CHAPTER I:

THE PROBLEM AND ITS SETTING

Introduction

Handmade paper making in the Philippines had been made popular since the early

1990’s as backyard type business. Handmade papers are specialty papers made without the

use of machine but simple tools and devices are being used for the purpose, hence, it is

easy and simple to start as business. This can be easily adapted by the family, out of school

youths, cooperatives and other organization for a village level entrepreneurship.

Different raw materials are used for handmade papermaking such as those natural

fibers, which includes the okra fruits. These agricultural wastes which are considered not

economical can be utilized and made into handmade papers and can be converted into

novelty items as saleable items.

The production of handmade papers out of agricultural waste fibers would be an

environmental advantage because the use of wood would be lessened. It is also a practical

way of disposing those agricultural wastes that are sometimes scattered and unused in the

fields.

Hence, this study is conducted to evaluate the performance of okra fruit fibers for

handmade paper production.

Objectives of the Study

 1. To determine the quantity of handmade papers that can be produced from a

kilogram weight of okra fruits;

and

2. To determine the quality of handmade papers that are produced from different

treatments.

Statement of the Problem

This study aimed to answer the following:

1. Determine the usability of okra fruit as raw material for handmade paper
production.
2. Which treatment gives better quality? (25% okra, 75% soda ash; 75% okra,
25% soda ash; 50% okra, 50% soda ash; 25% okra, 75% baking soda; 75%
okra, 25% baking soda; 50% okra, 50% baking soda)

Assumption and Hypotheses

The following are the assumptions and hypotheses of the study.

1. There will be a difference between flattening and blending the okra fruits.

2. There will be a difference between soda ash and baking soda.

3. There will be no significant difference between okra paper and commercial

paper.

Significance of the Study

 This study is primarily beneficial to the following:
1. Community. By discovering more sources for paper production, there will be less
trees to be cut. Trees are really helpful nowadays since we have discovered many
uses for it but, people are abusing these trees and sometimes just cut them even
without a good reason. Having other sources will not only benefit a single place,
but it can even be an advantage to the whole world. Chances of global warming
may be even reduced.

2. Environmental Field. There will be more products of okra. Truly, the plants that
we will use have many uses but there is nothing to lose if we try to discover more
of its uses. Also, trees that people plant will not be wasted because cutting of trees
may be reduced.

3. Future Researchers. This study can serve as a reference for future studies and take
into account any revisions.

Scope and Delimitation of the study

This study covers the production of handmade papers from okra fruits. Differences

will be compared after the handmade papers are produced.

This study focuses on the performance of the okra fruit in terms of physical

properties and quantity of handmade papers produced.

 CHAPTER II:
REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE

Paper

Paper is a sheet of interlaced fibers-usually cellulose fibers from plants, but

sometimes from cloth rags or other fibrous materials-that is formed by pulping the fibers

and causing them to fell, or mat, to form a solid surface.

The evolution of writing materials culminated in the development of paper. The

oldest written records still surviving are Sumerian clay tablets dating from the 4th

millennium BC. Papyrus came into use about 3500 BC. Parchment, made from the skins

of animals, was another important material used in Europe from about the 2nd century BC.

Almost any portable surface that would retain the marks of brush or pen was also used as

a writing surface.

The invention of paper is generally attributed to a Chinese court official, Cai Lun,

in about AD 105; he was the first to succeed in making a paper from vegetable fibers- tree

barks, rags, old fish netting. The art of making paper was kept secret for 500 years; the

Japanese acquired it only in the 7th century.

In AD 751 the Arab marauding Chinese attacked city of Samarkand. Among the

Chinese prisoners taken were several skilled in papermaking. They were forced by the

city’s governor to build and operate a paper mill, and Samarkand soon became the

papermaking center of the Arab world.

 Paper, a sheet material used for writing, printing and packaging, was invented by

the Chinese about the 2nd century BC. Paper making reached Arabia in AD 768 when the

Arabs learnt the secret from Chinese prisoners. From there, it spread slowly through

Europe. Until the end of the 18th century, all paper was made by hand, sheet-by-sheet. A

wooden frame with wire mesh base was dipped into a watery pulp of fibers from wood,

grass or cotton. When the frame was lifted out of the pulp, the water drained through the

mesh leaving a sheet of matted fibers. This was turned out of the frame and left to dry. In

1978, a machine for making a roll or web of paper was invented in France. It worked by

feeding a continuous flow of pulp into a travelling mesh belt. The pulp was drained and

dried as it passed through rollers. Modern papermaking is very similar. Most paper is made

from wood pulp. Some high-quality paper is still made from cotton and linen fibers.

