ABSTRACT
The Feasibility of Rice Straw (Oryza sativa) and Banana Stalk (Musa sapientum) as an Alternative Fiber Source in Papermaking
The Feasibility of Rice Straw (Oryza sativa) and Banana Stalk (Musa sapientum) as an Alternative Fiber Source in Papermaking
Caraga is an administrative region of the Philippines, located on the north eastern portion of the island of Mindanao. The region is noted for its wood-based economy that includes logging, wood processing and also papermaking. It is also known for its agricultural industry and its leading crops are banana, coconut and rice. Agricultural wastes such as rice straws are voluminous in number particularly in the province of Surigao and it is produced throughout the world as a byproduct of rice cultivation. Rice straw produced in Surigao has traditionally been burned in the field. Ideally, instead of being unwanted and difficult to dispose of, rice straw would become a valuable commodity to be harvested for profit for the Surigaonons and to improve the environment’s resources through papermaking.
Handmade paper was done by cooking a sack of rice straws with 10% banana bark together with 20 liters of water and 1 kilogram of caustic soda. The pulping process took an hour or two. The cooked natural fibers from rice straw was then bleached or dyed. Using a 15”x15” and 8”x11” wood molder, sheet-forming was performed and dried on cheesecloth for 2 days. A simple handmade paper was then fashioned into artistic greeting, business, invitation cards, gift-wraps, boxes, bags, folders, wall and Christmas decors as well as stationeries.
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
Rice straw paper is a versatile material with many uses. The most common is for artwork, particularly in Asian cultures. Some crafters enjoy working with rice paper because of its distinct texture and slight translucent appearance. Artists employ the sheets for watercolor drawings. Due to its texture this paper is not suited for writing.
Rice straw paper bag is capable of undergoing biological anaerobic or aerobic decomposition by the action of microorganisms such as bacteria, fungi and algae under conditions naturally occurring in the biosphere. Therefore it is a biodegradable kind of bag. It has the advantage of bag tensile strength protects the bag from tear and wastage the product it contains(Figure 2).
Bag Width: 80 centimeter (cm)
Bag Length: 241 centimeter (cm)
Bottom Width: 80 centimeter (cm)
Top Valve Width: 75 centimeter (cm)
Fig.2. Rice Straw and Banana Stalk Paper bag
Bag Width: 80 centimeter (cm)
Bag Length: 230 centimeter (cm)
Bottom Width: 80 centimeter (cm)
Top Valve Width: 75 centimeter (cm)
Printing: Bamboo Leaves
The disadvantage of most paper bags are made out of trees. Trees are cut down and transported to a paper mill, where their bark is removed, treated with chemicals and rolled into flat sheets. This kind of activity has lead to deforestation.
Fig. 3. Commercial paper bag and rice straw with 10% banana stalk tested.
The empty commercial paper bag weighs 55 grams while the rice straw paper weighs 40 grams. Both bags were weighed with 425 grams of pedal pants, 450 grams of jeans, 140 grams of blouse and 155 grams of t-shirt. The results showed that the rice straw paper is ideal to carry because it is light, having a maximum weight of 1,280 grams compared to the commercial paper bag having 1,290 grams. It gives more benefits like being environment friendly, serves as an alternative method in disposal of rice straw, offers a new profit for the Surigaonons and having a cheaper production cost which is worth PhP15 per bag while a commercial paper bag costs Php 25. The most applicable kind of pulping chemical for handmade paper bag is caustic soda for it is less harmful compared to the other pulping chemicals and helps maintain a better pH level.
