Arecanut husk - biomass

To the Indians, Malayans, or the Indonesians, betel-nut chewing is as familiar as chewing gum to the Americans. In India the use of arecanut and its cultivation constitute a distinct agricultural practice scarcely less important than that of other economic crops. Arecanut husk is mainly used for manufacturing of thick boards, fluffy cushions, non-woven fabrics, thermal insulation and wrapping paper. Areca husk is used as a substrate for mushroom cultivation. Arecanut husk fibre is generally longer than woolenised jute,. Although value added products can be created with the areca husk, these practices do not seem to be really popular, because still piles of areca husk remains after processing in the developing countries. On a weight basis, the husk is 60 to 80% of the whole fruit. The husk fiber itself is mainly constituted of cellulose. A sun-dried areca husk has a mass loss of 28-33% when compared to a green husk. The major constituents of arecanut are pectin at 1.5-3.6%, protopectine at 1.5-2.1%, hemi cellulose at 35-65.8%, lignin at 13-26%, furfuraldehyde at 18.8% and ash at 4.4% and moisture content varying from 91% when very tender to 74 % when ripe.