Scientists turn banana waste into textile fibers

Scientists from Northumbria University, along with colleagues from the UK and Pakistan, have developed a new technology to convert agricultural waste from bananas and other foods into textile fibres. This initiative focuses on the ‘best-out-of-waste’ concept, where the leftover waste from producing banana textiles is further used to generate renewable energy.

The two-part process aims to provide clean electricity to 50% of rural Pakistan, which currently relies heavily on fossil fuels for energy. Dr. Jibran Khaliq, a material scientist at Northumbria University, highlighted the significant environmental impact of Pakistan’s textile sector, including greenhouse gas emissions, water pollution, and microplastics.

“Our partners at the National Textile University in Faisalabad have created a technology to turn banana agro-waste into textile fibres,” said Dr. Khaliq. “However, the lack of electricity in rural Sindh, where most bananas are grown, has prevented scaling up this innovation until now.”

The project, named SAFER (Improving Access to Sustainable Energy in Rural Pakistan Using Food and Fibre Agro-Waste as a Renewable Fuel), is expected to yield 57,488 million cubic meters of syngas from banana agricultural waste in Pakistan.

Dr. Muhammad Saghir, Director at Eco Research Ltd, expressed enthusiasm for the collaboration with Northumbria University and the National Textile University. “This innovative approach will not only turn agricultural by-products into sustainable textiles but also demonstrates a remarkable synergy between eco-friendly practices and technological advancements, leading to local job creation and supporting the UK’s net-zero agenda,” he said.