Journal of Positive School Psychology http://journalppw.

com
2022, Vol. 6, No. 2, 5916– 5921

MAKING PAPER FROM WATER HYACINTH FOR

PRODUCTS AND HOME DECORATIONS

1Krairop CHAROENSOPA, 2Wat PLOYSRI

1
Department of Printing Industry, Faculty of Industrial Technology, Suan Sunandha Rajabhat University,
Bangkok, Thailand, Krairop.ch@ssru.ac.th
2
Department of Printing Industry, Faculty of Industrial Technology, Suan Sunandha Rajabhat University,
Bangkok, Thailand

Abstract
The study conducted fieldwork to examine the community identity and investigate the application of
water hyacinth from San Bua Bok to product design and home decoration, which is a community
enterprise in Phayao province. Fiber pulp from the plant is used to produce paper, out of which five
product and home decoration prototypes were developed. Satisfaction with such products was then
evaluated. The results illustrated that the optimal proportion of materials for paper making is 70% water
hyacinth to 30% hemp fiber. Finally, the product that obtained the highest level of satisfaction is the
notebook prototype at 4.63.

Keywords: Water hyacinth, home decorations, community enterprise.

INTRODUCTION problems for water transportation systems, such

as difficulty in navigation (Wang 2012).
Water hyacinth [Eichhornia crassipes (Mart.)
Solms], which is also known as lilac devil, is a Similarly, Phayao province confronts problems
free-floating aquatic weed (Gopal 1987). It is related to the overgrowth of water hyacinth.
durable and can tolerate drought but displays Although eradicated yearly, water hyacinth
low tolerance for saline waters. Although water propagation in this area is considered
hyacinth can survive severe environmental uncontrolled, particularly in Phayao Lake.
conditions and propagate quickly, it can cause Water hyacinth covers an area of more than
agricultural and irrigational problems, thus 5,000 rai (8,000,000 m2), obscures the beautiful
affecting health and creating propagation scenery of the lake, and pollutes the water,
control difficulty (Abral et al., 2014). which leads to a foul odor emanating from the
lake. Importantly, its overpropagation is
Water hyacinth is classified as an invasive alien detrimental to the ecosystem. Accordingly, the
plant that severely damages ecosystems and government and private sectors in Phayao
freshwater biodiversity because it can live in any province established a solution for problems
water condition (i.e., dirty and clean water) and related to the overgrowth of water hyacinth by
extremely propagate in still water. Moreover, it promoting is utilization in different types of
hinders sunlight from penetrating underwater, products, such as organic fertilizers or
which obstructs the growth of underwater plants wickerwork, to generate community income.
(e.g., algae) or other surrounding plants.
Moreover, water hyacinth has a long-term The aforementioned problems have prompted
impact on water quality by covering the startups and One Tambon One Product (OTOP)
deposition of dead plants under water and community enterprises in Phayao province to
polluting water, which consequently harms turn a crisis into an opportunity by transforming
underwater animals and causes massive losses in water hyacinth into fiber pulp to develop
biodiversity. Furthermore, water hyacinth poses products and home decorations. The project
5917 Journal of Positive School Psychology

aims to (1) be a part of the solution, (2) introduce Stock preparation is the most important process
various products made of water hyacinth to for papermaking as the paper quality is adjusted
create an alternative for commercial products to suit the purpose of the paper. The process
and packaging development of community comprises spreading the fibers, adjusting
enterprises, (3) generate family and community concentrations, beating/refining, blending, and
income from the said products based on the less contaminating or removing entrained air. The
is more concept, and (4) provide an opportunity order of this process can be adjusted according
for the exchange between local wisdom and to various conditions (Mishra 2019).
modern academic knowledge for integration
into the development of new innovations for the 2. Sheet forming
community. Handicraft sheet forming primarily pertains to
placing the prepared fiber pulp onto a screen
with the dimensions of 55 × 79 cm2 in a washing
LITERATURE REVIEW basin or container filled with a suitable level of
water. The pulp is refined and spread evenly by
Green design hand over the screen before lifting the screen out
The development of science and technology and of the container.
rapid progress of the human society may have an 3. Paper properties and testing
environmental impact as natural resources
become increasingly restricted because of the 3.1 Structural properties can indicate the
overload consumption of the human civilization. overall characteristics of the paper sheet, such as
Therefore, the concept of environmentally basis weight and thickness. Basis weight refers
friendly or green design, which promotes to the weight of the paper per unit stored under
sustainable consumption and production, is controlled temperature and humidity conditions.
currently emphasized at a large scale because the The most commonly used unit is grams per
scheme can become a solution to the square meter. Moreover, thickness refers to the
aforementioned problems. Green design perpendicular distance between the top surface
highlights limiting waste, maximizing and underside of the paper based on specific test
sustainable materials, and using renewable conditions. The measuring unit is micrometer;
energy during production. Additionally, green however, millimeter is a widely used unit.
design reduces not only production cost but also
negative impacts on the environment. Therefore, 3.2 Mechanical properties denote physical
if green design is employed, then design work properties related to paper strength. The most
can be harmonious with the living environment commonly used mechanical properties are
(Zhou 2014). tensile, burst, and tear strength.

