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Coconut husk uses 0809

Page history last edited by ecop 14 years, 11 months ago

Coconut Husk Uses

By: Aejin Moon

Description and Rationale
Possibility 2 - supply of fiber from a company
1. Possibility 3 - sharing the idea of how to make brooms out of a coconut husk.
2. Bibliography

Description and Rationale

The coconut husks are the outer layer of a coconut shell. They are the largest waste products in the Philippines. They are made with 10% of bristle fiber, 20% of mattress fiber, and 70% of coir, shorts or waste. The coconut palm trees are found in tropical areas for many culinary and non culinary uses. They can be found anywhere in the Philippines.

The coconut palm trees and its coconuts are very useful to the people. The Filipinos enjoy drinking coconut water and eating meat that is also known as the coconut jelly, which is a white jelly-looking gelatin that is the soft part of the coconut’s inside.

If all the drinks and coconut jelly are drunken and eaten, what will be done with the remains of the coconut husks? Will they be just piled up and burnt? If we burn the husks, will they not be polluting the atmosphere with the smoke? Instead of burning or just leaving the husks to rot in the earth, are there other useful ways to prevent from polluting the area? Are there other useful tools or product that can be made out of the husks? Or are the people just not simply thinking of ways to use the husk? Are there legitimate reasons why such a plentiful resource is being discarded?

Might there be new ways to utilize the coconut husks for accessories or livelihood? Recent observations at the Philippines Headline News Online by Sol Jose Vanzi have written that the discarded husks were the largest waste product of the coconut growing regions. It was estimated that the Philippines produces 12 billion coconut husks a year with 75 percent of them thrown away. What are the reasons for this disregard? How much is based on experience and scientific observations and how much is based on superstition or assumption? If beneficial uses of the coconut husks are found, such as food, fertilizer, livestock feed, handicrafts, or other livelihood-enhancing ventures, what would be the best way to community and for the earth?

The initial purpose of this project will be to research the benefit of the coconut husks and its coir and to find ways to reduce the amount of the husks thrown away each year.

This will be accomplished through a search of the literature, written resources as well as firsthand observations and hopefully interviews with people experienced in this business. These initial findings will help guide the experimental phase where I will explore more about the benefits of coconut husks and introduce to the people the beneficial ways and show the usefulness of the coconuts husks.

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Biology

Common Names and Synonyms

The scientific name for coconut is Cocos nucifera. In the Philippines, people also call it Niyong or Buko. The early Spanish and Portuguese explorers called it coco, which means goblin or monkey face. It was called by this name in reference to the face that appears on the stripped nut.. Other synonyms of coconut include Kelapa or Nyiur (Malay); Maprao (Thailand); Niu (Hawaii).

Classification

Kingdom: Plantae (plants)

Phylum: Magnoliophyta (flowering plants)

Class: Liliopsida (monocots)

Order: Arecales (palm)

Family: Arecaceae (palm)

Genus: Cocos (coconut palm)

Species: C. nucifera (nut-bearing)

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Morphology and Physical Description

The origin of the coconut tree is unknown but they are found in many different tropical areas. The coconut tree has graceful gray trunks topped by a crown of compound yellow-green leaves. With in leaflets, each leaf is 15-17ft long and its stalks are spineless and it will range from 0.9 to 1.5m in length. The leaves, from 4 to 6 m long, are pinnate; they consist of linear-lanceolate, more or less recurved, rigid, bright green leaflets.

The size of the coconut palm varies from small to the familiar tall growing types that reach 50-80 feet. The large grayish brown trunk is usually straight but it bends if there is wind, fruit load, or instability of soil. The tree starts to produce male and female flowers when it becomes four to five years old and shortly later, they bear fruit and nuts. The fruit is ovoid in shape and will be in full size in about 6 months, but it will take about a year for the nut to grow in full maturity. The tree will bear about 25 nuts a year and about 75 nuts in its life years. Its fruit, as big as a man’s head and 1-2 kg in weight, is a drupe with a thin, smooth, grey-brownish epicarp, a fibrous, 4-8 cm thick, mesocarp and a woody endocarp; as it is rather light, it can be carried long distances by water while keeping its germinability for a long time.

The outer shell of the coconut fruit is called a husk or a choir. The fiber cells of the choir are narrow and hollow, with thick walls made of cellulose. The husk when immature is pale but as it hardens it will be yellowed.

Thick fibrous layer called “mesocarp” is located inside the outermost layer of the fruit. Inside it contains one seed, and it is rich in reserve substances located in the endosperm which is partly liquid (coconut milk), partly solid (flesh).Endocarp is hard hairy shell that covers the ovoid nut. At one end of the nut three holes of soft tissue can be found which is called eyes. Inside the coconut, another layer can be found called testa and where a white layer of “meat” adheres to and it is jelly-like and very soft. Lastly, in the innermost of the nut is empty with watery liquid also called as coconut milk.

