Information Bulletin

No: 1 February 2005

COCO PEAT RESOURCES

Coconut trees are grown in tropical countries mainly
for the high oil content of the endosperm (copra),
which is widely used in both food and non-food
industries (e.g. margarine and soaps). Large production
areas, in particular, are found along the coastal
regions in the wet tropical areas of Asia in the
Philippines, Indonesia, India, Sri Lanka and Malaysia. In
these countries millions of people make a living from
the coconut palm and its many products.
The coconut industry has advanced in the recent years
from village farming to plantation growing with highly
mechanized production plants ensuring quality
continuity. Productivity has increased substantially from 35 million tonnes
around 1980 to almost 50 million tonnes today. One tree may yield on
average 70-100 nuts to a maximum of 150 nuts per year. The kernel (copra,
coco-water and shell) comprises 65 per cent of total weight, while the husk
contributes 35 per cent.

SpillFix Solutions Pty Limited 1

80 Enterprise Drive
Beresfield NSW 2322
 The husk remains a valuable commodity as it contains coir pith and coir fibre.
Coir is a naturally-made reinforcement fiber designed to cushion the blow
when coconuts drop. Serving as the protective husk, coir [koi(-&)r] or
coconut fiber is the coarse, stiff outside fiber extracted from the husk of
coconuts. Measured by global production and trade volume by the Food
and Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO), coir by far dominates other
“hard fibers”, such as sisal and abaca.
In the husk, coir weighs about 300 grams and is interwoven with the soft, peat
moss-like coir pith in a 1:2 weight ratio; the resulting
“cushion” is covered by a thin glossy skin. Coir stands
apart from other natural fibers in several ways:
• It is the thickest, stiffest and most resilient of all
commercial natural fibers,
• Its cellular structure makes it weaker and more
elastic than other natural fibers,
• The cell walls of fiber and pith contain more lignin
than any other commercially relevant natural fiber,
including wood. Lignin is a natural polymer, which
adds strength and elasticity to the cellulose-based
fiber walls. Since lignin resists biodegradation, high lignin content also imparts
longevity to outdoor applications.
When the coir fibre is removed the pith is graded
and processed into compressed blocks for export.
The compression process satisfies the logistic
obstacle of freighting a lightweight bulky media as
each block can produce up to 70 litres of coir
media.
SpillFix have developed unique processing facilities
to re-hydrate the compressed coir blocks to
produce a range of coir media. The Spillfix Floor
Sweep is made from a very specific particle size of
coir pith that provides optimum surface area. The re-hydration process
controls the moisture content to maximize the absorbent capacity and
improve the speed of absorbency.

SpillFix Solutions Pty Limited

80 Enterprise Drive
Beresfield NSW 2322

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 Facts about SpillFix Floor Sweep
RENEWABLE ORGANIC RESOURCE
Coir is a certified organic product obtained from the mechanical processing of
coconut husks for fibre. Coir production is an environmentally sustainable
industry.
BIOLOGICALLY STABLE
Coir is high in lignin (>60%) which resists attack by most micro-organisms
and anaerobic processes.
CLEAN & SAFE TO USE
Coir fibre does not contain any residual pesticides and does not create dust
when used.
BIODEGRADABLE
High air fill porosity (AFP) - >20% air by volume i.e. there is >200ml of air in
one litre of saturated material. The balance between moisture and air
encourages rapid growth of aerobic micro-organisms which are important for
biodegradation of organic wastes.

HIGH ABSORBENCY CAPACITY

It has been estimated that the surface area to be approximately 0.6ha
(6000M2) in a single litre of coir. The large surface area is created by the
hollow channel structure.

Coir holds >60% of its volume in liquid (1litre of Coir holds 600mls of liquid)
or >200% of its weight.

SpillFix Solutions Pty Limited

80 Enterprise Drive
Beresfield NSW 2322
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