Decay of coconut fibres by soil microorganisms.

Abstract

The influence of pH, temperature and organic matter on the degradation of the lignin-cellulose complex of coconut fibres was studied. Many fungi (deuteromycetes and ascomycetes) and bacteria were isolated from partly decayed coir. The decomposition of the coconut fibres by these isolates was estimated, imitating field conditions. Some fungi of the genera tested were able to partly decompose the coconut fibres after long incubation periods. However, the quick and total decay of the coir wrapper around drain pipes seems to be caused by basidiomycetes only.Wrappers of coconut fibres around plastic drain pipes are used in the Netherlands on a large scale. After having functioned for one or two years, however, the filter capacity may be reduced owing to decay of the coir. Although the decay of wood by soft rot fungi has frequently been investigated (1-3), the degradation of coconut fibres, with its lignin percentage of nearly 40 %, has hardly been studied, In this study different soil types with pH values ranging from 4.3 to 8.2 were tested in 2-liter jars, imitating field conditions. The influence of temperature on the rate of fibre decomposition was also investigated.Many fungi and bacteria, isolated from partly decayed fibres, were incubated aerobically in sterile Erlenmeyer flasks containing unattacked coconut fibres, soil, and water. After different incubation periods, the loss of tensile strength and elasticity of the fibres was estimated. MATERIALS AND METHODSInfluence of soil type, pH and temperature on the rate of fibre degradation. The experiments were carried out with 2-liter glass jars in which the field conditions of the coir wrapper were imitated (4). Tensile strength and elasticity of the coconut fibres were estimated according to ANTHEUNISSE (5). The pH of the soil was measured after suspending 10 g of soil in 25 ml distilled water and shaking for 30 min.

Urban Subsurface Drainage

“…Being relatively cheap, "cocos" soon dominated the market because high quality peat litter became scarce and expensive (Meijer 1973). At a later stage it was discovered that coconut fiber was also subject to microbiological decay (Meijer and Knops 1977;Antheunisse 1979Antheunisse , 1980Antheunisse , 1981, stimulating the drive to replace organic substances with synthetic alternatives. It was argued that, contrary to organic envelopes, synthetic ones could be manufactured according to design criteria that could be established in laboratory tests (Stuyt 1992a).…”

Biological and chemical inhibition of ligno-cellulose decay by white rot basidiomycetes.

“…An experiment was carried out in Erlenmeyer flasks of 500 ml capacity as described by ANTHEUNISSE (1). Each flask containing from bottom to top, water, air, coconut fibres and approximately 100 g soil (a mixture of clay and sandy soil of 1: 1; pH 7.2) was sterilized and inoculated with a fungus that may partly decompose the lignin-cellulose complex (11) and with the basidiomycete Trametes versicolor (L. ex Fr.) Lloyd CBS 47172 (T15).…”

Effectiveness of coconut fibre media in biological wastewater treatment for rubber factory effluent

“…In a laboratory scale experiment Antheunisse (1979) showed that coir is highly resistant to decomposition under anaerobic condition. The influence of the pH on coir degradation within the limits of 4.3 -8.0 has been reported to be either small or absent (Antheunisse, 1981).…”