CocoBa (Coconut Coir and Banana Plant) as an Alternative for Commercial

Facemasks
I. Name

Hannah E. Eclarino, Dezy B. Tanguilig, Lovely Vien E. Quimzon, Walter A. Etrata,

Jessa B. Luna, Emily M. Ojerio, and Charlie Joed E. Esteban.

II. School

Taltal National Highschool

III. Category (Field Of Study)

Life Science

IV. Research Teacher

Sir. John Florentino E. Echon

V. Question or Problem Being Addressed

What are the possible sustainable alternatives for commercial facemasks to avoid

improper waste disposal of commercial masks?

VI. Hypothesis

Null Hypothesis: There’s no significant difference between the commercial facemasks

and the CocoBa mask in terms of effectiveness.

Alternative Hypothesis: There’s a significant difference between the commercial

facemasks and the CocoBa mask in terms of effectiveness.

VII. Rationale

Amid the pandemic, people from different nations are panic buying (the action of buying

large quantities of a particular product to commodity due to sudden fears of a forthcoming

shortage of price increase) which results to the shortage of commercial facemasks and other

necessities during the pandemic.

According to Jon Daly, a reporter in ABC Rural News, their team has conducted a

survey. The survey was conducted in June and again in December last year, and about 24 per

cent of respondents admitted to panic or "excess" buying habits especially in this pandemic.

Panic buying ensued in the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 when consumers
suddenly started buying mass quantities of household items, such as toilet paper, protective

masks, hand sanitizer, and cleaning supplies.

With that said, demands in facemasks are increasing and the price of these masks are also

increasing. Not only does the world is puzzling how to solve and overcome this pandemic but is

also a having hard time in creating these protective gears (facemasks, personal protective

equipment, and face shields) because of the scarcity of the materials needed in order to produce

masks.

As stated on NPR News by Emily Feng, mask factories are "running at 110 percent

capacity," say authorities. And factories that once made shoes, iPhones and cars are being

retooled to make masks. Machines that once churned out fibrous materials destined for diapers

and sanitary pads are now producing materials for masks.

In response to the shortcomings of this necessity in this time of the pandemic, masks

producing companies are searching for alternative cloths and even filters, two possible

alternative for facemasks are coconut coir and banana fibre.

This research study on the possible alternative for commercial facemasks presents option

and solution to the shortage not just on Personal Protective Equipment specifically on facemasks

but also to the shortage of materials in needed in order to produce and create protective gears

during in this time of the pandemic.

Moreover, this research study is conducted to display and offer easily obtained materials

in creating facemasks that will be used by the public as a shield to avoid the spreading and

getting the COVID-19 Virus. Materials that can be found in the nature will be a big help in

speeding up the production of facemask and be a respond to the shortage of Personal Protective

Equipment and to the Global Pandemic.

One of the researched possible alternative is Coconut Coir. Coconut Coir is a natural

fibre extracted from the outer husk of coconut and it can be either brown or white depending on

how ripe or mature the coconut is. This fibrous material is used in making doormats, floor mats,

brushes and mattresses. It is found in between the shell and the outer coating of the coconut seed

is considered coco coir. It is also known for being a high water holding capacity while still

maintaining aeration, light weight, absorbs water readily, and is natural and renewable.
 Coconut Coir alone cannot be enough in the creation of facemasks that is why Banana

fibre is a great component. It is considered natural fibre with high strength, which can be

blended easily with cotton fibre or other synthetic fibres to produce blended fabric &

textiles. Banana Fibre also finds use in high-quality security/ currency paper, packing

cloth for agriculture produce, ships towing ropes, wet drilling cables etc.

Banana fibre, a lignocellulosic fibre, obtained from the pseudo-stem of banana

plant (Musa sepientum), is a bast fibre with relatively good mechanical properties. Plant

fibres are sclerenchymatous cells with heavily lignified cell walls having a narrow lumen

in cross section. Fibre cells are dead at maturity and serve as a support tissue. Natural

fibres possess several advantages over synthetic fibres such as low density,

appropriate stiffness and mechanical properties and also high disposability and

renewability. Also, they are recyclable and biodegradable.

Since the commercial masks are made from fibre, as a solution for the shortage of

facemasks Coconut coir is a perfect fit as an alternative for these masks along with the banana

leaves. These materials are sustainable and can be easily found in the nature. It will contribute

largely in solving and helping the medical and commercial industry in producing facemasks in

which the material can be easily obtained.

