Bananas and pineapples, new sources for textile industry

One day cotton replaced by fabrics made from bananas and pineapple will not be a crazy idea.

Cotton accounts for one third of the consumption of fiber in the textile industry but its production causes the massive use of chemicals and huge amounts of water.

Some operators looking for greener alternatives and among the possible sources: bananas and pineapples.

Each year about 1 billion banana stems are wasted, knowing that 37 kg rods can produce 1 kg of fibers, the Philippine Textile Research Institute concluded that the country's banana plantations could generate more than 300 000 tonnes of fibers. Trials are underway. The "banana tissue" is very soft sembable to hemp or bamboo.

Same thing for pineapples: the leaves of the plant could produce fibers. In addition, the industrial process generates the biomass that can be used in fertilizers. The "pineapple fabric" has a similar appearance to the canvas.

source : the guardian com