| The study of sugar cane fiber geotextiles represents a holistic approach to interdisciplinary research that includes product development, product testing, industry and target market identification, and strategic and financial planning for manufacturing and distribution. Based upon satisfactory results of prior research, a field test of soil erosion control in a natural environment was designed to determine performance of the sugar cane product and commercially available natural fiber geotextiles of wood, straw, and coconut fiber. Field test results indicated that the sugar cane mats allowed grass from planted seed to germinate and the mats maintained integrity during heavy rains. Due to the limited amount of geotextile industry data available, a niche market was identified to ascertain market size, usage applications, and product and price information. A questionnaire was sent to the 50 state Departments of Transportation and responses included: the combined annual usage rate of natural fiber erosion control blankets is a minimum of 2.6 million yd... |
