U. S. SarmaDirector

&Anita Das Ravindranath Senior Scientific Officer

Central Coir Research InstituteP.O.- Kalavoor, Dist.- Alappuzha

Kerala-688 522

INDIAN COIR FIBRE/PITHNatureNature’’ss GiftGift

Extracted fibre is spun and woven on simple mild steel ratts & handlooms

Coir fibre-A natural wrapping material along with coir pith for proper packing of nutIt is thick in the middle and tapered at both the endsThousands of cellulose micro fibrils are reinforced with hydrophobic lignin plastic to prepare this natural composite which is resistant to water logging having an extensibility of ~30%Lignin bestows the properties of resistance towards mould, mildew and mothsPerforations on the surface to the extent of 40% provide it lightness and buoyancy

COIR- A LIGNOCELLULOSIC FIBRE

CHEMICAL PROPERTIES1.WATER SOLUBLE 5.252.PECTINS 3.003.HEMICELLULOSES 0.254.LIGNIN 45.845.CELLULOSE 43.446.ASH 2.22

ULTIMATELength (mm) 00.60

Cell length/Diameter 35.00

SINGLE FIBREWidth (μ) 222Length (mm) 150-200

Gravimetric fineness () 40

Breaking load (kg) 0.45

Tenacity (gm/tex) 13.28

Breaking elongation 29.04%

Density (gm/cc) 1.40

Porosity 40%

Moisture Regain at 65% RH 10.5%

Swelling in water (dia) 5%

Rigidity modulus (dynes/cm2) 1.89

ACTIVITIES OF COIR BOARD

The Coir Board is a statutory body established

under the Coir Industry Act 1953 for

promoting the overall development of coir

industry and for promotion of domestic as well

as export market of coir and coir products.

Indian Coir IndustryArea under cultivation of coconut-about 5,100,000 (hectares)

India is the largest producer of coconut with an annual production of 12,597 million nuts.

Utilization of husk is 36%

Production of coir fibre-369,400MT

Employs 5,86,660 workers out of which 80% are women.

Coir is exported to 80 countries. USA is the largest buyer.

60% of the total export goes to countries in the West Europe

There are ~200 exporters.

Indian Coir IndustryArea under cultivation of coconut-about 5,100,000 (hectares)

India is the largest producer of coconut with an annual production of 12,597 million nuts.

Utilization of husk is 36%

Production of coir fibre-369,400MT

Employs 5,86,660 workers out of which 80% are women.

Coir is exported to 80 countries. USA is the largest buyer.

60% of the total export goes to countries in the West Europe

There are ~200 exporters.

MESH MATTINGS

LOOP MATTINGS

COCOLOGS

NON WOVENS

DRAINAGE FILTERS

Coir Felt – Specification, 2003, IS 15340.

Natural fibre geotextiles (jute geotextile and coir Bhoovastra) - Methods of test, 2008, IS 15868: Parts 1-6.

Open weave coir Bhoovastra-Specification, 2008, IS 15869.

Use of coir geotextiles (coir Bhoovastra) in unpaved Roads – Guidelines, 2009, IS 15871.

Application of coir geotextiles (coir woven Bhoovastra) for rain water erosion control in roads, railway embankments and hill slopes-Guidelines, 2009, IS 15872.

SIMPLEST FORM OF GEOTEXTILEWARP THREAD INTERLACED ALTERNATELY OVER AND UNDER THE WEFTREVERSIBLEWOVEN ON - HAND LOOM &

SEMI AUTO MATIC LOOMWIDTH -1TO 5MTMASS - 400GMS TO 1.4KG/MTRMESH SIZE – (0.5CM x 1CM)-(1” x 1”)

PREPARED ON NEEDLE FELTING MACHINEWIDTH – 2.2MTRLENGTH – CONTINUOUSDENSITY(GMS/SQ. MTR.)-500 -1000PRODUCTION – 2500SQ. MTR./DAY

APPLICATIONS OF

COIRGEOTEXTILES

Road / Canal embankment protection,

Protection of soil sliding in Railway cuttings,

Soil mulching,

Agricultural land protection,

Weed control etc.

The coir geotextiles:Provide a physical barrier to the intermixing of the aggregate and sub grade soilProvide local reinforcementRestrain the aggregate sub-base from downward and lateral movement in the rutRestrain the sub grade soil from upward and lateral movement between the rutsAct as a support membraneProvide sufficient friction to limit lateral sliding of the aggregate

COIR GEOTEXTILES USED FOR RURAL ROAD PAVEMENT

COIR GEOTEXTILES USED FOR RURAL ROAD PAVEMENT

Canal embankment protection.Experiment done at Mankombu, Kerala.

