Scientists at Northumbria University have created a novel method to turn agricultural waste from foods like bananas and other crops into textile fibers, working with colleagues in the UK and Pakistan. The ‘best-out-of-waste’ idea at the heart of this project is the utilization of excess waste from the production of textiles made from bananas to produce sustainable energy.The two-step procedure intends to supply 50% of Pakistan’s rural areas, which now primarily rely on fossil fuels for energy, with clean electricity. Northumbria University material scientist Dr. Jibran Khaliq emphasized the textile industry in Pakistan’s substantial environmental impact, namely microplastics, water pollution, and greenhouse gas emissions.
“Our partners at the National Textile University in Faisalabad have created a technology to turn banana agro-waste into textile fibers,” stated Dr. Khaliq. “However, the lack of electricity in rural Sindh, where most bananas are grown, has prevented scaling up this innovation until now.”With the help of the SAFER project (Improving Access to Sustainable Energy in Rural Pakistan Using Food and Fibre Agro-Waste as a Renewable Fuel), Pakistan’s agricultural waste from bananas is anticipated to produce 57,488 million cubic meters of syngas.
The director of Eco Research Ltd., Dr. Muhammad Saghir, expressed excitement about the partnership with the National Textile University and Northumbria University. “This innovative approach will not only turn agricultural by-products into sustainable textiles but also demonstrates a remarkable synergy between eco-friendly practices and technological advancements, leading to local job creation and supporting the UK’s net-zero agenda,” added the minister.
