Water Hyacinths (Eichhornia Crassipes) as

an Odor Absorber

A Research Presented to

Ms. Evelyn Glifonea

Manila Business College

Sta. Cruz Manila

In Partial Fulfillment

Of the Requirements of the Course

BUSRE: Business Research

By

Acuzar, Janine B.

Almine, Jaya

Amista, Jenalyn I.

De Guzman, Adam Dandare B.

Mendiola, Joan

Mirabel, Jean

Nicolas, Joana Marie

Abstract
 CHAPTER I

Introduction

For many years of coexisting together with river beds of urban cities around Metro

Manila, there is some minute progress of how it could be useful for the people. Learning centre

and other facilities that are trying to innovate and focus on the bright promises of these

hyacinths. Moreover, with the technological advancement of rural areas and the need for

alternative resources it is quite vital for the utilization of resources.

As the greater Manila area has a brimming amount of population that cater the individual

needs of roughly hundreds of thousands, people tend to find alternatives and seek revolutionary

ways to improve and adapt materials in order to one, gain income by instigating technology and

process into materials, and two by founding hope to lessen the waste output of resource water

hyacinths, also known as Eichhornia Crassipes are a free-floating perennial aquatic plant found

throughout the tropical and sub-tropical areas of the world. Water hyacinths are a fast growing or

a very productive plant in just a month.

This rapid growth is the reason that hyacinths are serious problem in Philippines

waterways especially in stretch of Pasig River and Laguna De Bay. The 27-km Pasig River is the

only river that connects Laguna de Bay in the east and Manila de Bay in the west. It is a diverse

network of connecting streams through the cities of Manila, Makati, Mandaluyong, Pasig,

Taguig, and Taytay in Rizal. The river has four (4) major tributaries these are Marikina River,

Taguig-Pateros River, Napindan, and San Juan River, and has 43 Identifying minor tributaries.
 The primary responsibility of water hyacinths into the river is not just giving us a

pleasant ambiance but if we look to the deeper part water hyacinth helps to block the direct sun

light that can cause over heating of the river that will affect the habitats living under the water.

They also absorb nutrients in the water that would normally feed these undesirable green plants,

keeping the water clear and clean-looking. Charcoal is a certain kind of half-burnt wood. People

use charcoal for fires, because it burns hotter and cleaner than wood (less smoky), and more

slowly. Charcoal is normally obtained from the burning of wood or other carbonaceous

substances with little or insufficient air. Charcoal can be useful in our life but they can also be

harmful in our environment and also for us because charcoal production generates toxic

substances in solid, liquid and gaseous form such as tars, phenols, carbon dioxide and nitrous

oxides.

With the said advancement of global market and the innovative transformation processes

that people incorporates, the researchers’ conduct the effectiveness of water hyacinth turns into

odour absorber. As a by product of water hyacinth charcoal it is effective for the absorption of

foul scent that are present in the surrounding. This innovation could lead to a more cost effective

product than the current benchmarked market competitors. And hopefully, through this by

product it could

Overview of the Problem

If not controlled, water hyacinth could pose a threat in the aquatic biodiversity and

human safety and health. It may have a severe negative impact and cause ecological imbalance in

the lakes and rivers.

Statement of the Problem

As the researcher attempt to find the answer, this study will also aim to answer the

following questions:

1. How Water Hyacinths charcoals can change the industry of coal making?

2. What are other innovative or alternative products that can make us of the said water

hyacinth?

3.

In solving these problems, the researchers identify the effect of the water hyacinth

charcoal as their livelihood and alternative to the traditional charcoal to the resident of Tipas

Taguig.
Hypothesis

The researchers conclude that the specified species of water hyacinth that are abundant to

the community does not provide a economical and lacking in terms of further usage due to the

fact that there are more substitute products in the market that could hinder the flourishment of the

said product.

Significance of the Study

This Study will benefit the students, organizations/community, local government and

future researchers.

