Pineapple Leaf Fiber for Plastic and Rubber Reinforcements

Thailand is one of the world top pineapple producers. After every second or third fruit, the field is “knocked down,” and a new growing cycle begins. The residues left in the field are pineapple leaves and stems. Pineapple leaves are sources of high quality natural fiber but are still left underutilized. Our research group has developed a method to extract short and fine pineapple leaf fiber (PALF) from leaf waste. PALF is so versatile that it can be used to reinforce rubbers, plastics and thermosets. Non-fibrous material (NFM) which is a waste from the fiber extraction process can be used to reinforce low melting point polymer like polypropylene. The use of PALF and NFM offers a new way to ‘greening’ plastic composites for performance and cost effectiveness. Non-woven mats made from either whole ground pineapple leaves or PALF can be used as reinforcements for unsaturated polyester and acrylic resin.