Bananas for plastic products

Banana plants could be used in the production of plastic products with a new technique being developed by researchers at Queen's University Belfast.

The Polymer Processing Research Centre at Queen's is taking part in a €1m (£921,943) study known as the ‘Badana project’ to develop procedures for incorporating by-products from banana plantations into the production of rotationally moulded plastics.

It is hoped the new technique will not only offer environmental benefits but also increase the profitability for plantation owners in the Canary Islands where the bananas are grown.

Mark Kearns, rotational moulding manager at the Polymer Processing Research Centre in Queen's School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, said: ‘Almost 20 per cent of the bananas consumed in Europe are produced in the Canary Islands, with around 10 million banana plants grown annually in Gran Canaria alone.

‘Once the fruit has been harvested, the rest of the banana plant goes to waste. An estimated 25,000 tonnes of this natural fibre is dumped in ravines around the Canaries every year.