Abacá (Manila hemp)
Also known as: Manila hemp, Musa textilis
Extremely strong leaf-sheath fibre from the Philippine fibre banana Musa textilis — traditional for marine ropes, now also paper and bio-composites.
Description
Abacá comes from the leaf sheaths of the fibre banana Musa textilis, cultivated in the Philippines and, to a lesser extent, in Ecuador and Costa Rica. Because the fibre was long shipped through Manila, the name "Manila hemp" stuck — botanically, however, abacá is related to the banana, not to hemp.
The fibres, up to three metres long, are among the strongest natural fibres in the world and are exceptionally salt-water resistant. Until the 1930s abacá provided the cordage of merchant and naval fleets. Today it is used in tea bags, filter paper, banknotes (including the Japanese yen), cigarette paper, Mercedes-Benz car-seat composites and in fair-trade woven and braided bags.
- Tensile strength well above that of sisal
- Resistant to salt water and microbes
- Key raw material for specialty papers and bio-composites
- Despite the name, a banana fibre — not a hemp fibre
Properties
| Fibre type | Natural fibre (plant-based, leaf-sheath fibre) |
|---|---|
| Origin | Philippines (85 %), Ecuador, Costa Rica |
| Tensile strength | Very high, salt-water resistant |
| Application | Ropes, tea bags, banknotes, bio-composites, woven bags |
Related product categories
Sources & references
1- Wikipedia: Abacá Wikipedia — Freie Enzyklopädie https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abac%C3%A1
