The feasibility of shredded paper, shredded corn husk, and coconut coir fiber as an alternative packaging loose-fill during truck transport

Abstract

This study aimed to test and compare Shredded Paper, Shredded Corn Husk, and Coconut Coir as an alternative to Packaging Loose-fills during truck transport using a Vibration testing machine and Truck simulation. Specifically, this study aimed to test the dunnage property of Shredded Paper, Shredded Corn Husk, and Coconut Coir Fiber, during truck transport using a vibration testing machine in the Philippine Center for Packaging Engineering and Technology (PCPET) laboratory at Central Philippine University and using a compact pickup truck to conduct a simulation testing or trundling test, to determine and evaluate the product settling of different alternatives, and to identify which among the different alternative loose-fills is best in terms of their dunnage property. Among the three alternative loose fills, Coconut Coir Fiber yielded the lowest settling percentage for both laboratory and simulation tests with a result of 29.34% and 32.90%. This implies that the Coconut Coir Fiber was the best in terms of dunnage properties among the three alternative loose-fills. For the Fixed Frequency, Coconut Coir Fiber passed the standard of Federal Specification PPP-C-1683A having/achieving 29.34% settling, while the Shredded Paper and Shredded Corn Husk failed, as it did not reach the required 30% maximum displacement.