Canal embankment protection.Experiment done at Mankombu, Kerala.

Coir Geotextiles installedCoir Geotextiles installed Eight years after installationEight years after installation

COCOLOGCOCOLOG

COIR GEOTEXTILES USED FOR

RIVER EMBANKMEMNT

PROTECTION

COIR GEOTEXTILES USED FOR

RIVER EMBANKMEMNT

PROTECTION

COCOLAWN™USING

NATURAL GRASSPITH ORGANIC MANURE

PITH NEEDLED FELT

COIR BHOOVASTRA

NRDC TECHNOLOGY DAY AWARD FOR 2002

EXPORT OF COIR & COIR PRODUCTS FOR THE LAST 10 YEARS

0

50000

100000

150000

200000

250000

300000

2000-01

2001-02

2002-03

2003-04

2004-05

2005-06

2006-07

2007-08

2008-09

2009-10

QuantityValue

EXPORT OF COIR GEOTEXTILESFOR THE LAST 10 YEARS

0

500

1000

1500

2000

2500

3000

3500

4000

2000-01

2001-02

2002-03

2003-04

2004-05

2005-06

2006-07

2007-08

2008-09

2009-10

QuantityValue

GLOBAL EXPORT OF COIR GEOTEXTILES FROM INDIA 2009-10

42%

11%

10%5%

4%

4%

3%

9%

12%

USAJapanFranceAustraliaBelgiumAustriaGermanyItalyOthers

OF ALL NATURAL EROSION CONTROL PRODUCTS, COIR OF ALL NATURAL EROSION CONTROL PRODUCTS, COIR COMPRISES 22% OF THE GLOBAL MARKET COMPRISES 22% OF THE GLOBAL MARKET (18.92 MILLION SQ. MTR.)(18.92 MILLION SQ. MTR.)

THERE IS ENOUGH POTENTIAL TO INCREASE THIS SHARE.THERE IS ENOUGH POTENTIAL TO INCREASE THIS SHARE.

COIR GEOTEXTILES:WORLDWIDE CONSUMPTION

COIR GEOTEXTILES:WORLDWIDE CONSUMPTION

59%

22%15%

4%

StrawCoirJute /KenafOthers

59%

22%15%

4%

StrawCoirJute /KenafOthers

Tradenames

Weight(gm/m2)ASTMD-1910-64

Thickness(mm)ASTMD-1777

Grab tensileStrength(N)ASTMD-1682

Elongationat break (%)ASTMD-1682

Trapezoidaltearstrength(N)ASTMD-2263

Type

Coir netting

400-900 6.5 700-1500 30 150-500 Woven

Jutefabric

680-750 1.75-1.85 800-900 15-20 300-350 Woven

Mirafi600X

– – 1335 – 534 Woven

Terram(140)

280 1.1 1128 150 343 Non-Woven75% Polypr.25% Nylon

Coir geotextiles due to inherent properties like highest strength among all the natural fibres and high water absorption with maximum swelling of only 5% and very high extensibility of 30% have been found to be the ideal replacement of the geosynthetics normally used in the construction of roads to stabilize the sub grade agrarian soils.

In India, the importance of rural/unpaved roads is to be highly emphasized. It is the drive of Indian Government to connect all the villages through roads, the choice of land is limited and most of the roads are to be built on agrarian soils. Such soils mostly known as black cotton soils have one or more problems viz., low shear strength, high compressibility, low hydraulic conductivity, swelling and shrinkage and susceptible to frost action etc., and are therefore, associated with problems such as low bearing capacity, high settlement, high seepage loss, liquefaction during earthquake and instability of foundation excavation. With a soft sub grade, it is often impossible to build a stable base course without loosing expensive base material into the sub grade which is characterized by California Bearing Ratio (CBR).

Coir geotextiles provide a physical separation layer between the aggregate and the sub-grade soil, to prevent migration of fines and thus preserve the structural thickness of the aggregate by maintaining it clean.

Coir geotextiles are recommended for this function because of the low cost, high coefficient of friction, high elongation (30%), and high coefficient of permeability besides good drape to conform to the contour of the surface.

The coir geotextiles find use to reinforce the soils that are poor in tension thereby reducing applied stress on the sub grade and preventing rutting caused by sub grade overstress.

The coir geotextiles are having high tensile strength at low strains, i.e., high modulus, therefore, are considered to be the best materials amongst other natural fibres used for this purpose especially in unpaved roads.

The coir geotextiles provide an edge over the natural fibre geotextiles in providing good separation as well as adequate filtration by retaining soil particles and allowing water to flow across the plane due to the inherent porosity (40%) of the fibres.

