After the meat is harvested, discarded shells can collect water, making them prime breeding grounds for malaria carrying mosquitoes.

But researchers at Baylor University have come up with a solution. Convert the woody husks into a material that can used to make car parts.

Now, the process isn’t totally green. The coconut shells are blended with polypropylene, a thermoplastic polymer, and after being hot-pressed, the substance becomes strong and durable enough to be used as trunk-liners, floorboards and car-door covers.

No doubt, this is a step, albeit a baby step, towards more sustainable automobile manufacturing, but it could become invaluable to small farmers. Coconut husks would go from garbage to a profit generating commodity, boosting farmers’ bottom line.

Actually, German researchers have already figured out how to make wood into plastic!

Via GreenUpgrader.