Research Interest

Pineapple field waste which includes leaves, stems and crowns is the center of my research.  It is hope that the waste could be a sustainable material resource.  Simple fiber extraction method has been developed to produce high quality pineapple leaf fiber (PALF).  Various post processing steps including reducing fiber diameter and surface modification have been studied.  PALF has been tested for plastic and rubber reinforcements with very promising results.  Works are underway to explore other applications such as supports for enzyme and catalyst immobilizations.  Pineapple stems will be used for the production of thermoplastic starch.