Abstract:
In the Philippines, researches are being conducted to find
alternative materials for papermaking. In this study, we made
handmade paper containing varying concentrations of Sargassum and
had its strength properties evaluated by the Standards and Division of Testing DOST.
Foremost, the strength values of the handmade paper made
with Sargassum as cellulose filler were compared to that without
Sargassum (0:5). For grammage, all the handmade paper with
Sargassum had a higher value than the paper without Sargassum
except for the ratio 3:5 while in bursting strength, tensile strength, and
tearing strength, 1:5 had a higher value than 0:5
Next, values from the test results of all the handmade paper were compared to the standard values of plain kraft paper. For
grammage, all the handmade paper had higher values compared to the
standard. For tensile strength, all the ratios failed to meet the minimum
value. As compared to the kraft paper, 1:5 had a higher tearing
strength MD value. For the tearing strength CD values, only 0:5 and
1:5 had higher values than the kraft paper. However, no standard
values for the bursting strength of kraft paper were obtained.
Based on the results, Sargassum sp. may be used as cellulose
filler at varying concentrations in handmade papermaking.
Furthermore, the ratio 1:5 met some of the standards set for kraft paper aside from the fact that it always garnered the highest values for all
strength properties. Hence, for this study, the ratio that is
recommended for handmade papermaking based on strength
properties, is 1:5.
