
The coir fiber processing
Many producers know the benefits of the coconut fiber for their crops. Nevertheless, there is a general unknown about the origin of coconut and its processing to obtain different coir granulometries. The range of mixtures obtained fits with all the production types depending on the climate conditions, the greenhouses technology level and the agronomic knowledge.
Being manufacturers of coir products for more than 15 years, has gave us the technical knowledge about the coir properties and its characteristics. We control the entire process: from the selection of raw materials to the customer warehouse.
How is coir fiber manufactured?
Our company has two manufacturing plants and join ventures in India and Sri Lanka, which enable us to ensure the capacity for the entire year. In them, we complete all the processing steps to acquire the final coir product for our customers. It also allows us to customize the coir product characteristics to the customer needs. This process is composed by 10 main steps:
1. Acquisition of mature shells.
We make sure that the coconut supplied to us by local producers is the best quality raw material. As a result, the final coir product will be as well.
2. Processing of shells.
Coconut shells are processed to obtain different kinds of raw materials. The decorticator process is the one which separates the fiber from the coir pith, two different raw materials. The coir chips are obtained with a different crushing process. With this technology, it is ensured the proper granulometries for our raw materials.
3. Ageing process.
In order to oxidate the coir until a stable point, it must be stored outside. This ageing process takes up to three to six months depending on the type of raw material we want to process.
4. Washing.
According to customer needs, the product can be processed with washed raw materials to adapt the electrical conductivity (EC) to the required levels.
5. Drying.
The raw materials are transferred to the drying floor, where it is spread out to dry on a concrete floor to prevent contamination of the coir and ensure the moisture percentage. At this stage, good planning is essential to ensure the supply during the monsoon. For this reason, we have different factories in different locations with diverse climates. Therefore, we ensure our production during the whole year.
6. Screening or refinement.
During the screening the fine powder and extra fiber are removed by a screen plant process. Also, the small stones that might be in the raw material are screened out with the Destoner. During this process, strict quality controls are carried out to ensure the particle sizes requirements.
7. Mixing process.
Different types of mixes of coir raw materials are available. Depending on its subsequent use, our technical team designs the formulation of the product recipe according to the customer’s needs. The product customization is done just before the compaction process and packaging.
8. Weighing:
To ensure the correct expansion of the coir products, the mix is weighed before compress.
9. Compaction.
The final coir product is compacted into different ready-to-use formats (blocks, bricks, discs, growbags, easyplanter and grow cubes) depending on the final use of the product.
During this process, are being done quality test to ensure the excellent expansion.
10. Packaging and palletizing.
The packaging is essential to guarantee the durability of the product. The customization of the package is available as per the customer request including planting holes, drainage holes, drip holes and irrigation holes. After that, it is packaged according to the product recipe.
11. Loading and reception.
The finished coir product is loaded into containers and travels to the customer’s crop.
Our technical sales team supports customers communicating the situation of the order at each step of the coir fiber processing, ensuring proper reception and offering advice and after-sales service.
We are not just manufacturers, we are also a technological enterprise that offers agronomic solutions, advice, supply chain management and an all-in-one service.