Banana fibre

The use of banana stems as a source of fibre declined after other convenient fibres such as cotton and silk became popular. But in recent years the commercial value of banana fibre has increased and it is used all over the world for multiple purposes from making tea bags and sanitary napkins to Japanese yen notes and car tyres. Avneet Kaur writes about the story of banana fibres, explaining in detail its use in ancient times, its characteristics, the extraction process and the possible uses of the eco-friendly fibres in the textile industry.

Historically, banana stems had been used as a source of fibre with the earliest evidence dating to the 13th century. But its popularity faded after other convenient fibres such as cotton and silk were made popular. For centuries, banana fibre textiles were made in Japan and Nepal.

Today, banana fibre is used all over world for multiple purposes. Commercial value of the fibre has increased over the years. Transforming the waste into a usable fabric and other products is a great achievement.

Characterstics:

•         Natural sorbent: Fabric from theses fibres lets you breathe well and will keep you cool on hot days.

•         Soft, supple and shimmer: Banana fabric is soft and supple, though not quite as soft as cotton or rayon. Nearly all plant stem-based fibres are a little more stiff and coarse than cotton or rayon. Its natural shimmer makes it look a lot like silk.

•         Comfort: Banana fibre clothing is comfortable and not likely to trigger allergies.

•         Biodegradable.

•         Resistance: It is grease-proof, water-, fire- and heat-resistant.

•         Durability: Even if the banana fabric is made from the tough outer sheath, it is not as strong and durable as any fabric like hemp, bamboo, or other natural fibre.

•         Insulation: It is not particularly insulating.

•         Spin ability and tensile strength: It is better than other organic fibres in terms of spin ability and tensile strength.

• Appearance of banana fiber is similar to that of bamboo fiber and ramie fiber, but its fineness and spinnability is better than the two.
• The chemical composition of banana fiber is cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin.
• It is highly strong fiber.
• It has smaller elongation.
• It has somewhat shiny appearance depending upon the extraction & spinning process.
• It is light weight.
• It has strong moisture absorption quality. It absorbs as well as releases moisture very fast.
• It is bio- degradable and has no negative effect on environment and thus can be categorized as eco-friendly fiber.
• Its average fineness is 2400Nm.
• It can be spun through almost all the methods of spinning including ring spinning, open-end spinning, bast fiber spinning, and semi-worsted spinning among others.

What makes banana fibres special?

•         Banana fibre is a good alternative to all the synthetic and natural fibres.

•         Banana fibre is eco-friendly, chemical-free, non-toxic and odour-free.

•         The natural coolant and medicinal property of banana fibres helps in the health of its user and is 100 per cent safe as no harmful chemicals and colours are used.

Banana fiber is used for the following purposes:

·         To make currencies, bond papers , and speciality papers which can last for 100 years

·         As a very good replacement for wood pulp in paper industry, as it has high cellulose content,thus reducing the Environmental impact of deforestation

·         In making composite materials as a replacement for fiber glass

·         For manufacturing mattresses, pillows and cushions in the furniture industry.

·         In handicraft, extensively for making bags, purse, mobile phone cover, door mats, curtains, and yoga mats etc.

·         In the manufacture of textiles

Japan

Cultivation of banana for clothing and other household uses in Japan dates back to the 13th century. Care is taken right from the stage of plant cultivation. The leaves and shoots are pruned periodically to ensure softness. Harvested shoots are boiled in lye to prepare the fibre for making the yarn. These banana shoots give fibre with varying degrees of softness. This further results in yarns and textiles with differing qualities that can be used for specific purposes. The outermost fibres of shoots are the most coarse. They are more suitable for making home furnishings like tablecloths.

The softest part is the innermost section that gives fibres widely used for making kimono and kamishimo, the traditional Japanese apparel. The banana cloth making process is a lengthy one and all the steps are performed by hand. The Japanese method was a traditional handicraft and not a large-scale undertaking. It involved a very labour-intensive process, requiring a lot of skill. The banana fibre required a high level of expertise to extract and weave. The fibre were painstakingly sorted and carded by hand without a bacterial retting process to soften up the stalks, or a scrutching either. The innermost fibres of banana stalks are already very soft and supple, thus making a retting process unnecessary.

Nepal

In Nepal, the trunk --- not the shoot --- is harvested. Small pieces of these trunks are put through a softening process for mechanical extraction of the fibres, and then bleaching and drying. The fibre obtained looks similar to silk which has become popular as banana silk fibre yarn. This fibre is refined, processed and skeined mostly by the women. Only the aged bark or the decaying outer layers of the banana plant are harvested and soaked in water to quicken the natural process. When all the chlorophyll is dissolved, only the cellulose fibres remain. They are extruded into pulp so that they may become suitable for spinning into yarn. The yarn is then hand-dyed. They have high textural quality similar to silk and are employed in making high end rugs. These traditional rugs are woven by hand-knotted methods again by the women.

In Nepal, a process involving both a bacterial retting and scrutching/crushing was used to make the extraction process faster and less labour intensive. The banana stalks were retted in the fields or in baths of water, similar to the process involved in the production of hemp or flax cloth. While this had the unfortunate result of the fabric being less exquisite than the fabric made by the Japanese method, it did make the fabric more available to the common person. Still, for reasons unknown, banana fibre fabric never caught on in a big way in Nepal.