Extracting Musa acumita(banana) stem as a primary source of fibers in paper bag production.

Research plan

Rationale: as our technological advancement rises our pollutants is also increasing and one of
the major pollutants worldwide is the plastic bags . The majority of consumer products used
today are comprised of some form of plastic. Worldwide, almost 280 million tons of plastic
material are produced annually, much of which ends up in landfills or the oceans (Shaw and
sahni,2014). Plastics also cause health problems in human and animals, they may cause
entanglement, death from ingestion and carry invasive species. According to Banken, 2010
plastic bags that are non- biodegradable takes more than 1,000 years to fully decompose while
plastic bottles take 450 years that's why it is the major pollutants worldwide. In other country
including Philippines,bans the usage of plastic bags instead of using plastic bags they use tote
bags/eco bags and paper bags and many establishement offers paper bags to their customers.

Paper bag is the most eco friendly bags it decompose quickly than plastic bags and it is
composed of paper which is made from wood but sometimes non wood material like
bamboo,pineapple and banana can make a paper.

Banana is one of the earliest crops in the history of human agriculture. The origin of this
particular plant family stretches from India to South East Asian region (De Lange et al,2009) and
according to Fao,2010 it is the world second largest fruit crop. There's many benefits we can get
in the banana but in terms of paper production banana stem is one of the source of fibers in
making a paper . Banana stem has no use after harvesting the fruits and according to kumar &
Kumar,2011 banana stem is use for manufacturing of pulp for the production of fiber, film and
paper . Pulping is done to liberate the fibers from lignnen and hemicellulose which can be
accomplished chemically or mechanically and the pulp is the fibrous material mainly use for
paper production.

The main purpose of this research is to know the ability of a banana stem fiber to produce a
reusable paper bags.

Research Question
  If there is any effect on product's durability if it is bleached or non
bleached?
 If it is durable compare to the other paper?
 If the amount of NaOH will affect the product?

Hypothesis:

This study will be conducted in order to test the following hypothesis:

Ha: there is effect on product's durability if it is bleached or non bleached.

Ho:there is effect on product's durability if it is bleached or non bleached.

Ha:The amount of NaOH will affect the product.

Ho: The amount of NaOH doesn't affect the product.

Ha: It is durable compare to the other paper.

Ho: It is less durable compare to the other paper.

 Methodology/Product's Procedure

Procedure

Stripping the outer layer of the

Collecting of Banana trunk
Banana trunk

Cutting the dry banana trunk into Drying the stripped banana trunk
small pieces

Boiling, Blending, Filtering, Rinsing Molding the pulp to make a paper

In this research the variable of the study of Musa acumita (banana) trunk
collected by the researchers at Jeffrey's house located at South Square Village,
Pasong Kawayan II, City Of General Trias, Cavite while the other material such as
NaOH (sodium hydroxide) were brought at Alfa Mart, Pasong Kawayan II Branch.
The researchers will then prepare at the materials in conducting the experiment .
The experiment will start at stripping out the outer layer of the banana trunk after
the researchers stripped it we will dry it overnight until the color becomes
brownish then we will cut it into small pieces for easily blending it into the
blender when the banana strip cut it into pieces the researchers will boil it with
water adding 12-15% of NaOH. Sodium Hydroxide is used to help regenerate the
chemicals used to pulp the banana strip into fibers in the chemical pulping
process. After 1 and a half hour of boiling the researchers will blend it into the
blender after that when the pulp is ready,the researchers will rinse it and filter it
and then molding the pulp to make a paper.