Bio oil assisted degumming and biochar enhanced steam explosion: a new sustainable extraction path for pineapple leaf fiber

Research Overview

According to the study published in Industrial Crops and Products, Volume 253, Part 1, November 2026, authors Neha Batta, Socrates Arturo Palacios Ponce, Cesar M. Moreira, and Franco Berruti proposed a sustainable degumming route for pineapple leaf fibers: bio oil assisted pressing combined with biochar enhanced steam explosion for fiber extraction. This study focuses on the resource utilization of pineapple leaves, an agricultural byproduct, and belongs to the direction of raw material processing and green technology in the field of agricultural materials.

Process ideas and material science significance

Traditional degumming relies heavily on chemical agents or microbial action, with high water consumption and discharge pressure.

. This study introduces bio oil into the impregnation process and utilizes biochar to enhance the physical treatment effect of steam explosion, forming a combination process of “bio based additives+physical explosion”. From the perspective of material processing, steam explosion destroys the lignin cellulose interface in plant tissues through instantaneous pressure release. The introduction of biochar may alter the heat and mass transfer conditions during the explosion process, thereby affecting fiber separation efficiency and surface state. The research takes “sustainability” as the starting point, emphasizing the use of agricultural and biomass processing by-products to replace some conventional chemical additives, which is consistent with the focus on bio based, biodegradable, and low environmental load processes in the field of agricultural materials.

Inspiration for the polymer additive industry

Pineapple leaf fiber, as a natural cellulose fiber, has potential application space in agricultural materials, such as biodegradable agricultural films, greenhouse film reinforcement components, and fiber skeletons for controlled release and coating materials.

. Natural fibers are exposed to ultraviolet light, thermal oxygen, and humidity conditions in outdoor agricultural environments for a long time. If their products are to be used in combination with agricultural films and weather resistant masterbatch systems, the formula design needs to consider the synergistic effect of light stabilizers, antioxidants, and HALS to suppress the degradation of fibers and matrix during processing and use. If the delamination process provided by this study is further scaled up, the surface chemistry and residual impurities of the fibers will directly affect their interfacial compatibility with the polyolefin matrix, thereby affecting the addition strategy of weather resistant masterbatch and the evaluation of product life. For additive companies, the weather resistant solution of natural fiber filling system may become a sub direction beyond agricultural film and greenhouse film.

Limitations to note

This study is a journal paper, and the publicly available information only involves basic elements such as process route, author, and publication date. The fiber performance data, yield, and energy consumption comparison at the abstract level have not yet been presented in the source.

. The source stability of bio oil and biochar, batch consistency after process amplification, and long-term weather resistance of fibers in polymer matrix still need further verification. The above content does not constitute a judgment on the process economy or product certification.

Conclusion

The extraction of pineapple leaf fibers using bio oil assisted impregnation and biochar enhanced steam explosion provides a green processing path for the material utilization of agricultural by-products.

. For the fields of agricultural film, weather resistant masterbatch, light stabilizers, antioxidants, HALS and other additives, the combination of natural fiber reinforcement and biodegradable agricultural polymers is worth continuously tracking, but the relevant conclusions should be based on complete experimental data and field verification.

Information source:Sustainable degumming of pineapple leaf fiber via bio-oil-assisted retting and biochar-enhanced steam explosion， Organized by Herun Chemical.