Fibres

Coir Fibres

Banana Fibres

Pineapple Fibres

What are fibres?

Fibre is a hair-like material that can be obtained from nature or manmade, and which is very small in diameter compared to length. So, fibre is a material which is several hundred times as long as it is thick.

Fibres that can be derived or originated from natural renewable resources are called natural fibres. They are bio-based fibres of plant or animal origin or from mineral. The chart below provides an overview of the different categories of natural fibres.

Plant fibres are cellulosic and animal fibres are protein-based fibres. On the other hand, there are man-made cellulose fibres (e.g., viscose-rayon and cellulose acetate) that are produced with chemical procedures.

Source: https://dnfi.org/natural-fibres-and-the-world-economy-july-2019 (Data rounded to the nearest number).

Global Production of natural fibres

In 2022, the global world natural fibre production was estimated to be 31.9 million metric tons. Most of the natural fibres are produced in South America and East Asian developing as well as the newly industrializing countries. The production structure of natural fibres vary significantly based on the country, but overall it is generally produced by small farmers’ crops. For example, abaca is grown on large estates in Ecuador, while it is a smallholder crop in the Philippines.

Fibre Extraction

The common method for extracting fibres from banana pseudostems, Pandanus leaves, Pineapple leaves and Sisal is to use a mechanical decorticator as shown in the video.

Other fibres such as maize, bamboo are extracted by the water retting method.

Application of Natural Fibres

For the past two decades there has been a significant interest in various sectors to go back to ancient traditions, and to consider using materials which Mother Nature has been providing to mankind, and which are known to modern civilisation through old scriptures.

Today, natural plant fibres are finding applications as diverse as in the automotive for upholstery and interior panels of vehicles, in reinforcing synthetic and bio polymers for composite applications (such as in wind turbine blades), in the development of geotextile and in cementitious composite slabs in the construction industry, as yarn for technical textile materials, for product packaging, etc.

Banana Fibre egg tray

Germination nursery pot

Acrylic and watercolour paint on 100% banana fibre paper sheet

Printing on 100% banana fibre paper sheet

Natural Fibres in Mauritius

In Mauritius, there are different biomasses from which natural fibres can be extracted. The biomasses can be divided into three broad categories, namely, ornamental, agro wastes and grasses. In the former category, there are endemic plants such as the Draceana concinna, Blue Latania, Pandanus utilis, and several other local palms plants, as well as exotic plants such as Agave (Furcraea selloa) , Mauritian Hemp (French aloe), Sansevieria (Snake), Ravenala Madagascari. Banana pseudostems, pineapple leaves, coconut mid ribs and coconut husks are examples of agro wastes. Arundo Donax, Elephant Grass, Guatemala Grass are generally used as fodder.