Papermaking process 3.3 Optical properties can be simply

explained as follows: the paper must produce
Paper refers to sheet materials used for writing, reflection, scattering, and absorption when
packaging, and other special purposes. Paper is struck by light. Such phenomena and their
developed by filtering a network of fibers over effects compose the optical properties of paper,
water and forming a sheet of fiber on a screen. such as gloss, brightness, or opacity. Moreover,
The fibers adhere to one another in the dry state optical properties include whiteness and color
through hydrogen bonding. Additives and fillers (Gullichsen 2000).
are frequently added to paper (T Suropan 2019).
Papermaking involves three primary processes Conceptual framework
as follows: The conceptual framework of the study is based
1. Stock preparation on the less is more concept, as shown in Figure
1.
Krairop CHAROENSOPA 5918

Figure 1 Conceptual framework

Objectives of the study pulp and marinated for approximately 45 min to
bleach.
1. Produce paper from water hyacinth to
develop products and home decorations. 4. Dyeing the pulp
2. Evaluate satisfaction toward the This step requires 10 g of any chemical color of
developed products and home decorations. choice for hot dyeing (the color was diluted in
100 ml of warm water). The mixture was then
Experiment stirred well into the pulp. The bleached water
The experiment is divided into two primary hyacinth and hemp fiber pulp were boiled for
sections, namely, papermaking and developing approximately 5–15 min to ensure the
prototypes of products and home decorations. absorption of the dye, which may vary according
to the fiber pulp.
Papermaking
5. Beating the pulp
The study involved the following processes for
papermaking: The proportion included 70% of water hyacinth
fiber pulp and 30% hemp fiber pulp per 50 ml of
1. Preparing the materials tapioca starch. Beat the fiber pulp for 2 min
using a beating machine.
The pulp is composed of 500 g of water hyacinth
per 4,000 ml of water in a pot with a width of 6. Forming the paper sheets
30–32 cm.
The sheet of fiber pulp was dried in the sun by
2. Boiling the pulp tilting the frame by 45°, and the fiber pulp was
dried, which then transformed into paper in 1–2
For the additive, 100 g of sodium hydroxide
days (Figure 2).
(diluted in 100 ml of water) was added to 500 g
of water hyacinth and 6,000 ml of water. It was 7. The structural properties of water
stirred well with pulp and boiled for 45 min. hyacinth paper were tested in terms of weight
and thickness.
3. Bleaching the pulp
This component includes 2,000 g of boiled water
hyacinth per 400 ml of hydrogen peroxide and
4,000 ml of water. It was stirred well into the
5919 Journal of Positive School Psychology

aforementioned process using the hyacinth pulp

formula.
4. The developed prototypes were
evaluated through focus group discussions with
stakeholders and three product and packaging
experts. A questionnaire was used with items
rated using a five-point Likert-type scale.
5. The prototypes were improved based on
the recommendations and suggestions from
stakeholders and experts, and consumer
satisfaction toward the prototypes was
evaluated. A questionnaire was then used with
Figure 2 Forming paper sheets items rated using a five-point Likert-type scale
with their average scores (5 = highest [4.51–
Developing prototypes of products and home 5.00]; 4 = high [3.51–4.50], 3 = moderate
decorations [2.51−3.50], 2 = low [1.51–2.50], and 1 = lowest
[1.00–1.50] levels of consumer satisfaction;
The section provides the following processes for
Best, 1970).
the development of prototypes of products and
home decorations: 6. Date were analyzed using descriptive
statistics, such as mean (x̄) and standard
1. Fieldwork was conducted to gather data deviation (S.D.), and the result were
and analyze the problems and needs
summarized.
requirements of the samples by visiting
production and distribution areas and
conducting in-depth interviews with 20
stakeholders, such as producers and consumers, RESULTS
involved in the project. The study provided two sets of results as
2. The data were analyzed and follows:
summarized by examining documents, 1. Papermaking from water hyacinth
observing related works, and conducting
fieldwork to interview experts, designers, and Papermaking from water hyacinth elucidated
consumers for establishing the conceptual that developing products and home decorations
framework for developing prototypes of are a feasible San Bua Bok community
products and home decorations. enterprise. In addition, testing the structural
properties of 10 sheets of paper indicated a mean
3. The conceptual framework was used to weight of 150 g and mean thickness of 0.70 mm.
develop products for startups and community
enterprises in Phayao and utilize the 2. Product development of San Bua Bok
water hyacinth community enterprise
Table 1 Analysis of problems and requirements of products and home decorations
Community and Products Problems and Needs Solutions

San Bua Bok Water Hyacinth

Community Enterprise, Ban Sang
– Products and home decorations – Design and develop
from water hyacinth products and home decorations
Subdistrict, Mueang District, made of paper from water
Phayao Province hyacinth to respond to community
needs.

