Possibilities of utilization of water hyacinth for making water hyacinth-cement boards

Portland cement when casted in the form of thin sheets, alone is too brittle and rigid to
develop enough serviceable value. An additional fibrous material reinforces such a cement
product and improves its tensile strength. The fibrous material forms a continuos phase in a
cement base. The use of fibres as a reinforcing material has been known to man from the
days of ancient civilisation when he first started making sunbaked mud bricks. It was
found that if the mix contained fibrous material, the bricks became stronger on
drying. Asbestos fibre is predominantly used in various asbestos cement products as a
reinforcing material since it is fibrous, non-combustible and has sufficient tensile strength.
When mixed with 10-20% asbestos fibres, the cement gives a strong material which is
commonly available as corrugated or plain sheets used for building and other purposes. As a
part of the project on utilization of water hyacinth, RRL, Jorhat, undertook investigations on
the possibilities of making water hyacinth-cement sheets similar to asbestos-cement sheets.
Another objective of this investigation was to develop a technology for making boards from
water hyacinth and cement for rural housing and other purposes in a scale appropriate to
the rural sector. Water hyacinth fibre has certain similarities with asbestos fibre. For
example, both are polymers as well as fibrous. However, asbestos fibre is non-combustible
whilst water hyacinth fibre is combustible. This of course does not pose any difficulty since
the fibres remain in a cement matrix in the form of a sheet which is almost completely
impervious. For the same reason the decomposition due to weathering and microbial action
is also arrested. Crysotile asbestos, which is primarily used for making asbestos-cement
sheets, makes fibres very rapidly in water as does pulp from water hyacinth. This
characteristic of water hyacinth pulp is definitely a disadvantage in paper making
in modern high speed machines but may be of advantage in making water
hyacinth-cement sheets
Source: http://inis.iaea.org/search/search.aspx?orig_q=RN:39072481


High school students make one-of-a-kind inventions
In Gardunos case, she and her group mates saw choice material in the water
hyacinth, an aquatic plant that clogs rivers and thereby causes floods.
Naisip ko na if this certain plant is called a pathetic pest why not change it to a
prolific provider by tapping it as a component sa concrete blocks, Garduno said.
She then explained how the fibers from the water hyacinth, when mixed with
cement, actually make for more durable concrete blocks.

Source: http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story/249133/lifestyle/design/high-school-
students-make-one-of-a-kind-inventions