ABSTRACT
Water hyacinth is one of the most invasive plant species in the world. This is a noxious weed that has attracted worldwide attention due to its fast spread and congested growth, which lead to serious problems in navigation, irrigation and power generation. Various methods like mechanical removal, chemical control, biological control was adopted to control the growth in the affected zones. But none has proved to be a complete solution to control this weed. The only aspect to control this weed is through utilization. In this limelight, the weeds are utilized in the form of pulp to make boards with suitable adhesives to make boards for the purpose of non-load bearing multipurpose applications. Water hyacinth has a lignin content of 6% along with paper sludge which has high lignin content were mixed and bonded together to make the pulp-based board. The fiber-rich paper sludge helped to improve the strength and adhesive properties of the multipurpose board. The multi-purpose boards are suitable for low load application and are easy to mould into any shapes. Various test such as Visual inspection, Thickness, Density, moisture content, Water absorption test, Thermo gravimetric analysis (TGA) and Surface hardness revealed that suitability of the boards in various applications. With the help of advanced processing and manufacturing methods, the product can get superior properties and will be competent with existing products.
