Process for converting banana tree stalk into fibers for absorption of hydrocarbons and corresponding system and product

A process for producing absorbent materials, the process comprising:

• reducing a banana tree stalk into separated fibers;
• pressing the separated fibers to generate pressed fibers having less than 50% moisture content by weight;
• reducing moisture content of the pressed fibers by applying infrared heating to produce pre-dried fibers;
• applying a non-thermal drying process to the pre-dried fibers to generate dried fibers having less than 10% moisture content by weight for employment in an absorbent material that absorbs hydrocarbons, wherein the non-thermal drying process is separate and subsequent to reducing moisture content of the pressed fibers by applying infrared heating;
• and
• employing a mesh to the dried fibers to generate processed dried fibers as the dried fibers pass through the mesh, wherein a size of the mesh dictates a corresponding size of the processed dried fibers allowed to pass through the mesh.