Developing Sustainable Paper Materials from California Invasive Plants and Fruit Peel Fibers

Overview

Invasive plant species are a major ecological challenge in California, where they displace native vegetation, reduce biodiversity, and disrupt local ecosystems. Fruit peels often land in landfills, where they decompose anaerobically (without oxygen), releasing methane, a greenhouse gas with over 80 times the warming power of carbon dioxide. This study aims to develop a sustainable and scalable method for producing durable paper from invasive plant fibers and fruit peel waste. Combining invasive plants Hedera helix (English Ivy) and Lantana montevidensis (Trailing Lantana) with fruit peel waste from Actinidia deliciosa (kiwi) and Musa (banana), we conducted a total of 10 trials and created quality paper films. The paper properties were evaluated through 5 tests: tensile strength, flexibility, thickness, water capacity, and printability. The experiments showed that higher fiber density improved the paper film’s tensile strength, which reached 10.37 Newtons, while maintaining flexibility and printability. Across tests 7-10, Hedera Helix paper averaged 0.489 mm in thickness, while Lantana montevidensis paper averaged 0.275 mm. Despite being approximately 44% thinner, Lantana papers demonstrated greater water capacity (0.005 vs 0.00371), absorbing about 48% more water than Hedera papers. Printability was tested using pens and markers, and the results showed minimal bleeding and no ripping in the paper. The contact angle of water droplets on the paper was approximately 90°, showing a slight hydrophobicity. Our study not only provides a low-cost and scalable method for waste management but also creates a usable paper film that is biodegradable.

Competition history

• CSEF 2026 Environmental Engineering (Junior Division) · Entry J-11-50

Related projects

Closest projects by meaning, across every fair and year in the corpus.

Browse more like this

• All Environmental Engineering projects
• CSEF Environmental Engineering projects
• Every CSEF 2026 project