Development and mechanical characterization of particle boards from water hyacinth: a sustainable approach to invasive species utilization

Abstract

The worldwide timber consumptions is more than 483 m³ which include the pulp, wood based furniture and goods production which cause a tread for the green environment. It is a material which required and have a high demand for construction, manufacturing, furniture and other packaging item industries. At the same time, this causes series of environmental issues which leads for flooding and global warming. Researchers started to address these issues by giving alternative solutions for usage of wood bio mass with different fiber sources which can be extracted from the waste materials [1]. This study focused on the usage of water hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes) as an alternative fiber source which can produce particle boards as a sustainable alternative solution for wood based boards. The water hyacinth plants indigenous to Amazon Basin and currently wide spread in several countries including Sri Lanka. It was introduced in 1904 as a free floating decorated plant and spread and went out of control while damaging the eco system of the water reservoirs. It causes deterioration of water quality, minimize the oxygen dissolvement, enhance the cost for upkeeping reservoir and irrigation systems [2], [3]. There are several methods used to control the proliferation of the water hyacinth plant using biological control methods with weevils of the species Neochetina eichhorniae and N. bruchi introduction which were not succeeded as planned [4]. This paths to conduct the research to achieve the alternative solution for wood based products using water hyacinth biomass as a solution for the invasive plants and minimize the ecological issues raised from the deforestation.