WHAT IS COIR FIBRE AND COIR PITH?

Coir Fibre

COIR  is a versatile natural fibre extracted from the mesocarp tissue, or husk, of the coconut fruit. Fibre is of a golden colour when cleaned after its removal from coconut husks, hence the name “The Golden Fibre”.

Coir is the fibrous husk of the coconut shell. Being tough and naturally resistant to seawater, the coir protects the fruit enough to survive months floating on sea currents to be washed up on a sandy shore where it may sprout and grow into a tree if it has enough freshwater because all the other nutrients it needs have been carried along with the seed. These characteristics make the fibres quite useful in the floor and outdoor mats, aquarium filters, cordage and rope, and garden mulch.

Structure of Coir Fibre

The individual fibre cells are narrow and hollow, with thick walls made of cellulose. They are pale when immature but later become hardened and yellowed as a layer of lignin is deposited on their walls. Mature brown coir fibres contain more lignin and less cellulose than fibres such as flax and cotton and so are stronger but less flexible. They are made up of small threads, each less than 0.05 in (1.3 mm) long and 10 to 20 micrometres in diameter. White fibre is smoother and finer, but also weaker. The coir fibre is relatively waterproof and is the only natural fibre resistant to damage by seawater.

Green coconuts, harvested after about six to twelve months on the plant, contain pliable white fibres. Brown fibre is obtained by harvesting fully mature coconuts when the nutritious layer surrounding the seed is ready to be processed into copra and desiccated coconut. The fibrous layer of the fruit is then separated from the hard shell (manually) by driving the fruit down onto a spike to split it (de-husking). Machines are now available to crush the whole fruit and give loose fibres.