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INTRODUCTION
Grasses
are
particularly
growing
everywhere. The first thing that comes into our mind
is the picture of weeds growing profusely in the open
fields. The grass family includes plants that we do
not normally think as grasses like sugar canes and
bamboos. The grass family contains 635 generas and
9,000 species, making it as the fourth largest plant
family after the legumes, orchids and composite
flowering plants. Grass belongs to the family of
graminea, a large family of monocotyledoneae, the
subclass of monocots or those flowering plants that
have single cotyledon or seed leaf.
Cogon grass is recently used as a potential
export item in the neighboring nation of the
Philippines. It serves as feedstuff in cattle fattening
operations, at the same time development arouse the
interest of enterprising groups and individuals, it also
cause apprehension among ecologist and citizen
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vegetation and disrupt ecosystems over a wide range
of environmental conditions. These characteristics
and consequences of cogon grass infestations are
similarly evident even within the native or endemic
range in the Eastern Hemisphere, as it has long been
considered one of Southeast Asias most noxious
weeds (Brook, 1989).
Significance of the Study
Chronic shortages of suitable housing exist
throughout the developing nations of the world.
Reasons for these shortages vary, but lack of
planning, exploitation of natural resources, and rapid
population growth has greatly exacerbated the
problem. The need for low-cost housing specifically
suited to the needs of these people has long been
recognized by essentially all world bodies concerned
with humanitarian issues along with those
governments concerned with global political stability.
Given the practical financial constraints that exist in
these countries, however, it is evident that the
solution to world housing problems lies largely in the
development of low-cost building materials that are
able to satisfy the production, construction,
economic, cultural, safety, and health requirements
imposed by the natural barriers, lack of infrastructure,
and lack of community services in developing
nations.
This study would make this cogon grass a
useful constituent on producing alternative
construction materials. CBPB had been successfully
used in a variety of climatic condition where its
unique characteristics make it an ideal building
material. It would introduce the important uses of
cogon grass.
Objectives
Generally, the study aimed to produced and
evaluate Cement Bonded Particle Board (CBPB)
using cogon grass as constituent for its production.
1. Produce CBPB, using different proportion of
cogon grass and cement.
2. Determine the modulus of rupture (MOR)
and water absorption (WA) capacity of the
produced cement-bonded particle board.
3. Determine the density and specific gravity
of CBPB constituted by cogon grass.
4. Select the best mixture of cement and cogon
grass ratio with high MOR value.
5. Determine the cost of production of the
produced CBPB.
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4.) The dried cogon grass, water and cement
were mixed manually until the cogon grass
will be coated with cement.
5.) The mixture was spread out in a mixture
forming frame previously constructed. It
was sure that the mixture will be properly
level up to a thickness of inch.
6.) The mixture (Figure 4) was dried for 24
hours and left to stand for 27 days to cure
completely.
7.) After curing, the produced CBPB was
subjected to evaluation by determining its
density, specific gravity, MOR test and
water absorption test.
Figure 1. Constructed frame
Preliminary Evaluation
To know the possible amount of cogon grass
used in the study for the production of cementbonded particle board, a preliminary evaluation was
conducted. Three pieces of CBPB with different
ratios of cement and cogon grass were formulated.
The ratios of cement and cogon grass used were
60:40, 70:30, 80:20 respectively. After 28 days of
curing, the strength of produced CPBP was tested.
Also the appearance of the boards was examined. The
appearance and the strength were then used as the
basis in formulating the treatments used in the study.
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represents different mixing proportions. Proportion
for treatment 1 (T1) was 85:15; for treatment 2 (T2)
was 90:10 and for treatment 3 (T3) was 95:5 cement
to cogon grass respectively.
Statistical Tools
The analysis of variance (ANOVA)
following CRD design was used in the study to
determine significant difference. Duncans Multiple
Range Test (DMRT) was used to identify the
significant difference per treatment.
Density Computations
The width and thickness of the board
develop was determined. After measuring, each of
the board was weighed (Figure 5). Density was
computed
using
the
formula:
(equ.1)
Where: DPB = is density of particle board (g/cm3)
WPB = is weight of particle board (g)
VPB = is volume of particle board (cm3)
Where: VPB = L x W x t
Where: L = length of particle board (cm)
W = width of particle board (cm)
t = thickness of particle board (cm)
(equ.3)
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Specific Gravity Computation
As applied to CBPB, the ratios of the oven
dry weight of sample to the weight of volume of water
equal to volume of the sample at specified moisture
content.
The boards was oven dried as a temperature
of 101 to 104oC as specified by the American Standard
Testing Materials (Bato Balani, 1999)
Sg =
(equ.4)
Observation
Total
Mean
R1
R2
R3
1.55
1.11
1.08
3.29
1.097b
1.25
1.25
1.30
3.8
1.267a
1.53
1.53
1.54
4.6
1.533a
11.69
3.897
Grand
Cv=3.14%
Mean numbers with different letters has significant
difference at 5% level of significance using DMRT.
