Utilization of pineapple leaf agro-waste for extraction of fibre and the residual biomass for vermicomposting

A special type of machine with metal knife scrapper roller and serrated roller has been developed and used to scrap out the waxy layer and at the same time macerating and breaking the leaf surface for ease of retting to extract the pineapple leaf fibres. Pineapple leaf contains 2.5-3.5% strong, white and silky textile grade fibre embedded by a top waxy layer within the leaf. After removing the top waxy layer, fibre has been extracted from the pineapple leaf by retting in water. The residual green sludge has been used for vermicomposting after appropriate treatment using earthworm species African night crawler (Eudrilus eugeniae) as inoculums. The ermicomposting process was complete within 45 days. This vermicompost from pineapple leaf agro-waste is found to be rich in plant nutrients. The combined technology package for the extraction of fibre from pineapple leaf and utilization of the residual biomass debris from the pineapple leaf scratching machine forvermicomposting is economically viable and remunerative for the pineapple cultivators.