In a bid to address the growing problem of coir fibre shortage in the coir industry, engineers in Kerala have developed a new portable machine that can extract high quality coir fibre from green coconut husk. Raw materials shortage has been one of the biggest challenges that the coir industry has been facing in the recent past.

The mini de-fibering machine has been developed and patented by the National Coir Research and Management Institute as a low-cost alternative to the wide variety of non-standard, high-maintenance machines currently employed by coir production units.

The machine is specially designed to ensure extraction of longer fibres without breakage. The pith which is produced as a by-product of the process is increasingly finding use as a soil conditioner and organic fertiliser in agriculture as well as a filler in rubber products manufacturing, Mr K.R. Anil, NCRMI Director, said.

The machine consists of a rotor unit inside a cylindrical shell with inlets and outlets at either end. Fresh coconut husk is fed into the shell which removes the fibres and pith through impact separation within the unit. Long, high-quality fibres and the shorter baby fibres emerge through two different ports, so their separation is faster and more efficient.........Read More

Source: Business Line