Republic of the Philippines
Department of Science and Technology
PHILIPPINE SCIENCE HIGH SCHOOL
SOCCSKSARGEN REGION CAMPUS
Brgy. Paraiso, City of Koronadal
OKRA (Abelmoschus esculentus) STEMS AS RECYCLED
PAPER
An Investigatory Project
Presented to the Faculty of
Philippine Science High School
SOCCSKSARGEN Region Campus
Brgy. Paraiso, City of Koronadal
In Partial Fulfillment of
Requirement in Integrated Science 2
ALLYSSA A. LUMAGOD
AKIA ZEN A. OMAHOY
SITTIE NUR NISHREEN U. POMPONG
FEBRUARY 2018
CHAPTER I
THE PROBLEM AND ITS SCOPE
Introduction
Background of the Study
Nonbiodegradable waste is a major concern everywhere in the world. The bulk
of the world’s waste consists of the hard-to-breakdown products, such as styrofoam.
Styrofoam is commonly used as food container in fast food restaurants. Because it
cannot be recycled, this waste contributes largely to the world’s increasing garbage
problem.
One and a half acres of trees are being cut down every second. 93% of paper
comes from trees. In the case of paper, it also involves cutting down trees. Deforestation
is one of the main environmental problems we’re facing in these times. 42% of all
global wood harvest is used to make paper.
To lessen this environmental problem, one logical solution is to use
biodegradable materials or recyclable. Okra stems are regarded as waste and are often
just thrown to become compost.
People have been making paper from plants for centuries. The Egyptians are
famous for their paper made from the papyrus reed. Paper has also been made from
flax, day lilies, and in this case, okra, that ubiquitous southern vegetable.
Statement of the Problem
This study is made to find out the differences of paper made from okra stems.
This study is made to find out the answer to the questions: “In what way can the okra
paper be made better in terms of breaking strength and porosity?”, “What is the
difference in the paper when the ingredients were varied?”, and “Can okra paper be
used as a writing paper?”.
General Objective:
a) To create a paper using okra stems that is durable.
Specific Objectives:
a) To create okra paper with wastepaper that is in par with an ordinary okra
paper’s breaking strength and porosity or even better.
b) To use wastepaper as another ingredient to make the paper more durable
Significance of the Study
This project was made to find the better paper replacement in terms of
porosity, texture, and in other areas using okra stems. This was made to help people
and save the environment. This study would help students find a replacement for
wrapping paper. This would also help tree planters because this paper consumes or
uses less trees and trees are essential to the environment. This also can help to find
another use of okra stems.
Scope and Limitations
The research was limited to paper production and different tests. The
research was limited to using okra stems as replacement and not concerned to using
other products. In this research, we, the researchers, will solely use okra and another
natural ingredient. Therefore, they couldn’t be fairly compared to other replacements
in terms of their qualities. Also, this product was only tested for writing and wrapping
use and not in any form of other use involving paper.
Definition of Terms
Breaking Strength - the greatest stress especially in tension that a material is
capable of withstanding without rupture.
Fiber - a thread or filament from which a vegetable tissue, mineral
substance, or textile is formed.
Porosity - a measure of the void (i.e. "empty") spaces in a material,
and is a fraction of the volume of voids over the total
volume, between 0 and 1, or as a percentage between 0 and
100%.
Pulp - a soft, wet, shapeless mass of material.
Texture - the feel, appearance, or consistency of a surface or a
substance
Water Retention - hold considerable amount of water.
