Coconut Coir Pith

Why is coconut the ideal material as an absorbent?

- Natural
- Organic
- Renewable
- Made from waste material
- Biodegradable
- Efficient

Natural:

The Coconut Palm (Cocos nucifera) grows throughout the tropics and whilst its origins are unknown, it has been cultivated throughout the tropics for thousands of years. Most coconut production takes place in underdeveloped countries and especially in India, Sri Lanka, and Indonesia, and coir production is of great financial benefit to these regions.

Organic:

The coconut is actually a fruit rather than a nut and this fruit is surrounded by a strong husk known as coir. The coir is traditionally used to make ropes and shoes whilst the seed is used as a foodstuff for humans and animals. The dried seed is known as copra and is the main source of coconut oil.

Renewable:

Coconuts can be harvested whilst still green to produce white coir, however, this reduces it's value as a foodstuff, so we prefer to use brown coir which is harvested from mature coconuts. Brown coir is obtained by soaking the husk for many months in moving water to soften the fibres, it is then beaten to release the long fibres which have a variety of uses from making ropes and shoes to upholstery material for car seats. The long fibres needed for such uses account for around 75% of the coir.

Made from waste material:

The remaining 25% after extracting the long fibres is used as an alternative to peat as a horticultural material when mixed with nutrients needed for plant growth. However, the majority of coconut harvesting takes place in coastal regions where the coir is soaked in seawater rendering the saline content to be too high for horticultural use. This product would normally be discarded as waste, so it is this that we use to make an absorbent.

Biodegradable:

Although very tough, coir is both biodegradable and carbon neutral. Unlike many polymer based products, coir is a cellulose plant structure and hence will fully break down with the action of bacteria upon it.

Efficient:

Before shipment, coir is compressed to minimise its volume and reduce transportation requirements. When turned into an absorbent, the compressed coir is milled and this increases its volume by between 600% and 800%. The finished coir absorbent will absorb up to 75% of it's own volume of liquid, this means that relatively little is needed to be effective.