More so, this fibrous materials from coconuts and the properties of banana trees are the

answer to create facemasks and sustain the needs in protective gears during in this time of the

pandemic. Utilizing this as an alternative will put use on organic materials instead of just

disposing it, will increase the life span of facemasks, meets the consumers preferences and thus

lessen the chances of transmitting or obtaining the corona virus disease due to its characteristics

that promotes a good and high quality facemasks.

The creation of these alternative sustainable facemasks with materials that are renewable

and can be easily obtained will be a big help and a big response to the Global Pandemic. It will

also help facemasks manufacturer to open up innovative and modified ideas for these “waste”

materials to be put into use and create a protective gear out of Coconut Coir and Banana Fibre.
IIX. Review Related Literature

According to Coir.com, coir originally just considered a byproduct of the coconut

industry, has become increasingly popular for its use as a strong natural fibre. It is used in a

number of industries, from food textiles, to agricultural crops, to building materials, and beyond.

It is notably strong as a plant fibre and even competes with animal fibres. 

Coconut Coir is highly known in the agricultural industry especially in Planting. Coco

coir is fluffy like peat moss, so it provides exceptional aeration for plant roots. It does break

down at a faster rate, but overall, the lightweight fibers provide enough air pockets for roots to

breathe. Nutrient dense and moisture friendly, coco coir promotes a healthy environment for

plant roots to thrive.

Coconut coir mentions that fibrous layer or strands that resembles pithy dust and makes

up the outer layer of any ripe coconut. The entire part between the outer layer of the coconut

seed and the shell is considered coconut coir. However, it’s important to note that there are two

types of fibre that make up coconut coir; white and brown. The white fibre is extracted from the

pre-ripe or young coconuts and is often less strong but very flexible to use.

On the other hand, the brown fibre is very strong but lacks the flexibility of the white

fibre. Although most people don’t get to see this part of the coconut because it’s removed before

it ever reaches the grocery stores, it has proven to be a very valuable nutrient in gardening. The

uses of brown coir (made from ripe coconut) are in upholstery padding, sacking and horticulture.

White coir, harvested from unripe coconuts, is used for making finer brushes, string, rope and

fishing nets.

Before, coconuts including the coconut coir were considered as waste materials for the

only thing that people need is the coconut’s juice and its delicious white meat. Nevertheless,

researchers discovered that these fibre husks are useful in gardening: as it helps plants retain

moisture as compared to other mediums. It is great when mixed with other potting mixes and a

draining agent. The right balance of all the components is key to growing vegetables and other

plants well in containers and home products: as floor mats, doormats, brushes and mattresses
they’ve learned that can be utilized as hydrophonic gardening, commercial nurseries and home

products.

Coir is the thickest and most resistant natural fibre. Among vegetable fibres, coir has one

of the highest concentrations of lignin, which makes it significantly stronger than cotton. Coir is

highly resistant to microbial action, which renders chemical treatment, including herbicides,

unnecessary. It also boasts high wettability, is very absorbent, and yet doesn’t require lots of

water – just little and often.

Coir’s impressive durability and absorbency makes it ideal for geo-textiles, used to

prevent soil erosion. Its sun-resistant capacity makes coir even more suited to the task,

mimicking soil itself, it is naturally biodegradable and, unlike synthetic alternatives, doesn’t

require removal after. Coconuts are celebrated for their abundance of benefits; coir comes with

an earth-loving byproduct too: peat, which is a high quality mulch and brilliant organic manure.

Though coir is strong, this can also mean that it isn’t very flexible or soft. It is great for

household items but perhaps not so well suited to apparel. Traditionally, coir cultivation has been

time-consuming – owing to the lengthy soaking and extraction process – however technology

has improved and de-husking machines are available.

Banana fibre as a component of coconut coir in the production of masks is a natural fibre

with high strength, which can be blended easily with cotton fibre or other synthetic fibre to

produce blended fabric & textiles. Banana Fibre also finds use in high-quality security/ currency

paper, packing cloth for agriculture produce, ships towing ropes, wet drilling cables etc.

Banana comes from the stem of the banana tree and is incredibly durable. Banana plants

are cultivated in Southeast Asia within a natural ecosystem of sustainable forestry. The plant

requires no chemical treatments. Its self-sufficiency has made it an essential contributor to the

reforestation of areas once eroded by Palm plantations while enhancing local farmers' prosperity.

In the Philippines, produces about 3.5 metric tons of bananas (est. value U.S. 700 Million

in 2004) and yearly exports more than US$ 200 Million worth of bananas. This is made possible

because of the favourable climate in the Philippines and that 382,491 hectares or half of the

Philippines' land area planted with fruits are planted with bananas.
 Due to the large production of banana trees in the Southeast Asia, using banana trees as a

fabric source to make textiles declined as other fibres such as cotton and silk became

increasingly popular. Now banana fibre is making a comeback in the fashion industry. Recently

banana fibre has been making a comeback in numerous industries. The use appears worldwide

for multiple products, ranging from tea bags to car tires to saris and Japanese yen notes.