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Specific Gravity of Produced CBPB
The produced CBPB were oven-dried at a
temperature of 104oC for 24 hours as specified by the
American Standard Testing Materials (Bato Balani,
1999). The boards withstand the extreme temperature.
Table 2 shows the specific gravity of produced CBPB.
Treatment 3 had the higher value and treatment 1had
the lower specific gravity. Statistical test using the
analysis of variance (ANOVA) at 5% and 1% level of
significance showed that there was a significant
among treatment means. Treatment 1 and treatment 2
were not significantly different, only with that of
treatment 3.
Table 2. observation data for the specific gravity of
produced CBPB, g/g
Treatment
Observation
R1
R2
Total
Mean
Observation
Total
Mean
R1
R2
R3
0.184
0.171
0.175
0.53
0.177a
0.153
0.147
0.13
0.43
0.143b
0.132
0.151
0.127
0.41
0.137b
1.37
0.461
Grand
Cv = 7.21%
Mean numbers with different letters has significant
difference at 5% level of significance using DMRT.
R3
Modulus of Rupture of Produced CBPB
1.05
1.07
1.05
3.17
1.06b
1.16
1.17
1.20
3.53
1.18b
1.46
1.44
1.50
4.4
1.47a
11.1
3.71
Grand
Cv=1.82%
Mean numbers with different letters has significant
difference at 5% level of significance using DMRT.
Water Absorption of the CBPB
The produced CBPB were subjected to water
absorption test by soaking the boards in 24 hours.
Table 3 shows the water absorption capacity of the
produced CBPB. Among the treatments, treatment 1
(85:15) has the higher water absorption capacity and
treatment 3 (95:5) has the lower water absorption
capacity. The water absorption capacity of the
produced CBPB was subjected to statistical analysis
using the Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) at 5% and
1% level of significance. Result showed the water
absorption capacity of the boards was significant. The
CBPB were greatly affected by the proportion of
cement and cogon grass. It was also found out that
treatment 2 and treatment 3 were not significantly
different. Only treatment 1 had significant difference
with treatment 2 and treatment 3.
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Table 4. Observation data for modulus of rupture of
produced CBPB, N/cm2.
Treat
Observation
Total
Mean
ment
R1
R2
R3
261.35
277.46
266.46
804.85
268.28b
582.31
624.76
569.76
1776.83
592.28b
920.31
860.79
945.64
2726.74
908.91a
5308.42
1769.47
Grand
Cv = 5.17%
Mean numbers with different letters has significant
difference at 5% level of significance using DMRT.
Cost Estimates
For every piece, cement bought including
miscellaneous, labor for hauling the grass and other
material used was recorded for cost estimates. Each
item cost was estimated using the particle dimension
of 8in x 5in x in.
The Table 5 comprises the cost of production
of cement-bonded particle board (CBPB).
Table 5. Cost of the produced CBPB of dimension
(8in x 5in x in)
Treatment
13.40
14.20
15.10
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increased. The specific gravity of the board also
increased as the amount of cement increased. The
produced CBPB had a better water absorption
compared to the standard CBPB. Among the
treatments, treatment 3 has the higher MOR value
which exceeded the standard MOR for CBPB. Its price
per square inch is cheaper than a commercial CBPB.
Therefore, treatment 3 was the best treatment
and had the best proportion of cement and cogon grass
for cement-bonded particle board production.
Recommendations
Based from the study the following are
recommended for further study:
1. Add some additives to improve the strength
of the produced cement-bonded particle
board.
2. Use a suitable adhesive as binding material
for the production of cement-bonded
particleboard like plastic resin.
3. Use the finest chop of cogon grass to enhance
the binding properties.
4. Use different thickness of the produced
cement-bonded particle board for evaluation.
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LITERATURE CITED
Bato Balani for Science and Technology (Senior Ed.) Vol. 18 No.1 SY 1998-99
Bato Balani for Science and Technology (Senior Ed.) Vol. 18 No.3 SY 1998-99
CATOERA, DEXTER,2010. Production and Evaluation of Cement-Boned Particle Board Using Chicken Feather As
Constituent.
ERELLANA, ISMAEL CONSENCINO,2006. Production and Evaluation of Cement-Boned Particle Board Using
Coconut Coir As Constituent.
MILLER, R.1991. Carpentry and Construction.
World Wide Web: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cement. Accessed online on October 17, 2009
World Wide Web: http:// www. bmtpc. org/pubs/papers/ paper 1.htm. Accessed online on
October 17, 2009
World Wide Web: http://www.eltomation.nl/cbpb.html. Accessed online on October 17, 2009
World Wide Web: http://www.fao.org/docrep/r6560e/r6560e05.htm. Accessed online on October 17, 2009
World Wide Web: http://www.nps.gov/plants/alien/fact/imcy1.htm. Accessed online on October 17, 2009