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Getting Food

Coconut trees need good amount of water, carbon dioxide, fertile soil and sufficient amount of sunlight. Like any other green plants, it gets its nutrient from photosynthesis. The coconut tree is mostly best grown in sandy soil and in tropical areas where there is rainfalls and lots of sunlight. It needs 750 to 2,000 mm of rainfall annually and high humidity such as 70%-80% for best growth.

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Reproduction

The coconut palm tree has both male and female flowers in the same inflorescence (flowering heads). The coconut tree starts flowering after six to seven years. The inflorescence is branched and it has two separate flowers of male and female flower. These flowers smell sweet and have nectar in them that attract the insects for pollination. The pollen is also very light and very dry so the pollination is mostly done by wind which will blow the pollen to the other flower for pollination. On coconut trees, the male flower matures before the female flower matures so that flowers in the same inflorescence are not able to pollinate each other. It is not unusual for the first one or two inflorescences to

carry only male flowers, with the number of female flowers increasing with age. From pollination, it takes about 12 months for the fruit to mature. The first mature fruits can be produced 5–6 years from planting. Fruits are produced throughout the year but where rainfall is seasonal; more fruits are produced in some months than others.

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Environmental Factors

A year-round warm and humid climate favors the growth of coconut. A mean annual temperature of 27°C (81°F), an evenly distributed rainfall of 1500–2500 mm (60–100 in) per annum, and relative humidity above 60% provide the ideal climatic conditions for the vigorous growth and yield of the palm. A permanent water table within easy reach of the coconut roots can offset inadequate rainfall, while amounts in excess of 2500 mm (100 in) could result in diseases of the fruit and leaves. Such conditions are normally found 20° north and south of the equator. Periods with mean daily temperatures below 21°C (70°F) adversely affect the growth and yield of the palms. Frost is fatal to seedlings and young palms when the growing point is still close to the ground. At the equator, coconut can grow and yield well up to an altitude of 600 m (1970 ft) but will only do so at sea level at latitude 23°. At the extremes of the latitudinal range, coconut only grows well on the coast of large land masses (e.g., east coast of Australia, Africa, South America, etc.) and on islands where the sea exerts a moderating influence on temperature and humidity.

It tolerates alkaline soils up to pH 8 (on coralline atolls) and acid soils with pH 4.5 or higher. The ideal pH range is 5.5–7. It tolerates saline and infertile soils. It grows on coralline atolls, but poorly, as these soils are shallow and infertile.

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Origin and Distribution

The coconut tree is said to be originally from South Asia particularly from Ganges Delta. Because the coconut tree can only live in tropical areas and areas with rainfalls they could have originated from hot areas of South Asia. In New Zealand, fossil records from 15 million years ago show that small, coconut-like plants grew in the region. However, older fossil records have been discovered in Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, and Maharashtra (India). But the oldest fossil record uncovered so far was in Khulna, Bangladesh. The fossils found in different places show that maybe the migraters and seafaring voyagers had brought in the coconut tree from other places. Many of the coconut trees now a day can be found in tropical areas, mostly near the shorelines. Recent research shows that the coconut trees can be found in subtropical and warmer areas.

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Importance to People

The coconut tree can be used by people in culinary and non culinary uses.The white meat are edible and the fleshy part of the coconut seed and it is eaten fresh or dried and in cooking. Inside the coconut, the cavity is filled with coconut water and it is very nutritious. It can be used as a refreshing drink on a hot day and it contains sugar, antioxidants, proteins, fiber, vitamins, and minerals. You can also make coconut milk by processing grated coconut with milk or hot water. Doing this extracts the oil and all of the aromatic compounds. Coconut water is used in isotonic sport drinks. When making ropes, mats, and brushes, they use coir. The coconut oil is made from copra. The parts of the husks are also used to make roof materials and broom. They are also used as a medicine and curing needs. In Pakistan, coconut is used to treat bites from rats. Fuels can be made from coconut oils. Through this, it can be seen that all parts of the coconut tree are used in different needs in any circumstances.

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Survivability and Endangered Status

The coconut trees are found in almost all tropical areas. They are strong and survive pretty well. The coconut trees are abundant in the Philippines second in Indonesia. However due to the cutting of trees for house building, paper making, and for other important uses, like any other trees, the coconut trees have been threatened. In addition, because of urbanization, the coconut trees are losing their habitats. About nine species has been endangered and hundred has been in endangered. To this day, the coconut palm remains the most utilized Polynesian island tree and covers approximately 150,000 acres of land.

