Why is coconut 'washed'?

The crushed materials in coir, coconut fiber or chips are washed on smaller, flat piles in order to wash out the high potash values embedded in the fruit. In the past, the coconut husks were soaked in sea water or lagoons in order to better detach the fiber. With this method, the high salt values (sodium, chloride) had to be washed out particularly intensly with fresh water. Drying of the material takes place on dry fields; for coconut substrates in 200 L bales or 6,000 m³ big bales, the material is dried to a water content of about 45 %.

Highly compressed coconut blocks to be used as coir, chips or fibers are dried back to a water content of 18 %.