Coconut Coir: Types & Uses

by Sanjeev Yadav SEO Consultant

Coconut coir is its natural fibre content which is extracted from its husk. Coir is used in making different products including doormats, floor mats, mattresses, and brushes. This fibrous material is derived from the surface coat and the internal shell of coconut fruit. Other than this, white coir and brown coir has separate uses which are discussed below in this article. Coconut coir does not sink into water and wholesale supplier companies thus supply tons of coir rope every year to make a successful business in India.

Types of coconut coir:

1. Brown Fibre

The fibrous pods are needed to soak in nets which are kept in water where no big waves can be formed to unstiffen the fibres. Then the long bristle ones get separated from the shorter length mattress fibres through wet-milling process. Then the mattress fibres are scrutinised for removing extra rubbishes from it, and kept for drying under the sun. The dried mattresses get bundled up. Some mattress fibres are used in the production of twisted fibre due to their moisture retaining capability. The longer bristles are tied up into bundles in the similar manner. They can get straightened by machines for removing any sort of shorter length fibres in it.

2. White Fibre

These are the immature or raw ones. They need to get dipped into water-filled mines for near about a year of time so that retting can be achieved, which is a process in which the micro-organisms completely break down the tissues around the fibres. CSIR’s scientist researchers at NIIST (National Institute for Interdisciplinary Science and Technology) in Thiruvananthapuram have technologically advanced a biological process for extracting coconut coir from its husk without ruining the environment.

Main Uses of Coir Fibre:

• Packaging, cordage, flooring, bedding, etc.

Coir rope manufacturer companies in India use red coir for the production of brushes, doormats, floor mats, floor tiles, sacking, and mattresses. Through needle-felting technique, pads of brown coir fibre are made and those are cut to get shaped into mattresses. These are also used in the erosion control on the hill sides and banks of rivers.

The manufacturers use white coir mainly in the rope production. Through mechanical or hand looms, woven coir fibre mats are prepared using the white fibre and finer bristles.white coir has also a major use in making fishing nets.

• Agriculture and horticulture

Coconut coir is an eco-friendly substitute here for peat moss and peat. Most of the coir sources are polluted with fungus hence, this source is hugely used. Coir is also popular in greenhouse horticulture.

For growing mushrooms, coir is also recycled as a substrate. It is an allergen. Coir fibres do not sink into the water and thus it makes a useful replacement for plant cultivations. Coir waste gets washed, and follows some technique to become graded before its processing and use in various sectors of the agricultural and horticultural applications.

Some other common uses of coir fibres are in fluid and oil absorption, peat substitute, potting soil, etc.