From Natural banana Fibre to Paper: A Practical Solution Centred on Equipment Design for Small Scale Production

This solution is part of the Sparsa Solution, which is a Nepali non-profit company that locally produces and distributes compostable menstrual pads. These pads feature an absorbent core made from banana fibre, also processed by Sparsa.

The focus of this solution is the transformation of cellulosic fibres (in our case banana fibre) into paper, using low-tech machinery suitable for small-scale production (up to 20 kg per day). The process is entirely thermo-mechanical, requiring no chemical additives, and can be adapted for other types of cellulosic fibres as well.

As part of this open-source approach, we will share:

3D models of all equipment and machines
Explanations of how they work, and the safety measures involved
Guidelines for factory organization and daily operations
Details of our self-designed fresh and wastewater systems
A complete layout of the factory

This solution is designed to be practical, replicable, and accessible for communities aiming to create sustainable, fibre-based products using locally available resources.

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