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Has anybody else seen this article? Perhaps this

will be another way to help support our coconut

growers.

Cars Could Soon Come With Coconut Components

Posted on Thu Jan 8 2009

By:

Saikat

in

Environment

,

Green News

What would you say if you heard that your next car

could be made out of coconuts? No, it's not a

nutty scenario as some researchers in Baylor

University are establishing

<http://www.livescience.com/environment/090106-coc

onut-cars.html> . They have successfully turned

out trunk liners, floorboards and car-door

interior covers using fibers from the outer husks

of coconuts. This is an environmentally sound

replacement to the synthetic polyester fibers

usually used in the car industry.

Preliminary reports show that coconut replacements

can easily meet most of the industry's

requirements and that the mechanical properties

are just as good as there synthetic counterparts.

Coconuts apart from being an environmentally

friendly alternative do not burn very well or emit

toxic fumes, which is one of the specifications in

passing tests required for their certification as

commercial automotive parts.

This substitute has a lot of possibilities because

coconuts are an abundant, renewable resource. The

main producers around the world are countries like

Philippines, Indonesia, India, Brazil and

Thailand. Coconuts now are used chiefly to produce

coconut milk or coconut oil. The outer husk is

made of fiber and coconut dust (piph). The piph is

spongy in the nascent stage, but dries and

contracts into dirt-like particles that the

research team tested to have the capability to

absorb 10 times its weight in water. The fibers

strength, stiffness and ductility make it ideal

for a lot of diverse applications from ropes and

mats to environmentally sound particle boards used

in construction work.

For application inside cars, the fibers are

intermixed with polypropylene fibers and then

hot-pressed (compression-moulded) into required

shapes. This composite coconut fiber provides a

rigid architecture which is lightweight, yet

stiff.

The project which is the first of its kind hopes

to meld a third world abundant product with first

world processes. The research team led by Walter

Bradley, an engineering professor from the

University of Baylor (Texas) is attempting to

bring this into the industry's mainstream. They

have tied up with a Texas-based fiber processing

company that supplies unwoven fiber mats to four

major automotive companies. The team is producing

a 600-pound roll of the composite material and

helping out with the safety performance tests for

certification.

A success would not only achieve a lot for the

environment but also for the 11 million coconut

farmers around the world who make an average

annual income of $500.

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Mercedes Benz has coconut coir mat inserted between its seat cushions.  Coconut

coir/fiber has many uses including landscape use to prevent soil erosion, plant

box/plant liners, doormats, some bed real expensive mattresses also contain some

coconut mat/fibers to prevent from sagging, etc.  You are right, if this project

is indeed successful it will alleviate  many people in the world.

 

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Hi Virginia,

A very interesting post, and I, like you, hope this development will

help coconut farmers across the world.

The problem is, the coconut farmers usually only get a pittance for

their nuts. The added value will be made by the big factories, or

companies in rich western countries. Very few farmers have access to

the technology which would enable them to make the added value

products themselves. So they will always be at the mercy of buyers

from companies that usually couldn't care less about the farmer's

annual income.

I really hope things are changing. There are now people pushing for

companies in the west to transfer their technology to poorer nations,

and try to make sure the added value stays where it belongs.

www.equitrade.org is a good example.

Philippine coconut farmers will be able to have their nuts certified

Fairtrade within the next couple of years. We have to hope that this

will make a difference to the price they get for them. I have my

doubts that this would make a massive difference, but having

manufacturing plants for products like those mentioned in your post,

certainly would.

My last point; doesn't this just go to show what an incredible tree

the coconut palm is. There are an amazing number of products that can

be produced from Cocos nucifera.

Take care,

Steve

>

> Has anybody else seen this article? Perhaps this

> will be another way to help support our coconut

> growers.

>

>

> Cars Could Soon Come With Coconut Components

>

> Posted on Thu Jan 8 2009

> By:

> Saikat

> in

> Environment

> ,

> Green News

> What would you say if you heard that your next car

> could be made out of coconuts? No, it's not a

> nutty scenario as some researchers in Baylor

> University are establishing

> <http://www.livescience.com/environment/090106-coc

> onut-cars.html> . They have successfully turned

> out trunk liners, floorboards and car-door

> interior covers using fibers from the outer husks

> of coconuts. This is an environmentally sound

> replacement to the synthetic polyester fibers

> usually used in the car industry.

>

> Preliminary reports show that coconut replacements

> can easily meet most of the industry's

> requirements and that the mechanical properties

> are just as good as there synthetic counterparts.

> Coconuts apart from being an environmentally

> friendly alternative do not burn very well or emit

> toxic fumes, which is one of the specifications in

> passing tests required for their certification as

> commercial automotive parts.

>

> This substitute has a lot of possibilities because

> coconuts are an abundant, renewable resource. The

> main producers around the world are countries like

> Philippines, Indonesia, India, Brazil and

> Thailand. Coconuts now are used chiefly to produce

> coconut milk or coconut oil. The outer husk is

> made of fiber and coconut dust (piph). The piph is

> spongy in the nascent stage, but dries and

> contracts into dirt-like particles that the

> research team tested to have the capability to

> absorb 10 times its weight in water. The fibers

> strength, stiffness and ductility make it ideal

> for a lot of diverse applications from ropes and

> mats to environmentally sound particle boards used

> in construction work.

>

> For application inside cars, the fibers are

> intermixed with polypropylene fibers and then

> hot-pressed (compression-moulded) into required

> shapes. This composite coconut fiber provides a

> rigid architecture which is lightweight, yet

> stiff.

>

> The project which is the first of its kind hopes

> to meld a third world abundant product with first

> world processes. The research team led by Walter

> Bradley, an engineering professor from the

> University of Baylor (Texas) is attempting to

> bring this into the industry's mainstream. They

> have tied up with a Texas-based fiber processing

> company that supplies unwoven fiber mats to four

> major automotive companies. The team is producing

> a 600-pound roll of the composite material and

> helping out with the safety performance tests for

> certification.

>

> A success would not only achieve a lot for the

> environment but also for the 11 million coconut

> farmers around the world who make an average

> annual income of $500.

>

>

>

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I look for fair trade on many items when I shop.  I hope along with others that

indeed there can be a fair trade certification obtained.  I am uncomfortable

purchasing products at a reduced rated while the producers suffer in any number

of economic and cultural ways.  It's a new day and perhaps we can all move

together towards fairness in all that we do as fellow citizens of this planet. 

 

Peggy Cole Ashman

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