2009 : International Year of Natural Fibres

Report appeared in Mathrubhumi daily dt.13.1.09(Supplement Issue).

 

  

Year 2009 is declared as : International Year of Natural Fibres

 

 

Inter national Year of Natural Fibres

 

The year 2009 is also the year of Natural fibres. The United Nations aims the eradication of poverty by promoting this area which is the main earnings of the crores of agriculturists throughout the world. The natural fibre can be classified into three according to their origin.

a)      Plant origin:  Originated from the seeds like cotton, from the leaves like Egavi, from skin like plantain and soybeans, from nuts like coir and from stem like bamboo

b)      Animal origin: Originated from skin like sheep and from discharges like silk

c)      Mineral origin: Like asbestos (the only direct natural fibre of mineral origin), from ceramic fibres like glass and silicon carbide and from ores like aluminum.

 

 

Coir exports rise

Coir exports for the first nine-months in 2007/08 fiscal year rose by 6 percent in value and 1.25 percent in volume, according to the Coir Shippers Council.

Technology to separate coir fibre developed

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM:  In what could be termed as a blessing to the ailing coir sector of the state, the scientists at the National Institute for Interdisciplinary Sciences and Technology (NIIST) have developed an environment-friendly and pollution-free technology to separate coir fibre.

 The innovative technology, that has many advantages over the traditional retting methods, is awaiting an international patent. ``While all the current alternatives to coir retting affects the quality of the fibre and thus its spinnability, the new technology generates high-quality white fibre in a very short time,'' said V.B.Manilal, scientist at the environment technology division of NIIST. The other scientists in the team include Ajit Haridas and B.Krishnakumar.

 The pilot plant set up at the NIIST has a cleaner, a crusher, where the husks are given a slight mechanical crush, and an anaerobic reactor. Inside the reactor, the cementing materials between the fibres are degraded. The phenolic compounds in the husk, which are the sources of pollution in traditional retting, is converted to volatile fatty acids such as acetic acid. This is then converted to methane by a battery of bacteria.

 The novel bioprocess needs just about one month, as against the 6-12 months in traditional methods, and is free of pollution as the pollutants are converted to biogas. As much as 50 litres of biogas is generated for one kilogram of coconut husks, the production being much higher than using cow dung.

 ``The smooth surface property, as can be seen with the electron microscope, and the improved flexibility are the special qualities of these bioextracted fibres. This quality is essential for high-end applications in the international market,'' said Manilal. The bioextraction process is also applicable for separating fibres of pineapple, jute and even banana too, where the extraction time is much less. The jute fibre obtained by this clean method is better in terms of colour and bark residues too. In this method, the whole process is carried out within plantations and no water body is required for retting. This means that water bodies can be released for a number of other uses such as fisheries and tourism industry can heave a sigh of relief. The other advantages include zero discharge, no hazardous labour, no air pollution, reduction of process period to 30 days, and a clean pith as a by-product.

 Using this technology, the projected figure of white fibre production per year is 1.2 lakh tonne from 15 lakh tonne husks. Once this technology gains currency, you won't have to clutch your nose anymore when you travel by the coastal areas of Kollam and Alappuzha.