New method turns banana waste into green textiles, energy

Scientists from Northumbria University collaborated with academics from the UK and Pakistan to tackle agricultural waste rising from producing bananas and other foods.

They developed a new technology to convert banana waste into textile fibres. Further focusing on the ‘best-out-of-waste’ concept, the waste leftover from producing the banana textile will further be employed to produce renewable energy.

Bananas to power 50% of rural Pakistan

This two-part process aims to deliver clean electricity to 50 percent of the rural population of Pakistan predominantly dependent on energy sourced from fossil fuels currently.

Dr Jibran Khaliq, a material scientist from Northumbria University’s department of mechanical and construction engineering stated that Pakistan’s textile sector is responsible for significant environmental impacts, including greenhouse gas emissions, water pollution, and microplastics.

“Our partners at the National Textile University in Faisalabad have developed a technology to convert banana agro waste into textile fibres,” he said.

However, “the lack of electricity in rural Sindh where the majority of the bananas are grown, has prevented this innovation from being scaled-up until now.”

The project is called SAFER implies – Improving access to sustainable energy in rural Pakistan using food and fibre agro-waste as a renewable fuel as per a statement by the scientists.

Having been awarded £300,000 via an energy catalyst scheme by Innovate UK, focused on promoting energy efficient developments abroad, the project will focus on converting banana agro-waste into textile fibers and renewable energy over next year.

New affordable waste-to-energy technology

“Over the next year we will be working to develop a new waste-to-energy technology which will convert agro-waste into clean and affordable energy,” Dr. Khaliq stated.

He further emphasized that the technology presents a solution for the textile industry, local communities meanwhile also boosting soil fertility and food production through the generation of biofertilizers.

Since banana waste alone contributes to approximately 80 million tonnes of agricultural waste every year in Pakistan, the new development is almost a necessity.

In the new process, banana agricultural waste could be used to produce syngas, a man-made gas known to be a relatively sustainable method for producing electricity.

Scientists estimate that the banana agricultural waste in Pakistan could yield 57,488 million cubic meters of syngas.

Dr Muhammad Saghir is Director at Eco Research Ltd expressed that collaborating with Northumbria University and the National Textile University on the Banana to Textile Fiber project using syngas will be a groundbreaking journey.

“This innovative approach will not only transform agricultural by-products into sustainable textiles but also exemplifies a remarkable synergy between eco-conscious practices and technological advancements leading to local job creation and achieving UK’s net zero agenda,” he said.

The development of this technology is crucial for Pakistan’s rural areas, which often lack reliable energy sources. It could significantly aid in reducing environmental impacts associated with agricultural waste.