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International Journal of Research in Environmental Science and Technology

Universal Research Publications. All rights reserved

ISSN 22499695
Original Article
DETERMINATION OF PHYSICO-CHEMICAL PROPERTIES OF COIR PITH IN RELATION TO PARTICLE
SIZE SUITABLE FOR POTTING MEDIUM
P. RONALD ROSS*, J. PARAMANANDHAM, P. THENMOZHI1, K.S. ABBIRAMY
AND M. MUTHULINGAM
Department of Zoology, Annamalai University, Annamalai Nagar- 608 002.
1
Department of Zoology, St. Josephs College, Cuddalore- 607 001.
*Email: r_ross1971@yahoo.co.in
Received 18 May 2012; accepted 23 June 2012
Abstract
Coir pith, light to dark brown in colour, consists primarily of particles in the size range 0.24 mm. The physico-chemical
properties of coir pith was investigated from the coir pith produced in Kullanchavadi village, Cuddalore district after grading it
based on particle size (100m to 2000m) for the use as potting medium. The porosity, density and absorptivity decreased as
the particle size increased. pH of raw coir pith was found to be acidic in nature but as the particle size increased, the pH also
became alkaline. The electrical conductivity was observed to be high in lower grades of coir pith (4.41 mS / cm) which
gradually decreased as the size increased (3.32 mS / cm). The salt analysis made on coir pith did not show any significant
change according to particle size. But potassium, sodium, nitrite, calcium and chloride ions were found to be decreasing in
amount considerably as the particle size increased while the phosphorous, nitrate and TOC were found to be almost constant or
slightly varying. Thus we conclude that the smaller particle size of coir pith (100-750m) is more suitable for potting medium
than the larger size (1500-2000m).
2011 Universal Research Publications. All rights reserved
Keywords: Absorptivity, Density, Porosity, Potting.

1. Introduction land, coir pith has gained prominence as potting medium.

India is one of the leading countries of the world in
the cultivation and production of coconuts. Around 14,000
million coconuts are being produced annually in India,
particularly from the states of Kerala, Tamilnadu, Andhra
Pradesh and the Union Territories. Coconut is the fruit of
cocos nucifera, being largely exploited for its kernel which is
the raw material for oil. During the exploitation of coconuts,
the spongy pericarp (husk) is left as a by-product which
serves as raw material for coir fibre. The elastic cellular cork
like pithy material forming the non-fibrous tissue of the husk
is generally referred to as the coir pith, which accounts for
50-60% of the total weight of the husk. One ton of coir pith
accumulates for every 10,000 husks used in the coir industry
[4]. It is extracted from husk either by retting or mechanical
methods.
It is assessed that around 7.5 million tonnes of coir
pith is being produced annually in India [3]. Beside the use of
coir pith in agricultural fields or as water conservant in dry
Moreover, its distinct features like water resistance and
enhanced aeration enables these to find usage for various
agricultural purposes. Coir pith is an excellent soil
conditioner and is being extensively used as a soilless
medium for agro-horticultural purposes such as planting
lawns, parks and gardens, planting sport fields, golf courses
and planting vegetable gardens. Therefore, it is required to
evolve a methodology to condition the coir pith before it is
being admitted in fields.
In the present investigation, coir pith generated from
the retted coconut husks analysis for physico-chemical
properties.
2. Materials and methods
The coir pith required for this investigation was
collected from the coir mounts closer to the coir industry
located in Kullanchavadi village, Cuddalore District, Tamil
nadu. Always fresh mounts were sampled as aged materials
would lose their original quality. During the collection, the