A sheet of paper is formed when the fibers from a suspension are felted and matted

together on a fine screen as it dries up. The fibers are usually made of vegetables cellulose

but they may also be a synthetic origin.

Wood is the primary source of paper. However, cotton grass and agriculture

residues such as straw and banana stalks have also been used in its manufacture.

The manufacture of paper involves both physical and chemical processes. The raw

materials is cut into smaller size, reduced to fibrous state by mechanical or chemical means

or both, then washed and mixed both water to the desired consistency. The resulting

suspension is allowed to drain on a fine mesh screen. The fibers bond together as the water

is removed. The sheet is pressed further to remove most of the moisture content.
 Paper made from fibers obtained directly by pulping and bleaching has poor

qualities. To improve its properties, paper additives are incorporated to the slurry during

stocks preparation. Fillers or starch such as clay make the surface smooth, improve its

capacity and increase printability while sizers like resin impart resistance to penetration by

liquid. Dyestuff controls its color. Other paper additives include wet strength agent and

deflocculating agent.

Originally, paper was intended for written communication. However, rapid and

impressive scientific and technological advances have given rise for its varied uses of

paper nowadays. It is used in the dissemination of information, for insulating materials,

wrapping, packaging and toweling. (Rigonan, et al, 2002)

Paper Making

The technique of paper manufacturing, introduced from East Asia by the Arabs, has

remained virtually unchanged for the past 2,000 years. A fibrous pulp of mulberry bark,

hemp, best and linen rags is drained, pressed, and dried in flat mods. The introduction of

wood pulp in the mid-19th century, which enabled manufacturers to satisfy the enormously

increased demand for bulk paper, did not affect art paper because paper of large wood

content yellows quickly and is therefore ill-suited for art drawing.

The essential preparation of the paper to give it a smooth and even surface for

writing or drawing was once done by rubbing it with bone meal , gypsum chalk, or zinc

and titanium white in a very thin solution of glue and gum Arabic. If such preparation is

too weak, the paper accepts the stroke badly; if it is too strong, the coating cracks and chips

under the pressure under the hand. Since the early 15th century, however, the sheets have
been given the desired smooth and nonabsorbent consistency by dipping them in a glue or

alum bath. The addition of glue also made it possible to impart to the pulp paper a quality

that permitted pen drawings. While the 17th century liked half tints of blue, gray, brown,

and green, the 18th century preferred warm colors such as ivory and beige, along with blue.

Since the 18th century, paper has been manufactured in all conceivable colors and half

tones.

The range of quality has also greatly increased since the end of the 18th century to

give more painstakingly produced drawing papers. Even in earlier times, the absorbent

Japan paper made of mulberry bark enjoyed great popularity. Handmade paper, stronger

and free of wood, with an irregular edge, has remained to this day q favorite surface for

drawings. (1994-2002 Encyclopedia Britannica)

Okra

Okra, Abalmoschus esculentus, an annual plant belonging to the MALLOW family,

Malvaceae, is grown for its edible capsule, or seedpod. In Creole cooking the vegetable is

called gumbo and is used as an ingredient in creole soups and stews.

Thought to be of African or Asian origin, okra was used by the Egyptians as early

as the 12th century BC. A tropical plant, it grows best in warm temperatures, and, planted

from seed, needs about 60 days of midsummer weather to produce a crop. In northern

climates it is usually transplanted into the garden as a hothouse-grown seedling. Because

the pods grow rapidly (they may reach lengths of 22-30 cm/ 9-12 in) and toughen as they

grow, they must be harvested when they reach optimal eating size, about 10-12 cm. (4-5

in). (Lexicon Universal Encyclopedia)

 Okra, a large garden annual grown for its edible pods. It is also known as gumbo,

gombo, gobo, and lady’s-finger. A native of Africa, okra has long been cultivated in many

other warm regions. It grows 4 to 6 ft. tall and bears attractive, yellow flowers.

The edible part of okra is the immature fruit, a pod 3 to 8 inches long, which can

be eaten as a fresh vegetable but is most widely used in cooking, to thicken soups & stews.

The pods are sometimes preserved by drying or canning. In India the young pods are also

pickled like capers. If allowed to mature, the pods are too fibrous for use as food, but the

ripe seeds make an excellent substitute for coffee. (Encyclopedia Americana International

Edition)