Coir is a coarse fiber obtained from the tissues surrounding the seed of
the coconut palm, Cocos nucifera. The intact fruit has a smooth
leathery skin above the thick fibrous layer. This surrounds the stony
dark brown shell, which is actually part of the fruit rather than the
seed. Inside the shell are the papery brown outer layer of the seed
surrounding the nutritious white flesh and the embryo.
Total
world coir fiber production is 250,000 tonnes. The coir fiber industry
is particularly important in some areas of the developing world.
India, mainly the coastal region of Kerala State, produces 60% of the
total world supply of white coir fiber. Sri Lanka produces 36% of the
total world brown fiber output. Over 50% of the coir fiber produced
annually throughout the world is consumed in the countries of origin,
mainly India. Together India and Sri Lanka produce 90% of the 250,000
metric tons of coir produced every year.
Brown Fiber Processing
- The fibrous husks are soaked in pits or in nets in a slow moving body of water to swell and soften the fibres. The long bristle fibres are separated from the shorter mattress fibres underneath the skin of the nut, a process known as 'wet-milling'.
White Fiber Processing
- To separate the white fibres, the immature husks are suspended in a river or water-filled pit for up to ten months. During this time micro-organisms break down the plant tissues surrounding the fibres to loosen them - a process known as retting. Segments of the husk are then beaten by hand to separate out the long fibres which are subsequently dried and cleaned. Cleaned fiber is ready for spinning into yarn in the home using a simple one-handed system or a spinning wheel. The final operation is grading before sale and shipping.
Uses of Coir
- Brown coir is used in brushes, doormats, mattresses and sacking. A small amount is also made into twine, used in this country as hop strings. Pads of curled brown coir fibre, made by 'needle-felting' (a machine technique that mats the fibres together) are shaped and cut to fill mattresses and for use in erosion control on river banks and hillsides. A major proportion of brown coir pads are sprayed with rubber latex which bonds the fibres together to be used as upholstery padding for the automobile industry in Europe. The material is also used for insulation and packaging.