Rediscovering Date Palm by-products: an Opportunity for Sustainable Development

Abstract

The date palm was the pivot of cultural, social and economic life for long centuries in rural areas in the Arab region. The basic needs of millions of people in rural areas were being satisfied relying on the by-products of date palms. With the drastic change of the style of life most of these byproducts became redundant leading to the neglect of pruning of date palms, and thus becoming a direct cause of fire accidents and infestation by dangerous insects. This situation represents a real challenge to those concerned with development. How to compose a new vision to palm by-products transcending the traditional forms of utilization of these by-products being treated as waste? The path of rediscovery of these by-products is paramount. How to develop new forms of utilization of palm by-products to satisfy modern demands on the local, national and international levels? An approach has been suggested for the industrial utilization of date palm by-products. The research conducted at the premises of the Faculty of Engineering, Ain Shams University has proven that the date palm midribs enjoy mechanical properties similar to those for imported wood species. It was also proven that the date palm midrib can be used as a core layer for the manufacture of blockboards competing with those manufactured from wood. Lumber-like blocks have been successfully made from palm midribs. The palm midribs were successfully used for the production of Mashrabiah (Arabesque) products as a substitute for beech wood. Particleboards and MDF boards satisfying the international standards have been also manufactured from palm midribs. Poultry and livestock feed, as well as compost have been produced using the date palm midribs. Space trusses and claddings have been successfully made from palm midribs. New machines have been successfully designed and manufactured for the conversion of palm midribs into strips of regular cross-section. There are wide future prospects for the use of date palm by-products us a substitute for wood, for paper manufacture and for the reinforcement of polymers. Within the framework of bioeconomy there are high potentialities for the use of the date waste, as well as the ligne-cellulosic by-products in a wide spectrum of bioindustries. To guarantee the continuation of endeavors to support the use of palm by-products on the international level it is necessary to establish The International Association For Palm ByProducts as a forum for all parties interested and involved in the use of palm by-products. Introduction The palm plantations were the pivot of cultural, social, and economic life for long centuries in rural areas in the South: in Latin America, Africa, and Asia. The basic needs of millions of people in rural areas were being satisfied relying on the by-products of palms (PBP). The way of life in these vast areas was woven using these available indigenous sustainable secondary products of palms. Via this process very rich technical heritage blossomed, being mainly the By-Products of Palm Trees and Their Applications Materials Research Forum LLC Materials Research Proceedings 11 (2019) 3-61 doi: https://doi.org/10.21741/9781644900178-1 4 property of the poor in the local communities in rural areas. The shift from the prevailing subsistence economy to the capitalist mode of production and the dominance of the cash crop ideology, together with the propagation of the Western life style has led to the negligence of PBP and the freezing of the associated technical heritage. Thus, the rural populations in many countries in the South turned from producers and active participants in development of their local communities to mere consumers of whatever could be purchased from cities or abroad. This situation represents a real challenge to those concerned with development. How to compose a new vision to PBP transcending the traditional forms of utilization of PBP and imagining new modern avenues of utilization of these renewable almost priceless and voluminous materials being, presently regarded as waste? The path of rediscovery of PBP is paramount in this context. How to develop new forms of utilization of PBP to satisfy modern demands on the local, national and international levels? Adopting a participatory approach this trend of thought may provoke waves of innovation: beginning from the rural areas and reaching urban areas. The economic utilization of PBP will provide labor opportunities on the local level, attract the youth back to village as innovators and entrepreneurs and transform the village from pure reliance on the agricultural activity, subject to the fluctuations of prices of the agricultural products, to a wide sphere of economic activity including beside agriculture, industry and trade. Thus, the economic utilization of PBP will return vitality to local communities, where the palm plantations exit and provide appropriate conditions for sustainable development. The date palm in the cultural history of the Arab region The local materials are nothing but the material milieu, through which cultures were able to express themselves. Proceeding from the historical perspective, the different cultures of the world were born and developed in company with different materials. Who could deny the relation between the ancient Egyptian culture and papyrus, lotus, lime stone and granite, nor between the Asian cultures and bamboo, rattan and rice? It is extremely important to capture the relation between culture and local materials as an important asset for development. The linking between development and local materials means that you are building on the existing culture of interaction with these materials, i.e., you do not begin development from a zero datum, but with what people – members of each local community – have at hands (the local materials), as well as in minds (psychological familiarity with these materials, as well as technical heritage, associated with their production, manufacture and use in the different walks of life). In this concern the date palm (Phoenix dactylifera L.), represents an eloquent example. It is an authentic element of the region's flora, which accompanied our historical march for thousands of years. It is our duty now as researchers and intelligentsia to rediscover the date palm as a pivot for our life at present, as well as for the future generations. It may be difficult to record the first emergence in history of the date palm, but it was well known 4000 years BC, where it was used to build the moon temple near to Ore, south of Iraq [50]. The second proof of the ancient presence of the date palm comes from the Nile valley, where the date palm was taken as the symbol of the year and the palm midrib as a symbol of the month in the hieroglyphic Egyptian language. But the cultivation of the date palm in Egypt was 2000 – 3000 years later than in Iraq [50]. The date palm was one of the pivots of economic and, hence, social and cultural life in this region from ancient times. In ancient Egypt the heads of pillars in temples were made resembling the growing top of the date palm. The date palm appeared frequently on walls of temples in different contexts revealing its significance in life in Egypt. According to Nubian (south Egypt) traditions, when a child is born, they plant a date By-Products of Palm Trees and Their Applications Materials Research Forum LLC Materials Research Proceedings 11 (2019) 3-61 doi: https://doi.org/10.21741/9781644900178-1 5 palm for him. When he has matured, the date palm will have grown to a number of palms, providing a basis for his future economic life. In Upper Egypt each village has evolved beside its life supporting palm plantations. The date palm is well adapted to our environment. It is grown well in the Nile Valley, where it gives gentle shade against the sun and protection from the wind to crops growing below it. It tolerates the harsh climate of the Sahara, making possible the life of Bedouins; it even tolerates high levels of salinity, growing along the seashore in Egypt. It needs much less water and service and is less subject to diseases and parasites than other trees. Date, the primary product of the palm is rich in protein, vitamins, and mineral salts. That is why it represents an essential element of diet for the cultivator himself and his animals (the lowgrade date with kernel). All secondary products of the palm result from annual pruning (Fig. 1) and have essential uses for the cultivator. Thus, no waste results from the growing of palms. The date palm's midribs of grown palms after being woven in a mat using coir ropes are used in roofing. Crates for the transportation of vegetables and fruits are also made from the palm midrib, as well as furniture items, manual fans, doors of gardens and coops for chickens and rabbits. Fig. 1: The date palm: a pivot for the ways of life in our traditional communities [27]. Midribs of young palms are used in fencing gardens. The midrib base is used as floats for fishing nets or for fuel in rural ovens: the ashes being used afterwards in mortar. The leaflets are used after being woven, in mat making, as well as in a very wide variety of baskets for use in the cultivator's household, as well as for transportation of various agricultural crops and packing of 1 This was my first acquaintance with palm midribs. Roofs in El-Arishi traditional houses, made of midribs, lasting for centuries, were my first natural proof of their durability and good mechanical properties. By-Products of Palm Trees and Their Applications Materials Research Forum LLC Materials Research Proceedings 11 (2019) 3-61 doi: https://doi.org/10.21741/9781644900178-1 6 dates. They are also used for the manufacture of screens for households and as ropes for typing up vegetables. The leaflet fibers are used in the manufacture of carina used for stuffing of upholstered furniture. The coir is being used for making washing and bathing sponges, as well as for