The global pineapple market is growing almost exponentially and currently produces 28 million tons per annum, with an estimated market size of USD 28.79 billion in 2024, which is projected to reach USD 39.13 billion by 2029. In Kenya, pineapple farming is a significant contributor its economy, providing employment for thousands and generating income for both smallholder farmers and large-scale producers. However, the market for fresh horticultural crops, such as pineapples, is largely informally organised and poorly integrated, leading to significant post-harvest losses due to high transaction costs and spoilage. The waste and byproducts are often undervalued and underutilised.

Researchers have found that pineapple leaves constitute 14.86% of the pineapple itself. A compositional analysis of pineapple leaves underscores the potential of pineapple leaf waste as a valuable resource, particularly due to its high lignin and cellulose content, as well as its significant carbon composition. Therefore, apart from mitigating environmental pollution and contributing to sustainable agricultural practices, the effective management and adoption of innovative solutions can transform these by-products into valuable resources, such as fibres and biochar for soil amendment, reducing the overall carbon footprint and enhancing soil fertility, providing further economic opportunities.

Mananasi Fibre is a new business set-up in Kenya aimed at adding value to waste pineapple leaves. The company collects the waste leaves that would have otherwise been burnt and decorticates them, using proprietary machinery extracting the fibres and separating them from the non-fibrous materials. The non-fibrous materials which include non-crystalline and small fibres, dust, and other residues, are then turned into biochar to be used as a soil amendment, acting as a permanent carbon sink.

This study aims to carry out a comprehensive cradle to gate life cycle analysis on the pineapple waste processing facility, the analysis being necessary to identify potential environmental impacts and determine the emissions per ton of fibre processed and per ton of biochar produced.