New technique use banana plants in the production of rotationally moulded plastic products

01-Oct-09

A project will develop new procedures to incorporate by-products from banana plantations in the Canary Islands into the production of rotationally moulded plastics. The Polymer Processing Research Centre at Queen's is part of a €1 mln study known as the Badana project that will not only provide environmental benefits, but will also increase the profitability of the plantation owners and help job security for those working in the area. Almost 20% of the bananas consumed in Europe are produced in the Canary Islands, with around 10 million banana plants grown annually in Gran Canaria alone. Once the fruit has been harvested, the rest of the banana plant goes to waste. An estimated 25,000 tons of this natural fibre is dumped in ravines around the Canaries every year. The Badana project aims to find a use for these plants. The natural fibres contained within them may be used in the production of rotationally moulded plastics, which are used to make everyday items such as, oil tanks, wheelie bins, water tanks, traffic cones, plastic dolls and many types of boats. The banana plant fibres will be processed, treated and added to a mix of plastic material and sandwiched between two thin layers of pure plastic providing excellent structural properties. The project gives a whole new meaning to 'banana sandwich'. This new technique will have substantial environmental benefits. It will hopefully result in a substantial reduction in the amount of Polyethylene used in the rotational moulding process, ushering in a new and more sustainable era in the production of rotationally moulded plastics. The research and development of this new approach will help create jobs and the banana plantations will ultimately benefit financially from the sale of the remains of millions of harvested banana plants, which would otherwise go to waste.