What is Coir – And What Does It Have To Do With My Absorbent Product?

SpillFix, an all-natural spill absorbent product, is one of the greenest absorbent products available today. One source of SpillFix’s “greenness” is the fact it’s made from an entirely renewable resource: coconut husks.

Though many absorbent products on the market today continue to use mined clay as their main ingredient, the need and demand for greener products has let to the creation of products such as SpillFix, which use coir rather than clay as the main ingredient in their products. So what is coir and how can it help you and your workplace?

All About Coir

Coir is a natural fiber that’s extracted from a coconut’s husk. When added to SpillFix, coir creates a safe, dust free cleanup for acid spills, fuel spills, and many other common, harmful industrial spills. This renewable resource actually has an interesting history and is used to make many other materials as well.

According to wisegeek.com, coir – or coconut fiber – comes from the hairy coconut husk. Pronounced Koy-er, the word coir comes from the Malayalam word kayar meaning “to be twisted.” This renewable resource is very coarse and stiff, and is also very resistant to rot and saltwater. This means that in situations where other fibers often decay and fall apart, coir stays strong and holds itself together – which also means it holds onto the absorbed spill it was used to clean for a longer period of time, preventing leakage and giving the spill time to break down naturally.

From The Tree To The Shelves: Making Coir Usable

In order to get the coir separated from the coconut, the fruits are split to get to the coconut husk. The husk is then soaked in pits or bodies of water that have a current of some sort, which allows different lengths of coir to separate over time. The longer fibers are used to make brooms or doormats, while the smaller coir can be used to stuff mattresses.

Coir And SpillFix’s Green Initiatives

Today coir is the most ecologically sustainable absorbent product ingredient available, which is why we choose to use it as the core of our products. To ensure that our SpillFix products stay as green as possible throughout their lifespan, we do not cut down trees or operate any mines while harvesting the renewable resource that makes SpillFix possible. SpillFix is also manufactured at factories located in fully operational coconut plantations, meaning that the coconuts require a minimal amount of transportation before they’re transformed into an absorbent product. And since we strive to be environmentally aware of our factory processes, our production uses low energy solutions to create our final products.

Due to the all-natural coir base, disposal of SpillFix is also safe for the environment. Coir, at a microscopic level, has hollow channel structures. This forces hydrocarbon spills (like gasoline or oil) to be trapped inside the spill absorbent product. Used SpillFix holding fuel spills can be a fuel source for energy producing incinerators or disposed in landfills. SpillFix is biologically stable and free of harmful micro-organisms; therefore, it provides a perfect environment for bio-degrading organisms to absorb the hydrocarbons.

SpillFix’s coir based spill absorbent product is sure to be a great addition to a range of industries and companies, like gas stations, water treatment plants, automotive and more. The safe, all-natural renewable resource used to create our products ensures a perfect combination of worker safety and responsible disposal methods. Shop SpillFix now!