In what could be a major boost to the coir industry, the National Coir Research and Management Institute (NCRMI) has developed a coir-based organic acoustic panelling system.
Christened ‘ACCOIR’, the acoustic panels have been designed in collaboration with the Institute of Indian Interior Designers (IIID) and the National Institute for Interdisciplinary Science and Technology (NIIST), a constituent laboratory of the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR).
According to K.R. Anil, Director, NCRMI, the developers were successful in overcoming a major hurdle by minimising the combustible nature of coir through blending an organic compound, thereby making the product fire-retardant. “In addition, the product has been designed in a manner to compete with similar materials that were being manufactured by major industry brands.
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The acoustic property of coir has been proved and the panel was capable of sound absorption in the range of 0.7-0.8 decibel, positioning the product on par with the leading brands available in the market. Moreover, the product was found to be cost-effective, easy to clean, eco-friendly and durable,” he said.
The acoustic panels, which will be manufactured in the form of tiles, will be formally launched by Chief Minister Oommen Chandy at the inaugural session of Coir Kerala 2015 on Sunday evening. The product will be later displayed at the exhibition during the course of the event.
The design of the product had been showcased at the previous edition of the annual event where it had elicited considerable interest among exporters and other stakeholders of the industry. The NCRMI has applied for a patent for the invention that has been developed through research and development activities that lasted nearly two years.
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