45 International Journal of Research in Environmental Science and Technology 2012; 2(2): 45-47
surface layer of the mount was scrapped out and around 1kg
of unexposed coir pith was collected randomly at five places.
All the five samples were pooled and sealed in polyethylene
bags and were transported to the laboratory within 24 hours
of collection for further studies.
The collected coir pith was sundried for 3 days and
extraneous materials if any were removed by hand sorting.
Then the coir pith was graded using sieves of different mesh
sizes to study the occurrence of various sized particles
present in the random samples collected. Sieving was carried
out using test sieves made of brass in a sequential pattern.
These graded coir pith were weighed and calculated for
weight percentage. The graded coir pith ranging from <100 to
2000m was sorted and analysed for physical and chemical
properties. The physical properties such as porosity, density
and absorptivity were estimated as by [1, 6, 7, 8] respectively.
2.1. Coir pith extract preparation:
Aqueous extract of coir pith was prepared as per the
procedure followed by [6] and [1]. Chemical properties such
as pH was measured by pH meter (Model MP98, Cornation
conductivity meter), Chloride by the method of
Argentometric method and Phosphorus, Nitrite and Nitrate
were analyzed by Greenberg et al., (1992) [2] method.
Finally Total Organic Carbon was estimated by Walkley and
Black (1934) [9] method. The Calcium, Sodium and
Potassium were determined by Flame Photometer model
ELICO CL 22D and Nitrogen by Micro Kjeldahl distillation
method.
3. Results and Discussion
The weight percentage of various grades of coir pith
is shown in Table 1. The particle size ranging from 1500 to
2000 micron occurred in high percentage. The percentage
occurrence by weight of various particles had a direct
relationship with size of the particles. The particle size less
than 100 micron were not utilized for further experiments due
to their low quantity. Porosity, density and absorptivity are
inversely proportional to the particle size (Table 2). The size
specification of the particles and the porosity in percentage
are inversely proportional. When the size of constituent
particle in a mass is uniformly larger, pore space in the
immediate vicinity of the particle is larger. It is the fact that
the higher porosity in coir pith was containing exclusively
smaller particles. Density increased when the size of particles
decreased. Exclusively smaller particles in a mass of unit
volume, though high in porosity, weighed more apparently
due to the different material characteristics. This gave a clue
that the material composition of the coir pith varies according
to size [5].
The role of particle size on the water absorbing
capacity of various grades of coir pith is shown in Table 2.
The maximum (65%) absorptivity is found in 300 micron size
particles. The adsorption capacity decreased as the particle of
coir pith increased. The grade of coir pith having the
highest particle size (2000 micron) showed the absorptivity
percentage of 42. Thus the moisture retentivity decreases
46 International Journal of Research in Environmental Science and Technology 2012; 2(2): 45-47
with increased particle size. Moisture retention is the function
of water holding capacity. Such water holding capacity is
higher in smaller particles (Table 2) which means that
moisture retention is higher in smaller particles.
The Chemical properties of various grades of coir
pith are shown in Table 3. The pH, TOC and C/N ratio are
higher in bigger particles (2000 micron) and lower in other
particle grades. Other chemical properties of estimated value
were low in bigger particles (2000 micron) and high in the
other particle grades. The raw coir pith extract before grading
was acidic in nature but as graded particles were measured,
the pH was directly proportional to the particle size.
Table 1: Percentage weight of graded coir pith
Average particle size
Percentage by weight (%)
(micron)
<100 2.190.58
300 18.231.38
750 21.961.83
1500 22.751.56
2000 34.882.34
Table 2: Physical properties of graded coir pith
Average
Porosity Density Absorptivity
particle size
(%) (g/cc) (%)
(micron)
300 83.259.23 0.1310.012 65.07.24
750 76.806.74 0.0990.007 59.06.34
1500 71.368.12 0.0850.004 53.05.44
2000 68.417.45 0.0790.005 42.04.94
with increased particle size. Moisture retention is the function
of water holding capacity. Such water holding capacity is
higher in smaller particles (Table 2) which means that
moisture retention is higher in smaller particles.
The Chemical properties of various grades of coir
pith are shown in Table 3. The pH, TOC and C/N ratio are
higher in bigger particles (2000 micron) and lower in other
particle grades. Other chemical properties of estimated value
were low in bigger particles (2000 micron) and high in the
other particle grades. The raw coir pith extract before grading
was acidic in nature but as graded particles were measured,
the pH was directly proportional to the particle size.
3.1. Conclusion
Sunlight, air, water and nutrients are the basic
requirements for healthy plant growth. However, a good
growth medium is a vital link essential for the proper
utilization of nutrient and water. Coir pith is an excellent
potting medium and soil conditioner applicable to agricultural
crops and an ideal substitute for peat and partially carbonized
vegetable matter usually mosses, found in bogs (an area of
soft, naturally water logged ground). Growing medium is the
most important element in green house crops production,
nurseries and horticulture which call for a number of
enriching inputs. Absence of physical properties like aeration,
 Table 3: Chemical properties of graded coir pith
Average particle size of coir pith
Parameters
300 micron 750 micron 1500 micron 2000 micron
pH 6.1 6.5 6.8 6.6
EC (mS/cm) 4.41 4.26 3.67 3.32
Chloride (mg/l) 720 640 490 405
Phosphorus (mg/l) 0.282 0.282 0.258 0.247
Nitrite (mg/l) 0.434 0.328 0.533 0.215
Nitrate (mg/l) 0.08 0.07 0.06 0.07
TOC (%) 0.126 0.130 0.151 0.136
Calcium (mg/l) 4.8 4.0 3.8 3.3
Sodium (mg/l) 285 316 272 210
Potassium (mg/l) 1402 1443 1350 1242
Nitrogen (%) 0.0015 0.0011 0.0011 0.0010
C/N Ratio 84 118 137 136

drainage and water holding capacity makes soil unsuitable for
the production of plants in containers. To improve this
situation several soilless growing media have been
developed. These media are all inert, sterile soil substrates
that have excellent aeration drainage and water holding
capacity properties. One such media is the coir pith, a multi
purpose growing medium that provides new opportunities for
potting mix suppliers, seedling nursery operators, hydroponic
growers, home gardens, green houses and other farming
communities. This is responsible for allowing good aeration
around the roots of plants and retaining water for longer
duration.
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species in the vermicomposting of coir pith. Ph.D., Thesis,
Madurai Kamaraj University, Madurai, India.
[2] Greenberg, A.E., L.S. Clesceri and A.D. Eator, 1992.
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[3] Kamaraj, C. M. 1994. Exportable coir products in Tamil
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[4] Nagarajan, R., Manickam, T.S., Lothandaraman, G. V.,
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[6] Ross, P.R., 2002. Studies on coir pith as an artificial soil
medium. Ph.D., Thesis, Madurai Kamaraj University,
Madurai, India.
[7] Sinha, A.K., S.K. Bandyopadhyay and T.K.Sarkar, 1998.
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[8] Thamayanthi, M. 1999. Studies on coir pith as a soil
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Source of support: Nil; Conflict of interest: None declared

47 International Journal of Research in Environmental Science and Technology 2012; 2(2): 45-47