CHAPTER 1

THE PROBLEM AND IT’S BACKGROUND

This Chapter contains the Introduction, Statement of the Problem,

Significance of the Study and Scope and Delimitation

I. Introduction

Water hyacinth, locally known as water lily, an ornamental aquatic plant with large round

floating leaves and large, typically cup-shaped, floating flowers, according to Merriam Webster.

It is naturally existing in bodies of water, particularly in lakes or rivers. It's because water lily, the

world’s most “invasive” aquatic plant, has a very systematic method of reproduction, that has seen

in scientific studies across the globe.

One water lily plant can produce 5,000-6,000 seeds per season and still manageable up to 15

years. 797,160 daughter plants that a single plant of water lily produce within three months. Their

presence to an observer is that of an aesthetic and serene aquatic environment. The waterlily is

pre-dominant and grows freely. The plant has wide-round leaves that float flat on the surface. They

are greenish in colour thus able carry out photosynthesis according to Obot, E. A., and Ayeni, J.

S. O. (1987). A Hand Book of Aquatic Plants of the Kainji Lake Basin. National Institute for

Freshwater Fisheries Research. Saolog Printing Productions, New Bussa.

 In the Philippines, because of lots of waterlilies, it blocks rivers and irrigation canals, hinders

fishing, and enhancing the breeding places for vectors that transmit harmful diseases. Specially in

Laguna Lake, it grows so much that it has become a burden to navigation. Sometimes, it enters

lakeside farms in such quantities that invades in rice-growing.

The Local Government units, spend a lot of time to annually remove a large number of water

lilies in mouths of river and in streets after typhoons, around 90,000 hectare lake. According to

researchers of the Los Baños-Based Department of Environment and Natural Resources-

Ecosystems Research and Development Bureau (DENR-ERDB), The charcoal briquettes burn

clean with very little smoke.

“The ash of water hyacinth is also valuable as a fertilizer,” led by Engr. Santiago Baconguis

reported, the ERDB research team. ERDB headed by Director Celso P. Diaz, is also involved using

cellulosic (plant) materials in charcoal briquette in studies. Charcoal briquettes made from water

lily are great fuels that can substitute or alternate wood-based and petroleum-based carriers.

A ton of water lily can remove 1-1.5 ha of the aquatic plants from the lake. 75-88 trees with

diameter of about 10 centimeters that it can save and that is equivalent area of 0.12-0.14 ha of

forest plantation, and CO2 avoidance is 1.65-22 t or ha according to Rudy A. Fernandez.

 II. Statement of the Problem

This section contains the purpose statements and the research question(s).

This study aims to know The Means to create Charcoal Briquette from Water Hyacinth.

1. What are the means to create a charcoal briquette from water lily?

1.1 raw materials needed

1.2 process required

2. What is the quality and differences of the charcoal produced vs. the typical charcoal being used?

3. What is the performance of the project in terms of:

3.1) Standard

3.2) Efficiency

3.3) Cost

III. Significance of the Study

Students- They will benefit in this study because this research might help them to use a

charcoal briquette on their houses, school, scout’s camp and many more. The water hyacinths in

the river and other bodies of water might be lessen knowing how to make a charcoal briquette.
Teacher- This study will benefit them just like the students. They may help their students to

improvised this recent study about making a charcoal briquette using water hyacinth.

Future Researcher- They can use this study to have a background in their paper. Also, they can

use different process and cultivate the contents of the paper for a better one.

Factories of Charcoal- This will benefit them because they will not have to cut down trees and

burn it just to make a charcoal but they will just have to collect or gather water hyacinths to make

a charcoal briquette. They will have a better image in using water hyacinths because it will be

lessen.

Local Grilling Stores- This will benefit them because they will see the difference of using the

typical charcoal between the Charcoal Briquette that are made from the water hyacinth.

IV. Scope and Delimitations

This study focuses on what the beneficiaries (Senior High Students, Teachers, Future

Reseachers, Factories of Charcoal, Local Grilling Store) think about The Means to Create a

Charcoal Briquette using Water Hyacinth in Sta.Lucia High School and other vendor of grilling

store in Sta.Lucia, Calumpit, Bulacan. The respondents should be a user of charcoal in cooking

and local business.

Footnotes: