Utilization of red dragon fruit (Hylocereus polyrhizus) peels as a substitute for charcoal.

Chapter 1
RESEARCH PROBLEM

This chapter of the paper presents the problem and its setting. It includes the background

of the study, the statement of the problem, the significance of the study, hypothesis, and the scope

and delimitation of the study.

Background of the Study

Food waste and loss result in a significant waste of resources, including land, water, energy,

labor, and capital, all of which produce their own amounts of greenhouse gas emissions that

contribute to global warming and climate change. Households with the highest vegetable

consumption were 3.56 times more likely than those with the lowest consumption to have

vegetable waste (Agdeppa et al., 2023). Approximately 280 million tons of fruits, and perhaps

even 50% of total fruit production, are wasted out of the 560 million tons produced (Joardder &

Masud, 2019). Every year, approximately 88 million metric tons (Mt) of food is wasted in the

European Union, and the environmental consequences of these losses throughout the food supply

chain are widely acknowledged. Based on data available at the European level, this study illustrates

the impacts of food waste concerning the total food consumed, including the impact of food waste

management. The consequences of global warming are calculated. Almost three-quarters of all

food waste-related global warming impacts are caused by greenhouse gas emissions during the

manufacturing process. Food processing activities contribute 6%, retail and distribution 7%, food

consumption 8%, and food disposal 6% to the impacts of food waste (Scherhaufer et al., 2018).

Solid waste mishandling is a global issue in terms of environmental contamination, social

inclusion, and economic sustainability, and its settlement necessitates integrated assessments and

holistic approaches. Mismanagement of solid waste has severe and diverse environmental and

social consequences, preventing progress in sustainable development (Ferronato & Torretta,

2019).

Different studies on household food waste revealed that households in the UK and the US discard

between 154 and 270 kg of food waste per household per year (Parfitt et al., 2010). These estimates

are comparable to a Finnish survey that found 63 kg of food waste per household (Silvennoinen et

al., 2014). Plate waste is closely associated with hunger and threatened food security in the

Philippines. The Philippines ranked 69th out of 119 countries in the 2018 Global Hunger Index,

indicating a serious level of hunger incidence. Given that most plate waste is generated at home,

the average Filipino family generates 66.8g of plate waste per day, 5.0g more than in 2015. The

2018 Expanded National Nutrition Survey (ENNS) Household Food Consumption Component,

led by the Department of Science and Technology - Food and Nutrition Research Institute (DOST-

FNRI), revealed that cereals and cereal products account for 48.0g of typical plate waste, while

fish, meat, and poultry account for 8.9g, vegetables account for 7.2g, and other food categories

account for the remaining 2.7g (Agdeppa et al., 2023). Moreover, the other wastes are recycled to

turn them into new materials to lessen the generated wastes such as Saba banana peels into

charcoal, fruit branches into organic fertilizer, and turning cooking oil into soaps.

Statement of the Problem

This study is focused on utilizing dragon fruit peels to see their efficacy in making charcoal

lumps, the opinion of the respondents, and their effects on the households and community. The
Utilization of red dragon fruit (Hylocereus polyrhizus) peels as a substitute for charcoal.

following research questions will give data to this study to support the conducted experiment and

give way to answer the questions.

1. What will be the observations in a certain amount of dragon fruit peel (250 grams, 500 grams,

and 1000 grams) in terms of their performances?

1.1 Burning time

1.2 Ash residue

1.3 Durability

2. What is the significant difference between the amount of each dragon fruit peel (250 grams, 500

grams, and 1000 grams) that will be produced?

2.1 Burning time

2.2 Ash residue

2.3 Durability

3. What is the significant difference between commercial charcoal to the best-produced dragon

fruit peel charcoal?

3.1 Burning time

3.2 Ash residue

3.3 Durability
Utilization of red dragon fruit (Hylocereus polyrhizus) peels as a substitute for charcoal.

Hypotheses

These are the following null hypothesis (H0):

Null 1: There is no significant difference after the observation of the performances of the

different amounts of dragon fruit peels

Null 2: There is no significant difference between the certain amounts of dragon fruit peel in

terms of how many will be produced.

These are the following alternative hypothesis (HA):

Alternative 1: There is a significant difference after the observation of the performances of the

different amounts of dragon fruit peels

Alternative 2: There is a significant difference between the certain amounts of dragon fruit peel

in terms of how many will be produced.

Significance of the Study

The objective of this study is to create an alternative to burning wood for cooking by

introducing eco-charcoal made from agricultural waste as a sustainable and clean energy option.

Maximizing the use of fruits is one of the study's objectives to create a society that produces less

waste. Similar to our goal of turning dragon fruit peel into charcoal, this will allow us to use wood

for purposes other than charcoal and undoubtedly result in the preservation of additional trees and

decrease the waste being generated. Utilizing waste to create something valuable will enable us to

have a significant influence.

For the environment - It will help the environmental problem as it will lessen the

contribution of environmental pollution through organically made charcoal.

For the stakeholders and consumers - This study can provide knowledge to the stakeholders

and consumers of red dragon fruit on how to utilize the peels.

For future researchers - This study can provide future researchers with information about

the possibility of using red dragon fruit peel to turn into organic charcoal. As well as to give future

researchers inspiration to find more ways to look for other materials that could utilize the fruit

waste.
Utilization of red dragon fruit (Hylocereus polyrhizus) peels as a substitute for charcoal.

Scope and Limitation

This study focused on using a combination of Dragon fruit peel, cornstarch and water in

making Charcoals. Due to this, the study excluded other materials such as ash residue of

commercial charcoal added on Dragon fruit peel Charcoal since researchers focus on making

Charcoal as the main ingredient is Dragon fruit peel itself. Furthermore, this study focused on

including different characteristics of each produced Charcoal in comparison to commercial

charcoal, specifically its durability, ash residue and burning time. Likewise, the researchers were

not able to include other factors and reasons for its characteristics since the chemical

composition of the blocks was not a part of the study.

Nonetheless, the researchers were given a whole semester to conduct the entire research

as a requirement in the subject concerned with making charcoal instead of briquettes. Not only

that, the allotted budget for the research has also been limited to Php. 2, 000 for each member

and as a result, the researchers spent Php. 16, 000 at most. It could be deduced that the study was

a time-constrained and limited budget. Therefore, it was recommended that any existing research

gaps must be studied further.

Resources

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