Production of Natural Fiber Obtained from the Leaves of Pineapple Plants (Ananas comosus) Cultivated in Costa Rica

Abstract

Ananas comosus crops, particularly the MD-2 variety, have demonstrated to adapt well to the environmental conditions of Costa Rica. However, one of the main issues that the management of this crop involves is how to deal with residues or post-harvest wastes. The objective of this study is to develop a machine for small-scale production of natural fiber from pineapple leaves, adaptable to rural conditions in Costa Rica. The proposed machine is of the scrapping type, in which the leaf is introduced and the machine eliminates the tissue covering the leaf fiber. The study showed that the machine has the capacity to process an average of 4.9 kg dried fiber/hour, with an average cost of US$0.49/kg of dried fiber. The study also found that the machine’s capacity varies for plant leaves from the first or the second crop, giving better performance with the leaves from the second crop. The fiber produced with the machine showed a greenish coloration created by the combination of white, green, and yellow colors which were measured by the Color Systems CIE Lab. Once extracted, the fiber may be bleached with water, hydrogen peroxide 5 %, or chlorine 1 %, of which the most effective is chlorine 1 %, since it gives the highest color change to pineapple fiber.