Materials Exploration of Abaca (Musa textilis)
Objectives:
- Conduct a systematic exploration of abaca using a Multi-Perspective Materials Design approach (a framework being developed concurrently)
- Process the abaca in various different ways to see its material potential beyond traditional uses
- Explore whether the new abaca-based materials can be safer alternatives to petroleum-based materials that are currently used for products with use cases in marine ecosystems
Project Duration: February 2024 – Present
Designed For: Personal master’s thesis research at HSLU
Role: Student, Master’s in Eco-Social Design
Overview: Abaca is an indigenous plant species to the Philippines. Its fibres have high saltwater resistance and can perform well in marine environments when used for ropes. This material exploration is focused on leveraging abaca’s inherent properties and using different processing techniques to form it in ways that it can be used for more applications in the ocean. The aim is to replace petroleum-based materials that are commonly used for marine gear and are known to negatively affect species and ecosystems.
An ongoing documentation of my material experiments and characterisations.
Pressed fibres
- Long fibres, medium pressure, flat
- Long fibres, low pressure, spherical
- Long fibres, no pressure, spherical
Formed pulp
- Manually beaten pulp, spheres
- Manually beaten pulp, flat
- Pulp fibre leftover, block
Abaca compounds as materials
- Lignin
- Degummed compounds
Composites
- Ground fibres, with gum arabic
- Loose woven, coated with shellac
- Tight woven, coated with gum elemi
In addition to reading literature, I visited Capalonga, Camarines Norte to learn about the growing, harvesting, tuxying, stripping, drying and grading of abaca fibres.
If the intention is to use abaca-based materials for applications in marine ecosystems, who should be considered and engaged?
An ongoing documentation of relevant stakeholders for the materials design context (coastal areas of the Philippines). They are grouped in the following categories:
Human beings
- abaca growers and processors
- people who work with abaca for traditional applications
- people who work with abaca for modern applications
- users of products made with abaca
- community members exposed to abaca where it is grown, processed, used or disposed of
Non-human beings
- biotic (living) beings in marine ecosystems:
– vertebrate animals (e.g. fish, rays, whales)
– invertebrate animals (e.g. sea stars, oysters, crabs, shrimp, sea slugs, jellyfish)
– plants (e.g. seagrass)
– protists (e.g. seaweed)
– bacteria
– fungi - abiotic (non-living) beings in marine ecosystems:
– saline water
– substrate (e.g. sand, rock, mud) - the material itself (abaca)
Ecological safety
- marine scientists and researchers
- toxicologists
- chemists (green chemistry)
- coastal community members of a specific place
Technical performance
- people who conduct material testing in institutions:
– Philippine Textile Research Institute
– University of the Philippines – Diliman Materials Science and Engineering Department
Economic/Political
- abaca fibre sellers and exporters
- abaca product manufacturers (pulp, pulp products, cordage)
- Department of Agriculture (DA)
- Department of Science and Technology (DOST)
- Philippine Textile Research Institute (part of DOST)
- Department of Trade and Industry (DTI)
- Design Center of the Philippines (part of DTI)
- HABI: The Philippine Textile Council
- Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) – specifically related to solid waste management and EPR Act of 2022
Archipelagos such as the Philippines are faced with material and waste challenges which negatively affect species, ecosystems and communities. There is growing research and awareness about the impacts and risks that materials such as petroleum-based plastics and synthetic chemicals have on marine ecosystems.
The Philippines is rich with biodiversity and materials that can be explored to replace problematic materials. There are opportunities to leverage what is locally available and use a range of techniques to expand the ways in which traditional materials are used. I chose to work with abaca because it is recognised for its unique material properties such as saltwater resistance and performance in the ocean. It was widely used as a marine rope prior to the rise of synthetic polymer ropes.
Given abaca’s inherent properties… Could its applications be expanded to a range of products used in marine environments? Could it be a material that has a balance between technical performance and ecological safety?