Sisal leaves could be used to make sanitary napkins. Here's how

The use of sisal leaves in everyday human activities is not a novel concept. In ancient times, twine and carpets were made out of these unique leaves. In fact, in ancient times, paper was made with sisal leaves by the Mayan and Aztec civilizations. 
Not only is the plant useful for everyday uses, but it has also been used for centuries to make a unique alcoholic beverage, the mezcal.
However, assuming that the ways in which the sisal leaves could benefit man are limited could be wrong, as the Stanford University scientists consider the stiff leaves as a retentive and extremely absorbent material, which can potentially replace the pulp, wood, chemical absorbents, and cotton used in making sanitary napkins.
This potential use of sisal leaves is expressed by the researchers in the Nature Communications Engineering paper.
The researchers further claim that sisal leaves have more absorption capacity than the absorption capacity of menstrual pads.
What comes as another surprise is the fact that the method does not make use of polluting chemicals. The method can be undertaken at a small scale locally as well. All in all, everything seems sustainable till now.
It is Manu Prakash, associate professor of bioengineering, who is leading the team. The man is working with a non-governmental organization in Nepal to see if the method of making use of sisal leaves as sanitary napkins can actually be scaled up to mass production wherein it can beat the demand. 

The process of converting sisal leaves into sanitary napkins 

The team of Dr. Prakash converts sisal leaves into green sanitary napkins by putting sisal leaves into a distinct machine, i.e. a decorticator.  The decorticator separates the fibers of the leaves mechanically.
The second step is known as delignification, in which a polymer known as lignin is dissolved away. This polymer actually repels water and is found in the cell walls of plants. The extremely absorbent cellulose fiber is the remainder. 

Here comes the exciting part. What can make the process of dignifying these sisal leaves pollution-free? Well, the team found the answers in the environment, wherein they found two organisms that can convert wood into wood pulp.  These are wood-rot fungus and termites.
Dr. Prakash expresses that termite guts hold an incredible consortium of organisms. The consortium holds microbes of varying sizes and shapes. Additionally, these microbes help in delignifying wood, but the process is not fully comprehended by scientists till now. 

However, a compound known as peroxyformic acid helps in the process. 

Once the sisal fibers are treated with peroxyformic acid, the leaves are washed with a dilute sodium hydroxide solution and then with water. A wet pulp comes out as a result. This pulp is then dried. Next, it is blended mechanically to get a dry mass. This dry mass is known as a fluff pulp.