To the students of Manila Business College and other college and university students,

that they will be inform of the benefits and not the disadvantage that water hyacinths bring.

To the organizations and communities that they will be informed and aware of

importance of the water hyacinths to be their income generating project.

To the local government to give attention and solution to the problem in water hyacinths

over population instead of disposing it they can cultivate it to be a livelihood.

Lastly, to the future researchers, that they will read this study and will provide them

useful information and data that can help them to improve and provide further solutions.
Definitions of Terms

Carbonaceous – is the defining attributes of a substance rich in carbon. (Merriam, 1828).

Carbon Dioxide – a colourless, odourless gas produce by burning carbon and organic

compounds and by respiration. (Oxford, 2019).

Lurking – to be in a hidden place, to wait in a secret or hidden place especially in

order to do something wrong or harmful. (Merriam, 1828).

Nitrous Oxide – a colourless gas with pleasant, sweetish odour and taste, which when

inhaled produces insensibility to paint preceded by mild hysteria,

sometimes laughter. (Britannica, 2015).

Pasig River – river draining Laguna De Bay, the largest lake in the Philippines, into

Manila Bay at Manila. (Britannica, 2019)

Phenols – a mildly acidic toxic white crystalline solid obtain from coal tar and use in

chemical manufacture, and in dilute from (under the name carbolic) as a

disinfectant. (Oxford, 2019).

Predators – an animal that lives by killing and eating other animals: an animal that

preys on that preys on other animals. (Merriam, 1828).

Tar / Tars – a black substance, sticky when hot, used especially for making roads.

(Cambridge, 2019).
Water Hyacinths – a free floating tropical American water plant which has been introduced

elsewhere as an ornamental and in some warmer regions has become a

serious weed of waterways (Oxford, 2019).

 CHAPTER II

Review of Related Literature

In this modern era water hyacinth is ubiquitous plant, this can be found mostly in the

tropical regions of the world, especially in the rivers and lakes. Water hyacinths became one fast

growing plant that can reproduce easily in just a month. So this became one of the serious

problem that local government unit facing now. Because of this, they trying to come up with the

solution that can lessen the over population of plant. This is why the innovation for water

hyacinths charcoal briquetting born.

This photo represents how fast the growth of water hyacinths is.
Retrieve from: https://www.researchgate.net/figure/growth-of-water-hyacinth_fig_6_5281462
 One water hyacinth plant can produce 5000-6000 seeds per season and remain viable up

15 years. A single plant can produce 797,160 daughter plants in three months. In the Philippines,

water hyacinths blocks rivers and irrigation canals hinders fishing, and enhances breeding places

for vectors that transmit harmful diseases. Specifically in Laguna Lake, it grows in abundance

that it has become nuisance to navigation. Sometimes, it enters lakeside farms in such quantities

that eat interfere in rice growing. Local government units around the 90,000 – Hectare Lake

spend a fortune annually to remove water hyacinths in mouths of rivers and in streets after

typhoons. Now come a technology that can convert water hyacinth into charcoal briquettes ideal

for, among other things, households cooking and grilling. The briquettes burn clean with very

little smoke, according to researchers of the Los Banos – based Department of Environment and

Natural Resources – Ecosystems Research and Development Bureau (DENR – ERDB)

(Fernandez, 2004).

Millennial entrepreneurs Jackie Yap, Leon Kee and Hazel May Pajotagana, have found a

brilliant way of helping reduce the worlds dependence on coal. In 2015, they co-founded HIGI

Energy, a start-up currently based in Taytay, Rizal. Their award-winning product is a clean

energy briquette made for a very unlikely material: water hyacinth. Water hyacinth (Eichhornia

Crissipes) is highly problematic invasive species outside its native range. Its rapid proliferation

displaces native plants and animals, clog canals, interfere with irrigation, cause flood and every

impede river transportation. The water hyacinth disaster, these millennials entrepreneurs have

discovered, has a silver lining after all (Roberto, 2018)