The pineapple leaf contains fibres that can be woven into a fabric. The result is a glossy, ivory colored, silk like though stiffer fabric. Developed in the Philippines it is now of interest as an alternative to silk and even leather.
The pineapple leaf contains fibres that can be extracted and woven into a fabric. The result is a glossy, ivory colored, silk like though stiffer fabric. Developed in the Philippines where it is known as Piña, it is now of interest as an alternative to silk and more recently in non-woven composites with properties similar to leather.
Uses
Historically textile fabric has been created in the Philippines using the fibres, sometimes combined with silk.
Potential Uses
The pineapple leaf fibre 'leather', Pinatex, is under development as a breathable and flexible and suitable to create bags, shoes and accessories, seat coverings and other furnishings. The textile is being further developed for use in clothing.
Processes
After the fibre from the pineapple leaves is decorticated and washed the farmers hang it up to dry
Pineapple 'leather' (such as the patented 'Pinatex') is created by felting pineapple leaf fibres from the longest leaves to create a non-woven substrate. ~480 leaves (from ~16 pineapple plants) are needed to create 1 square metre of material.
Sisal leaf produces a stiff fibre that is recognised for its strength, durability, ability to stretch, affinity for certain dyestuffs, and resistance to deterioration in saltwater. Dominant use is agricultural rope however it has countless applications including carpets, textiles, insulation (as a composite) and paper.
Sisal is from the agave plant originating in Mexico but now grown worldwide in warm weather countries. It’s leaf produces a stiff fibre that is recognised for its strength, durability, ability to stretch, affinity for certain dyestuffs, and resistance to deterioration in saltwater. Dominant use is agricultural rope however it has countless applications including carpets, textiles, insulation (as a composite) and paper.
Hemp bast fibres (from the bark) are from a plant that grows readily in most climates. It's countless uses include fabric for textiles, rope, sailing canvas, paper and jewellery. It has also been tested as an insulating building material by combining with lime into a plaster
Ramie fibres, from the stem of a plant in the nettle family, growing 1-2.5 m tall and native to eastern Asia, have been used for fabric, string and rope, bowstrings, and more recently as reinforcement in polymer composites.
Ramie fibres are from the stem of a flowering herbaceous perennial in the nettle family, growing 1-2.5 m tall and native to eastern Asia. They are used for fabric, string and rope, bowstrings, and more recently in polymer composites. Ramie is one of the oldest fibre crops, having been used for at least six thousand years,
Tout tiang bark produces a glue when crushed which is typically used for making incense sticks
The bark is harvested from a local plant belonging to the Urticaceae family, the exact species is not known but likely Boehmeria malabarica or Debregesia longifolia. The shrub grows in tropical environments by streams or rivers. Note that tout tiang bark is easily depleted as currently it is not grown as a plantation, instead harvested wild.
Uses
Glue for sticking the saw dust and oils to make an incense stick. It is known that Laos villagers collect from their local forest and sell the bark to Chinese manufacturers.
The glue is allegedly also used in bamboo paper making to glue the adhesives together
Potential Uses
No new uses as yet identified by authors. Your contributions welcome!
Processes
It seems minimal processing is carried out although information is not readily available:
Bark is sun dried
Bark is crushed
It is boiled in water resulting in the gluey substance
Any fibres / bits of bark are removed to leave just the glue
Candelilla wax is derived from the waxy layer of the Candellila shrub leaves. It grows in arid areas of Northern Mexico and Southwestern United States. The wax is used in cosmetics, electronics, foods (e.g. Chewing gum), paints, sealing waxes, dyes etc.
Candelilla wax is derived from the waxy layer of the Candellila shrub leaves. It grows in arid areas of Northern Mexico and Southwestern United States.
Uses
The wax is used in cosmetics, electronics, foods (e.g. Chewing gum), paints, sealing waxes, dyes etc.
Bamboo, both as whole culms and shaped bulk material from the culm walls, has many uses throughout native growing areas where it is quick growing and easy to work with; from building structure and scaffolding to smart phone cases.
Uses
[Historical and contemporary]
Whole culm:
Structure of simple buildings, including
Scaffolding
Shaped bulk material:
Opened out culm as flooring/wall/divider panels
'String' (thin slices, with interesting property that to 'tie' you only need to twist a few times and the fibres bind together when you release)
Chopsticks: turned
Flooring
Chopping boards
One brief research on bamboo by a Product Design student in HK can be found (authorized): Catalgue_Bamboo
Rattan is a plant similar to bamboo found in the rainforest which is light, durable and flexible. It is widely used in furniture and handcrafts either woven or as is.
Rattan is a plant similar to bamboo found in the rainforest which is light, durable and flexible. It is widely used in furniture and handcrafts either woven or as is.
Rattan refers to around 600 species belonging to the palm family. Most rattan species are native to the tropical regions of Africa, Asia, and Australia although varieties differ according to region. Commercially-used rattan usually grows in tropical regions of South and Southeast Asia, with major producers being Indonesia and Vietnam.
Rattan growing in Laos Rainforest
There are different types of rattan palms, such as high or low climbers, single stemmed or clustered rattan species. Some have very short and underground stems. Several rattan species are known to reach lengths of 100m.
Uses
Below are some traditional uses:
Furniture such as tables and chairs
Handcrafts such as baskets, bowls, belts etc
Housing for walls
String
Dye made from certain rattan fruit resin called Dragon Blood
The fruit resin also allegedly has medicinal properties. The inner and shoot of some rattan species is edible. The larger rattan are a source of safe drinking water in the jungle.
Potential Uses
A unexpected contemporary use is for bone transplant. A team of researchers in Italy have patented its use as a human bone. The rattan has similar strength, porosity and flexibility as bone meaning that blood vessels and tissue can penetrate. The process they developed uses the Calamus rotang species of rattan. The lignin and cellulose are removed and then treated to create hydroxyapatite, the same mineral that makes up human bones.
Processes
Rattan is an attractive resource because it is easier to harvest than timber and grows faster than trees. It is a vine so it’s survival is predicated on the presence of trees and it therefore indirectly protects tree cover.
For traditional uses minimal processing is required:
Rattan canes with small diameters are dried in the sun and often smoked using sulphur.
Large canes can be boiled in oil to make them dry and to protect them from insects.
Straw is an agricultural by-product, the dry stalks of cereal plants, after the grain and chaff have been removed. Straw makes up about half of the yield of cereal crops such as barley, oats, rice, rye and wheat.
Straw used to be a by-product of cereal plant and have multiple use in farm industry including livestock bedding. However due to the vast number of alternatives, more farmer would burn the rice straw instead of using it for other purpose. This is a waste of material as well as potential fire hazard.
Uses
Historical use: Rice straw has many uses, including fuel, livestock bedding and fodder, thatching and basket-making.
Potential use: Making of Fibre board with hot pressing and binding resin. Some also use it as naturally grown straws for drinking.
Process
Making of rice straw fibre board involves machines to cut straw into pieces smaller than 1cm and then a grinder to grind it in powder. It is then dried and mixed with binder. Under high pressure and heat the fibre board is moulded into products for finishing.
