Design and fabrication of a semi-automated water hyacinth vegan leatherization machine/ Kenneth S. Canaleta, Attila F. Dayag, Michael A. Mazon, Stephen B. Romillo, and Jeraldien S. Zuniga.--

Bachelor's thesis

College of Engineering.-- Bachelor of science in mechanical engineering:
Technological University of the Philippines, 2025.

Includes bibliographic references and index.

This study presents the design, fabrication, and evaluation of a semi-automated machine that transforms water hyacinth petioles into vegan leather sheets. The machine is made up of three main parts: a heated roller press that bonds the materials at temperatures between 120 and 150°C, a conveyor that applies adhesive to a pelon fabric backing, and a scraping unit that mechanically removes the petiole's inner tissues. The mechanical design, assembly, and testing of the machine's functionality, production rate, and product quality were all part of the methodology. In addition to comparing to manual processing, experiments were carried out to assess dimension, texture, and appearance using a 1-5 rating scale. As the results the machine can produce three sheets in an 8-hour workday, according to the results, which is a significant improvement over one sheet produced by hand in the same amount of time. With the machine, scraping efficiency increased from 4 petioles per hour when done by hand to 28 petioles per hour. Product quality across trials rated mostly acceptable in all trials. The economic analysis yielded a Rate of Return (ROR) of 7.79% and a Total Annual Cost (TAC) of P525,818. In conclusion, the machine demonstrates effective functionality, improved efficiency, and consistent product quality, offering a scalable, eco-friendly alternative for converting invasive water hyacinth into valuable leather-like material.