The Coconut Husk is A good

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The Coconut Husk Is A
Cutting Edge Technology
The coconut husk, also known as coir, has become a very useful substance in
light of today's environmental and economic concerns. It has
some common and not so common uses.
Some of its uses are even quite cutting edge!


Husks Ready To Be Put To Use

This may be surprising but coir is a key component in the production of some
popular products. Carpets, rugs, door mats, mattresses, car seat covers,
brushes, bristles and flower pots are just some items that can be made from
coconut husk fibers.
Below you'll see a few examples...

Coir Made Into
Charcoal

Cleaning Brush Made
From Coir

Purse Made From Coir



Some More Uses Of Coir...
 Did you know that the dried husk makes the best fire
for campfires and BBQ cooking?
 Or... that when you burn the husk
you're naturally repelling mosquitoes?
 How about the fact that it's shredded and used in
pillows, mattresses and provides the fiber for making clothing?
 The husk of a coconut is so versatile,
they even make filters for aquariums out of it!
A neat thing too, is that it doesn't break down like other fibers do, particularly
hemp, and it's resistant to salt water.
Within the last few years, an inventor in the Philippines found his own use for
husk fibers. He developed an innovative, biodegradable product that protects
the environment and increases plant growth thus creating more jobs for poor
farmers in his country.
His innovation is a tough, biodegradable netting that anchors the soil on
sloping land and river banks.
As a result, it protects against erosion and encourages the growth of
vegetation. The name of his product is Coconet.
Often, the husks were nothing but waste material but his coconet has changed
everything. Along with finding a good use for husks, jobs are now plentiful.







Other Exciting Discoveries
For Coir

Coir Fibers
Another exciting discovery for the
use ofcoir has been made by a team
of researchers at Baylor University
in the United States.
Believe it or not, they have found a
way to use coconut fibers in place
of synthetic fibers for automobile
parts!
The fibers actually produce
compression-molded composites
for parts of a car.
Some of the parts being developed are:
 bed liners
 floorboards
 sun visors
 inside door covers
These are just some of the great uses for the coconut husk. Remarkably, it can
be used in so many creative ways!
Isn't it wonderful to know how this once throwaway item is changing lives and
reforming business practices?





2 Natural fibers as Reinforcements in Bio-composite
2.3.2.1 Natural fiber classification
Natural fibers were subdivided based on their origins, whether they were
derived
from plants (Cellulose or Lignocelluloses), animals (Protein), or minerals.
Natural
fibers can be classified according to their origin. Plants fibers include bast (or
stem or
soft or sclerenchyma) fibers, leaf or hard fibers, seed, fruit, wood, cereal straw,
and
other grass fibers. Animal fibers include silk, wood and hair. While mineral fiber
was
include asbestos, fibrous brucite, and wollastonite (K. Mohanty et al., 2005).
2.3.2.2 Coconut Husk or Coir
Coir fiber was obtained from the fibrous husk of the coconut from the coconut
palm, which belongs to the palm family (Palmae). Coir fibers were obtained
from the
fibrous husk (mesocarp) encasing the fruit of the coconut palm, which was a
by-product
of the copra extraction process. The term coir was derived from kayar, a rope
or cord,
and kayaru, meaning to be twisted. Coconut palms were cultivated throughout
tropical
countries mostly for the high oil content of the endosperm (copra). The oil was
widely
used in both the food and nonfood industries (e.g. surfactant production). On
average,
from 100 coconuts 7.5 to 8.2 kg of coir fibers can be obtained (K. Mohanty et
al.,
2005).

Coir fibers have high lignin but low cellulose content, as a result of which the
fibers were resilient, strong, and highly durable. Coir was the one of the
toughest plant
fibers available. It does not pill and highly abrasion and rot (fungal and
bacteria)
resistant (Goulart et al., 2000). Furthermore, coir was naturally insulating and
sound
absorbing, antistatic, and difficult to ignite. Due to the ability of coir fibers to
tolerate
water immersion for months without disintegrating, they find many
applications as 15
horticulture and erosion control product (geotextiles). Recently, the academic
and
industrial R&D communities have begun seeking ways to develop new
application for
coir as reinforcement for polymers (K. Mohanty et al., 2005).











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