All the things bananas are great for, from vitamins to powering your home

Bananas are the ultimate staple fruit. They may be able to improve your digestion and your heart health thanks to their amazing fiber and antioxidant content. And because they are low in calories, as well as being nutrient dense and filling, these super-fruits can even help with weight loss. For those with a sweet tooth, both yellow and green bananas are sweet enough so you don't end reaching for the snacks. But there are some unconventional uses for the humble banana, including a way for rural off-grid communities in Pakistan to dress and power their homes (Picture: Getty)

Researchers from Northumbria University have worked with academics in Pakistan and the UK to create a solution for the waste from the banana growing industry to energy. They noticed that millions of tonnes of agricultural waste is generated in the country every year from growing bananas and other foods and the team wanted to create a way to make use of this waste product and provide benefits for local people at the same time (Picture: Getty)

The project, known as SAFER, is a two part system that will use new technology to convert the banana waste into textile fibres and take the waste generated from that process and use it to produce renewable energy. The researchers say that this will not only reduce the impact of Pakistan’s textile industry, but also bring clean electricity to the 50% of people living in rural areas of the country who live off-grid and currently rely on fossil fuels for energy. But if this proves to be successful then this process has the potential to be applied to almost any form of agricultural waste, meaning it could be used all over the world (Picture: Getty)

Pakistan’s banana growing industry produces around 80 million tonnes of agricultural waste every year, which could produce over 57,488 million cubic metres of syngas, or synthesis gas. Syngas is a man-made gas which is created through chemical processes using waste products and has a range of uses as well as being recognised as a greener way to generate electricity. Dr Jibran Khaliq a material scientist from Northumbria University’s department of mechanical and construction engineering said about the project: ‘Our partners at the National Textile University in Faisalabad have developed a technology to convert banana agro waste into textile fibres, but the lack of electricity in rural Sindh, where the majority of the bananas are grown, has prevented this innovation from being scaled-up until now. Over the next year we will be working to develop a new waste-to-energy technology which will convert agro-waste into clean and affordable energy. This solution will benefit the textile industry, and local communities, as well as improving soil fertility and food production through the generation of biofertilizers’ (Picture: Getty)

Using bananas to make textile is not a completely new idea. Companies such as Bananatex create fabric from Abacá banana plants from the Philippine mid- and highlands. In Uganda, another company, TexFad, uses waste banana pseudostems and other waste materials to turn them into sustainable textile products. To make fabric from bananas, companies are not using the mushy edible part, but the outer and inner peels. The banana stems and peels are separated from each other, before being bunched together and dried, and then spun into yarn so it can be woven into fabric. Then it gets treated and dyed. The above picture is an example of banana fabric (Picture: Getty)

But on a smaller scale, if you don’t want to waste your bananas after eating, there are a few things you can use them for in more domestic setting. If you put the inside of banana peels on an insect bite, including mosquito bites, it can reduce the itchiness as the peel can help take out some of the sting due to the natural oils found in the banana’s skin. For beauty purposes, bananas have been used as an age old way to help moisturise your skin, smooth fine lines and even help whiten your teeth. However, it should be mentioned that there is no scientific proof to back this latter tip up, and certainly don’t try this if you’re allergic to bananas (Picture: Getty)

The banana also makes for a polisher as it can help bring back the shine to your silverware and leather shoes. All you need to do is remove any of the leftover stringy material from the inside of the peel, then just start rubbing the inside of the peel on your shoes or silverware. Then clean and buff the object with a clean cloth. You could even use a banana to restore your leather furniture but you should probably rub it on a small section first before you take on the whole chair. Some people say that rubbing the inside of a banana peel on your plants will help them restore them, but again, there is no scientific evidence to back that up (Picture: Getty)