Banana fibre is a natural fibre with high strength, which can be blended easily with cotton

fibre or other synthetic fibres to produce blended fabric & textiles. Banana Fibre also finds use in

high-quality security/ currency paper, packing cloth for agriculture produce, ships towing ropes,

wet drilling cables etc.

Some of the properties of Banana fibres appearance of banana fibre is similar to that

of bamboo fibre and ramie fibre, but its fineness and spin ability is better than the two. The

chemical composition of banana fibre is cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin. It is highly strong

fibre and has smaller elongation. It has somewhat shiny appearance depending upon the

extraction & spinning process. It is light weight. It has strong moisture absorption quality. It

absorbs as well as releases moisture very fast. It is bio- degradable and has no negative effect on

environment and thus can be categorized as eco-friendly fibre. Its average fineness is 2400Nm. It

can be spun through almost all the methods of spinning including ring spinning, open-end

spinning, bast fibre spinning, and semi-worsted spinning among others.

With that said, Banana fibres can be used for various purposes such as in textile, paper or

handicrafts indust43rry. Banana paper is versatile as it is waterproof and stronger than wood-

pulp paper, meaning it can be used in packaging and even as a basis for building materials.

The existing literature regarding to Coconut Coir and Banana Plants presented possible

properties and characteristics that creates a vivid claim that CocoBa masks can be possible if the

two major component are utilized as cloth in making facemasks that serves as an alternative

facemasks to commercial masks. These studies grants that the proposed research can be

experimented.

IX. Material List

Due to the current crisis that nations across the globe. The materials in this

experimentation are easily obtained and inexpensive. In order to proceed with the experiment,
the materials that are needed for the experiment are list as followed: (Note: It is better to have

extra materials due to trial and error).

3 Husk Coir per Mask White Thread and 5mm Needle

1/2 Kilogram of Corn starch 32cm of ¼ White Garter

2 meters of Banana Tree Trunk Mask Template (from cardboard)

X. Methodology

Before all else, the researcher will prepare the materials which will be included in the

experiment. Prepare 3 husk coir per mask, ½ kilogram of corn starch, 2 meter-long banana tree

trunk, white thread, 5mm Needle, and Mask Template (from cardboard).

Primarily, the researcher will remove the coconut coir from the husk and wash them to

remove the dust and avoid any swelling or allergies. After that let it dry for 2 hours or until it

will become dry.

The research will now move on to making the banana fibre. Basically, the researcher will

Soak the 2 meter-long banana tree in water or if the researcher is near a river, soak it in water.

This is done to soften and make it more manageable for the researcher to separate the fibres. The

fibres are extracted either by a stripping machine or traditionally by hand. The researcher will

separate the soft fibres into thin strips until it becomes like yarn.

While letting the coconut coir dry, mix ½ kilogram of corn starch on 1 ½ cup of water

until it is mix thoroughly, until it becomes thick. Once the coconut coir is dry, the researcher will

stitch the coconut coir it into crosshatch pattern until it looks like cloth and then soak it in the

mixture of water and corn starch for the strands of coconut coir to stick together and then let it

dry for about 30 minutes. The researcher will also then stitch the banana fibre strips in a

crosshatch patters similarly to the coconut coir.

Furthermore, the researcher will proceed on cutting the two layers (coconut coir and

banana leaves) according to the shape of the facemask template. After this, the researcher will

now move into the sewing process.

The researcher will have a pattern layer of banana fibres-coconut coir-banana fibres. The

researcher will place the coconut coir filter in the middle of the two banana leaves serving a

sandwich format. Then the researcher will proceed on the sewing process by sewing the sides of
the banana leaves, coconut coir and banana leaves. Then the researcher will cut the excess to

smoothen the sides of the banana leaves and the coconut coir.

After completing the layers, the researcher will also sue the 16cm of ¼ garter on each

sides of the facemask by hand or by the use of the sewing machine depending on the availabily

of materials. Once all of the procedure are done, the alternative facemask is completed.

To test the effectiveness of the completed CocoBa Facemasks, the researcher will use

multiple methods. First off is the “light a match” method in which the researcher will simply

light a match and then try to blow out the match through the face mask in order to see the

breathing diversion of an individual.

Aside from the first method, the researcher can also use the “water droplets or spraying”

method. The researcher will drop droplets of water through a dropper to test the absorbency of

the masks or spray water to the masks as a visual representation of a person sneezing.

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