The current demand for coir fiber is a small fraction of the available supply and the major applications (e.g., mattress padding, twine and rope, gardening) have relatively low price points. The unique properties of the coir fibers can be utilized to great advantage in non- woven fabric composites to create more high value products. In this presentation, research and development work will be presented that indicates that automotive parts such as door panels, package trays, and trunk liners are less expensive and more environmentally friendly than the synthetic fiber based non-wovens that are currently widely used  joint development projects are currently moving forward with several major automotive companies and their tier-one parts suppliers. The potential market for automotive composites that utilize coir fiber is more than 100,000 MT per year. A wide variety of applications for building materials made from non-woven fabric composites containing 50% or more coir fiber are also being explored and several applications will also be presented.  

This presentation will outline the unique properties of coir fibers, explain how coir fiber is used in non-woven fabric composites, summarize some properties of coir / polypropylene non-woven fabric composites and compare these properties to those of polyester/ polypropylene non-wovens that are widely used in automotive industry. Some specific applications that are currently being considered for coir/polypropylene non-woven fabric composites in automobiles and building materials will also be discussed.