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Bananas take on paper market |
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The banana paper production line.
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This original Melbourne Cup outfit is made entirely out of banana ply paper.
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First we ate them. Then we dressed them in pyjamas. Now, after many months of inflation, bananas are set to re-appear in the marketplace. But not in the form you would expect to see. Bananas have a new purpose, and it is set to revolutionise the way we view the humble fruit.
Researchers from Adelaide company Papyrus Australia have developed a process for turning the trunks of banana plants into an environmentally friendly material that looks like paper, with some remarkable and useful physical properties.
Known as banana ply paper, the material is water and oil resistant, flame retardant and many times stronger than your average leaf of A4. Thanks to the innovative method of production, banana ply paper also uses minimal energy and no water or chemicals.
"Traditional technology pulps the fibre to a very small size," said Ramy Azer, Managing Director of Papyrus Australia. "It uses lots of water and chemicals to reconstitute the fibre into a flat form."
Not to mention the millions of hectares of trees harvested each year to meet demand.
Banana ply paper is created using a variation on the techniques used by ancient Egyptians to make papyrus. Rather than pulping the banana fibre, the trunk is literally peeled down to individual layers that are up to eight metres long and as thin as cigarette paper. These layers are then pressed together at right angles to form the extremely strong material.
The secret to holding the layers together is a natural chemical compound called lignin. Lignin is found in the cell walls of all plants where it conducts water and provides strength. It is removed at great expense during traditional paper manufacturing, but it is vital for banana ply paper's unique durability.
Banana ply paper can be produced in various sizes and thicknesses ranging from fine tissue-like material for wrapping jewellery to thick cardboard crates. It can also be bleached to create high quality writing paper, but Papyrus Australia's main focus is building supplies and packaging.
"Eighty five per cent of the world's paper goes in to packaging and building supplies," said Grant Pigot, Chief Operating Officer at Papyrus Australia. "Much of this is due to the sheer amount of paper required to package particular items."
For example, millions of cartons are produced each year for the freight of seafood and vegetables overseas by air. Many of these cartons require a coat of poly or wax on the inside face to protect them from water damage. The same level of protection can now be provided by just a single sheet of banana ply paper.
Another application for banana ply paper is the veneering of fire doors.
"The material is flame retardant," explained Grant, "Meaning it cannot sustain a flame."
This makes it an ideal veneer for hot areas (like fire doors) and emergency evacuation points in buildings.
The production line used to produce banana ply paper is about the size of a semi-trailer, which is compact enough that it can be easily installed onsite at banana plantations. It is designed to be installed alongside the packing shed at a banana farm, meaning that the trunks can be gathered using the same infrastructure required to gather the fruit. This reduces the use of transport, providing environmental and economical benefits.
Another big plus is that it can provide the farmers with additional income following natural disasters, such as last year's Cyclone Larry.
"When the cyclone destroyed some of the plantations in Queensland, the farmers had to wait months for a new banana crop," said Grant. "If plantations had Papyrus production lines installed, they could rely on processing the banana ply paper in the meantime."
The technique used to manufacture banana ply paper was officially recognised as an original idea when the Australian patent was accepted in late October. This leaves the team at Papyrus Australia with one final difficult challenge: creating a name for the paper.
Whatever their choice, the world is sure to go bananas over it.
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The banana tree is not really a tree at all - it's actually the world's largest herb |
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For every 30 to 40 kilograms of banana sold on the market, there is 250 kilograms of waste that needs to be dealt with every year |
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Fibre from the banana plant has been used to create quality fabrics in Japan from as early as the 13th century. Banana shoots were traditionally boiled in lye to produce yarns of varying softness that were then used to make everything from kimonos and tablecloths |
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Only 49.6 per cent of the paper consumed in Australia is recycled. |
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