DOST, private firms developing wallpaper from water hyacinths

MANILA, Philippines - The Department of Science and Technology (DOST) has partnered with private firms for the development of wallpaper from water hyacinths, which have been blamed for severe flooding in some parts of the country.

Science Secretary Mario Montejo said a number of private companies have started developing wallpapers from water hyacinth stems with the help of the DOST’s Forest Products Research and Development Institute (FPRDI) based in Los Baños, Laguna.

He said these companies export their products to other countries like Japan.

“There is a high level of interest for the product,” Montejo said in phone interview.

Wallpaper is a kind of material used to cover and decorate the interior walls of homes, offices, and other buildings.

Last June, President Aquino directed Montejo to map out a long-term, science-based mitigation program to address the unabated growth of water hyacinths in Cotabato that caused severe flooding in the area.

Montejo said the FPRDI has developed a dryer especially for water hyacinth stems and other plant raw materials, adding that the machine is ready for commercialization.

“It is very affordable,” Montejo said when asked about the price of the dryer.

FPRDI director Romulo Aggangan said the FPRDI-developed dryer shortens drying time from several days to only a few hours, and allows handicraft makers to dry their materials even during the rainy season.

“The stalks can be dried at once; they don’t have to be stored fresh after harvesting. This removes the risk of fungal attack and assures weavers of quality products,” he said.

Water hyacinth stalks are typically full of water and have to be dried well before they can be used as raw materials, Aggangan said.

Montejo encouraged small and medium enterprises to take advantage of the high reproduction rate of the plant.

In 2004, Winifredo Austria of the Philippine Science High School, also a DOST attached agency, studied the possibility of using water hyacinth as a source of paper.

“Overall rating of paper by the Fiber Industry Development Authority indicates that the paper with any amount of water hyacinth fiber content is better than paper with no water hyacinth fiber content,” the study said.

The FPRDI said stems of water hyacinths can also be made into varied handmade products like bags, baskets, slippers, wine bottle holders, and home decors.