Introduction to Coir Fibre    contd.,

Brown coir

Brown coir is obtained mainly from two methods, they are Wet milling and dry milling and two types of coir fibre are obtained from both of these methods. They are bristle fibre and mattress fibre. The bristle fibre comprises of long stiff bristle, which is mainly used, as filling in brush industry, spinning of coir
twine and woven geotextiles. The mattress fibre comprises of medium and short fibre, it is soft and mainly used for mattress filling.

White coir

The method employed for obtaining white coir fibre is the long retting process, which takes 6 to 12 months. Fresh green husks are retted by immersing in saline backwaters from the sea (brackish water lagoons) or in fresh water ponds. After
the retting is complete husks are washed and then manually beaten with a wooden mallet or stick to release the fibre. The resulting fibre is a mixture of long, medium short fibre. White coir is softer than the brown coir.

Coir Dust

Coir dust or coconut pith is the by-product of the coir fibre industry, the disposal of which was a problem. It is about 70% of the weight of the coconut husk. It is described as brown spongy particles of low weight, which falls out when the fibre is shredded from the husk. It is rich in lignin and tannin and it also has lignocellulosic bonds, which is resistant to microbiological attack. There is a high demand for coir dust otherwise termed coir fibre pith or coir peat, in the market as moisture retaining agent in potting mixtures for horticultural and agricultural applications and also used for producing domestic or industrial fuel, for producing hard boards, thermal insulant, hydro seeding and shotcreting.
 

<< Previous page | Next Page >>