Banana Boosted: Enhancing Yarn with Nature’s Touch

Overview

Himalayan ShePower, a non-profit organization focused on sustainable banana fiber production, tasked our team with improving the mechanical and textural properties of banana yarn to increase its strength, durability, and versatility for commercial applications. The primary challenge is developing a low-tech, resource-efficient solution that aligns with the materials and infrastructure available in Nepal. To address this, our team experimented with natural additives like aloe vera, linseed oil, and corn starch, assessing their effects on the yarn’s structural and mechanical properties. This project combines engineering principles with sustainable practices to deliver a practical solution tailored to the sponsor’s needs.

Objectives

Conduct experimental research with treatments or additives and study the mechanical and structural properties of banana yarn to improve its texture, strength, and durability.

Approach

– Obtained banana yarn samples from Nepal and India, noting significant quality differences and setting a goal to replicate the superior properties of Indian yarn through a sustainable solution.
– Performed tensile testing on banana yarn samples and compared the results to those of other natural yarns, including cotton, alpaca, bamboo, and wool.
– Conducted water absorption tests using water displacement to evaluate the yarn’s absorbency.
– Researched and selected four natural additives hypothesized to enhance the yarn’s texture: 100% aloe vera, a 2:1 aloe vera-to-water mixture, a 1:2 corn starch-to-water mixture, and 100% linseed oil.
– Treated the yarn with the selected additives, repeated tensile and water absorption tests, and analyzed improvements in the yarn’s mechanical and textural properties.
– Conducted a focus group with an unbiased audience to evaluate and vote on which additive produced the softest yarn, incorporating subjective feedback into the final analysis.

Outcomes

– The 2:1 aloe vera and water mixture yielded the softest yarn, providing the highest texture improvement while maintaining adequate strength and water absorption for its intended use in household items such as cloths and carpets.
– Aloe vera, being the most abundant natural resource in Nepal, proved to be an ideal choice for large-scale treatment of banana yarn, offering an optimal balance of softness, strength, and absorbency for practical applications.