Dr. Mohamad Midani, Associate Professor at College of Textiles, North Carolina State University, and CEO of Valorizen LLC has been awarded the 2024 DNFI Innovation in Natural Fibres Research Award for the development of PalmFil® the World’s First Date Palm Fibres. The process could result in a substantial increase in the world supply of natural fibres. Dr. Mohamad Midani conducts his research in Cairo, Egypt.
PalmFil® is the world’s first textile fiber and reinforcement product from date palm frond and fruit stalks. Palm fibers are embedded inside the stalks and surrounded by a complex natural binder, making it difficult to extract the fibers without breakage or damage. The PalmFil® patented process delignifies and fibrillates those fiber vascular bundles using an environmentally-conscious mechanical-chemical-biological method. The method transforms date palm waste (potentially 5 mil tons dry weight annually) into high-value textile fibers, thus expanding the palette of sustainable natural fibers.
The multi-step extraction process involves 1) preparing the palm fronds biomass to increase the surface area for further treatment, 2) treating the biomass with a mild alkaline solution to partly dissolve the gum using a closed loop chemical recovery process, and 3) mechanical scraping to remove gum and to fibrillate the coarse-hollow fiber vascular bundles without breaking them. If a cottonized fibre type is desired, an additional treatment with a custom enzyme mix is applied.
The PalmFil® fiber extraction process has been validated on a pilot level and is being scaling up to an industrial level through licensing agreements in Egypt, Tunisia and Saudi Arabia. Further, the PalmFil® extraction technology can be applied to other palm species, including oil palm, coconut palm, doum palm and bamboo, showcasing its versatile application. PalmFil® fiber has been blended with cotton to produce textiles. The fibres can also be used to produce insulation, biodegradable packaging, automotive composites, and WPC floor laminates and rugs as well for mattresses.
Download press release: Dr Mohamad Midani wins 2024 DNFI Award
The DNFI Innovation in Natural Fibres Award aims to recognise the innovations as well as the people and institutions responsible for them, with the aim of raising public awareness of the achievements of the natural fibres sector as a whole.
The formal award ceremony to honor Dr. Midani will be held on Thursday 16 January 2025 during Heimtextil fair in Frankfurt, Germany.
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