Table 1 indicates that the communities need designing and developing products and home
products and home decorations using paper decorations from water hyacinth to respond to
made of water hyacinth pulp. The solution was community requirements.
Krairop CHAROENSOPA 5920

Accordingly, the products and home decorations evaluated five product prototypes, namely, a
from paper made of water hyacinth were lamp, tablet case, mobile phone pouch,
designed and developed based on the need and umbrella, and notebook. The results revealed a
identity of the San Bua Bok water hyacinth high level of satisfaction (x̄ = 4.59; S.D. = 0.50;
community enterprise in Ban Sang, Mueang Table 2).
district, Phayao province. Three experts

Figure 3 Prototypes of mobile phone pouch, umbrella, and notebook

Table 2 Satisfaction with notebook produced from water hyacinth

Aspects Mean Standard Deviation Level

1. Creativity 4.67 0.58 Highest
2. Combination of composition, color, and image 4.67 0.58 Highest
3. Representativeness 5 0 Highest
4. Esthetics 4.33 0.58 High
5. Suitability of materials used 4.67 0.58 Highest
6. Convenience of use 4.33 0.58 High
7. Uniqueness 5 0 Highest
8. Information communicability to consumers 4.33 0.58 High
9. On-shelf remarkability and attractiveness 4.67 0.58 Highest
Total 4.63 0.45 Highest

CONCLUSION AND DISCUSSION 2. Using paper from water hyacinth to

develop products and home decorations
1. The six-process papermaking could be promoted the utilization and added value to
used to develop products and home decorations residual and environmentally friendly materials,
to generate income for the San Bua Bok water which is in accordance with the finding of
hyacinth community enterprise in Prayao (Wang 2014), who applied a packaging design
province. (Chotithammaporn et al., 2020) that displayed the features and basic principles
examined the production of paper using water of design and green design methods.
hyacinth and mulberry pulp for dried fragrant
flower packaging. By contrast, (Kongtad et al., 3. The level of satisfaction with the
2007) investigated the mechanical properties of products and home decorations of the San Bua
paper using a combination of water hyacinth and Bok water hyacinth community enterprise was
hemp fiber pulp at a ratio of 70:30. The paper high (x̄ = 4.47, S.D.= 0.13). Satisfaction with
was manufactured by hand, which is of good each product is ranked highest to lowest as
quality and can be used for handicraft instead of follows: notebook → lamp→ tablet case →
mulberry paper. Furthermore, the result of the umbrella → mobile bag.
current study is consistent with that of
(Kumaravel et al., 2015) who combined several 4. Accordingly, satisfaction with the
materials to ensure tensile strength support. products and home decorations of the
community enterprise in Prayao pointed to the
relationship between community identity and
5921 Journal of Positive School Psychology

products and home decorations. This result is Sapuan and MR Ishak. 2014; Mechanical
consistent with that of (Daoduean 2018), who properties of water hyacinth fibers–
proposed that such products could be developed polyester composites before and after
at the industrial level to gain knowledge related immersion in water. Mater Design. 58,
to the prosperity belief of the Thai, which led to 125–129.
the conservation and dissemination of Thai [6] J Gullichsen and H Paulapuro, 2000,
intellectual values and beliefs. This scheme Papermaking science and technology:
could consequently induce the process of Chemical pulping. USA: Tappi Press.
designing and developing home and office [7] SP Mishra, 2005, A textbook of fiber
products and decorations systematically to science and technology. New Delhi: New
contribute to the research on product design and Age International Ltd.
provide guidelines for developing arts and [8] T Suropan. 2019; Production of handicraft
handicrafts using natural materials. This aspect paper from cotton rags. Bulletin of Applied
is relevant to the Thai belief on prosperity and Sciences. 8(8), 25–33.
corresponds to consumer satisfaction. [9] W Chotithammaporn, R Chusuk and P
Trirat. 2020; Production of paper with
water hyacinth and mulberry pulp for dried
RECOMMENDATIONS AND fragrant flower packaging. Proceeding of
SUGGESTIONS International Conference Business
Education Social Sciences Tourism and
Further studies should investigate the properties Technology. 4-6(2020), 12–15.
of products and home decorations in the [10] W Kongtad, C Sampumpuang and S
community to inform the development of Soontararachun, 2007, Mechanical
modern products suitable to the gender, age, and properties of Thai handmade paper from
income of target consumers. water hyacinth and sea mixed pulp for
handicrafts. The 45th Kasetsart University
Academic Conference. 379–384.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS [11] YF Wang. 2014; On green packaging
design in packaging design. Adv Mat Res.
The researcher expresses gratitude to Suan 971–973, 2251–2254.
Sunandha Rajabhat University for the financial [12] Z Wang and MM Calderon. 2012;
assistance. The study was successfully Environmental and economic analysis of
completed as scheduled with the support application of water hyacinth for eutrophic
received. water treatment coupled with biogas
production. J Environ Manage. 110, 246–
253.
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