coniferyl and sinapyl
coumaryl alcohol units. These three are also known as the precursors. Lignin is
chemically bound to cellulose. Other advantages and benefits of lignin (low level and
performance concrete strength aid, concrete grinding aid, reduce damage of building
external wall caused by moisture and acid rain, set retarder for a cement composition,
sulfonated lignin contributes higher adsorption properties and zeta potential to cement
particles, and hence shows better dispersion effect to the cement, and finally select