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Potential Solutions

Can the coconut palm tree be a useful source of income in the Philippine community, to the poor people of the Philippines? In many discarded areas in the provinces, dumped husks of the coconuts can be found. It is the largest waste product in the coconut growing regions. I have been thinking of how to reduce the amount of husks that are being thrown away. I have been working on how to be an useful help to the poor coastal regions that has many husks and plants. There are several ways in which the coconut husk can be used in a positive ways that can help the environment and human at the same time. Below are some of the possible creative profits from the husk with an analysis of the advantages and disadvantages for each.

Possibility 1 - make broom out of coconut fiber

One of the possibilities is that with the fiber from the husk, we can make a broom out of it. The brooms are one of the tools the Filipinos need as they live to keep their house’s environment clean. Many of the Filipinos have no jobs and maybe this kind of work can give them jobs and money to live their lives. This is how to make a husk fiber broom; with the retted coconut husk left in the riverside, hit it with a great force until the pale brown colored fiber comes out of its husk. This whole series of action will be carried on for about 4months. With the newly made fiber detangle them and tie them tightly together to make a broom. Because this is not really a hard work to do, this work might be possible to be done at home.

Advantages:

1. It would give jobs to the Filipinos who have no interest in working in companies and in labor.

2. It is not an intense job since you need 24 hours a day. So, even housewives can work on making brooms while they do the household jobs. Not only housewives but also men who need jobs.

3. If the Filipinos sell about 50 brooms a week, then, because one broom will cost about P75, they will earn about P3750 a week.

4. There is not that many materials needed to make this coconut husk broom. The materials needed to make this broom are coconut husks, wooden stick that can pound on the husk, brush that can detangle the fiber and a yarn or rope that can tie the fiber together to make a broom.

5. The job is stable. Unlike companies, they don’t need to be caught or be fired.

Disadvantages:

1. It will take about 4 months to make a broom. It will take them too long to make it.

2. The whole process in making the broom will need love and passion for the job because it might need patience in finishing to make the brooms.

3. Even though the job might be stable, they might not be able to sell the 50 brooms each week. It will depend on the economic crisis of the country.

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Possibility 2 - supply of fiber from a company

The poor community people who make their living by making brooms can’t earn that much. Because many of the Filipinos has a minimum of 7-10 children, they have to work extra hard to support their children in education. So, in order to earn much money they have to work fast and efficiently. However, because it takes such a long time to make the fiber out of the coconut husk, I have done some research and looked for companies in the Philippines that can supply coconut fiber. In Davao, there is a company that can supply 200 metric tons per month. By this they will be able to make more brooms, ropes, or mat.

Advantages:

1. By buying the coconut husk fiber, it will allow them to make more brooms than when they have to make their own fiber.

2. They can save time by just ordering the fiber.

3. Especially for the housewives who does the working will be able to have more time to spend on the housework and on the children.

4. The fiber will be in better condition and in quality since it will be made out from a machine.

Disadvantages:

1. In order to require the coconut fiber from the company they have to spend money.

2. They need to work faster and finish their work: 200 metric tons per month because every month new supply of fiber will arrive.

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Possibility 3 - sharing the idea of how to make brooms out of a coconut husk.

I had interviewed a Filipino woman who owned a small store a Filipino town. My first question was ‘do you know the coconut broom?’ and she said, ‘yes’ and continued, ‘I have the coconut broom you are talking about.’ She showed me and it was the broom that was made out of the coconut leaves. So as I gave the brochure I made about the coconut husk fiber broom, I explained the advantages of making the broom and about the process in making it. Like this, not many Filipinos are aware of a broom that is made out of the coconut fiber. My second question was ‘Did you have any thought making broom?’ and she said,’ Oh no, I don’t make brooms, I just buy them.’ So, I was very glad and reluctant to talk more about it. Most of the Filipinos are not aware of the fact that a useful source like the husks are being thrown away.

It serves to ends if the chance of introducing the word of God and the Gospel is taken while teaching how to make brooms. Explaining the biblical rationale and principles regarding coconut broom would help spreading the Gospel. Although there are many ways to teach the word of God, it will be easily accepted by people if it is related with something that is relevant to their everyday lives.

Advantage:

1. People would be interested to know more about the coconut broom and the various ways to make the brooms, and if they develop some more of the other kinds of brooms and coconut husk products, they might get chances to sell the products for the budget.

2. There would be no better result than the people’s acceptance of Jesus Christ. If they become Christians, their lives will be changed; it will eventually lead them to share the Gospel and the methods of making brooms out of coconut fiber at the same time to other people as well.

Disadvantages

1. If thorough explanations about coconut fiber broom and about how to make it are not given, people might use it in a wrong way. One of the most important things to remember when teaching is to give correct and accurate directions.

2. The process of sharing the Gospel with coconut fiber broom will not be able to give deep understandings about God; it might be temporary. people might easily forget it if there is no one to continue teaching the Bible and more things about God.

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