Indonesia is a country with two seasons, namely, the dry season and the rainy season. The rainy season can cause mold and seepage in building construction parts, including the ceiling. The ceiling has an important role, including keeping the temperature stable due to sunlight in the room by conveying hot air to the roof space and then channeling it to the space below. Apart from that, the ceiling also protects the room from water seepage, dampens loud noises when it rains, and hides electrical installation cables so that the room looks neater.
Besides being easily affected by weather problems, conventional gypsum ceilings, generally made from gypsum, are not waterproof, easily brittle, and lack strength. Gypsum is a mineral from sedimentary rocks, the raw material for chalk, and gypsum contains 90% CaSO4.H2O. The quality of the ceiling is influenced by the material used. Therefore, another possible innovation is to add pineapple leaf fiber and tobacco leaf powder. This is because the cellulose content of pineapple leaf fiber is 69.5% -71.5%, which causes the flexural strength of the ceiling to be better than conventional ceilings, amounting to 10.53kg/cm2. Pineapple leaf fiber itself is classified as a muscular fiber. The use of solid fibers can produce suitable quality ceilings. Strong fibers also function as reinforcement to increase tensile strength and make it more ductile. Not only that, the use of fiber in gypsum boards can change the physical and mechanical properties of the board. Meanwhile, tobacco leaf powder contains nicotine, which can function as an anti-insect and fungal agent. The addition of pineapple leaf fiber and tobacco leaf powder in making Gypsum ceilings can be expected to produce a ceiling with better flexural strength and anti-fungal properties than conventional ceilings and is more environmentally friendly because it uses waste as a substitute material for making up the ceiling.
Based on the results of research on gypsum ceilings with the addition of pineapple leaf fiber and tobacco leaf powder, the following conclusions can be drawn:
Pineapple leaf fiber and tobacco leaf powder can substitute gypsum flour to make gypsum ceilings for environmentally friendly home interiors. This is supported by testing for density, flexural strength, water absorption, and thickness development according to SNI01-4449-2006. Variation A, without a mixture of pineapple leaf fiber and tobacco leaf powder, produces a density value of 1.526 g/cm3, a flexural test value of 25,900 kg/cm3, a thickness expansion value of 1.65%, and a water absorption value of 21.33%. The characteristics of variation B are a composition of 2% pineapple leaf fiber and 1% tobacco leaf powder. Variation B produces a density value of 1,538g/cm3, a flexure test value of 44,460kgf/cm3, a thickness expansion value of 2.78%, and a water absorption value of 20.37%. Apart from that, variation B has a flexural strength value of 71.66% better than conventional ceilings, 0.79% better in the density test than conventional ceilings, and 4.7% better than the water absorption value of traditional ceilings.