Use of Banana Crop Wastes to Develop Products in the Aquaculture and Plastic Sectors

The banana plant is a species that bears fruit only once in its life cycle. After the harvesting, the pseudostem is left on the plantation without generating a relevant nutritional value for the soil. Despite the high content of antioxidants of this subproduct, currently it is occasionally used for cattle feeding. This work is focused on the valorisation of this waste through the extraction of the natural fibre for its use in the development of 100% biodegradable materials (cover bags for banana crop and bags for fish feeds) and as a natural additive for high production volume in the plastics industry. For this purpose, the necessary technology for the mechanical extraction and processing of the banana fibre has been developed. In addition, during the extraction process another important subproduct is generated: the pulp. This by-product has the peculiarity of having low fibre content and, consequently, improved properties for its application as an additive in easy-to-digest fish feeds. To take advantage of this property, the approach consists of the use of this subproduct of the extraction process as a natural source of antioxidants for fish feeds in aquaculture, thus being an alternative to the synthetic antioxidants currently used. This approach fosters the circular economy through the increased added value of the banana crop, ensuring the use of wastes in other industries.