Based on the studies carried out at laboratory level and field level by the CCRI in collaboration with the institutes having expertise in the construction of roads in India, the Indian Roads Congress (IRC) has given accreditation to the use of coir geotextiles for use in the construction of roads for which the CCRI has been identified as a nodal institute.

It has mentioned that the coir geotextiles having mass per unit area of 400 to 900g/m2 could be used.

Synthetic geotextiles have been used in highway constructions in many developing and developed countries but they are liable to pose environmental problems in the long run, therefore, there is interest in the use of coir geotextiles for such purposes which are not only eco-friendly but are good absorbents of water with minimum swelling and act as good reinforcement, separators and drainage materials.

In the light of accreditation of IRC, the National Rural Roads Development Agency (NRRDA) of Govt. of India has authorized the CCRI to use coir goetextiles in the construction of roads, in 9 states of the country, for a total length of 450kms in the first phase.

Specifications Machine Direction

Cross Machine Direction

Break Load, minimum for Dry coir

8-15 kN/m 3-8 kN/m

Break load, minimum for Wet coir

3-12.5 kN/m 2-5 kN/m

Trapezoidal tearing strength at 25mm gauge length, minimum

0.18-0.50 kN 0.15-0.35 kN

Poor sub-grade soils pose a great challenge for construction of haul roads and other low volume roads.

Coir netting can be successfully used for stabilizing poor sub-grade soils as these can reduce the substantial amount of aggregate required for stabilization just the same way as has been reported with the use of synthetic geotextiles.

Coir netting is spread directly over the roughly levelled poor sub-grade soil. In the case of clayey sub-grades it is recommended to spreading the fabric after placing a layer of sand of 10 mm to 20 mm thickness.

The fabric is then surcharged with granular material preferably sand of 30 mm to 50 mm thickness to act as a lower sub-base and it is rolled initially with light rollers and later, if possible, with medium to heavy rollers.

A layer of sub-base consisting of coarse aggregate or crushed rock varying in thickness from 200 mm to 300 mm may be placed over the sand layer and compacted.

Under the surcharge action of sub-base layer and compaction rolling, the sub-grade loses water content through the filter fabric and gains strength.

Coir nettings/geotextiles are produced in ten specifications [H2M1-H2M10] as per the Bureau of Indian Standards, which vary in weight from 400 to 1400 g/meter and mesh sizes from 0.75 cm to 2.5 cm respectively. The Bureau of Indian Standards has published specifications for coir geotextiles9-12.

The open weave coir netting is manufactured in the following grades based on the mass:-

a) Grade I- 400g/m2 (H2M6)b) Grade II-700g/m2 (H2M2, H2M5, and H2M8)c) Grade-III 900g/m2 (H2M9)

H2M6, H2M5, and H2M9 Netting of coir

Coir Board has established a testing laboratory for coir geotextiles at the

Central Coir Research Institute, Alleppey, Kerala that is listed in the web site of

ASTM [American Society for Testing and Materials] International Directory of Testing Laboratories.

The construction of a village road namely, Kumbakkad – Chembakulam Road at Varkala Block in Trivandrum district is shown using coir netting in position within the road structure.

The netting acted as a separator to eliminate the punching of aggregate into the soft sub-grade as well as to resist the infiltration of fines from the sub-grade into the aggregate layer thus arresting any tendency for pumping.

The drainage system also maintained optimum performance because the fabric did not get clogged under field conditions.

The road was constructed in a swampy area by laying the coir netting over the sub grade.

It has been found that even after 8 years, the low volume road is intact and has sustained heavy monsoon rains.

Laboratory tests for soil reinforced with coir geotextiles showed an improvement in CBR value of 2 to 3 times that of un-reinforced soil.

Coir in the form of geotextile is advantageous for strengthening of weak

soils since it reduces the settlement of soil subgrade.

The CBR value of the soil can be increased by 4 times based on the type and

position of coir.

The CBR value of the specimen reached the highest value of 9% when the

coir geotextile was placed near the top of the soil subgrade.

Provision of a layer of geotextile at the interface between subgrade and sub

base reduces the deformation by 40%, which in turn results in the reduction

of sub-base thickness required.

The shear stress increases by 2% with the addition of a layer of coir

geotextile due to formation of a hardened lower layer.

Results

It has been established that reinforcement using coir-geotextile is economically advantageous.

Compared to existing methods of stabilization which have practical difficulties in the field, the application of coir geotextile is easier.

The coir-geotextile reinforcement is a superior solution for the construction of low volume roads on weak sub-grades. Coir nettings have long life of at least 5 years.

THANK YOU