Kenaf Industrial Processing

Video below shows how Kenaf plant  is processed into a fiber


Would like to know more on Kenaf Industrial Processing? -->> Kenaf Properties, Processing & Products

Kenaf in Automotive and Biocomposites

Across the globe, many major companies have started to realise the huge potential Kenaf can offer in terms of materials in replacement of sythethic fibers. Toyota for instance have been extensively researching the use of Kenaf for its use in automotive applications for almost 10 years. As of 2008, Kenaf was used as material doe five components in a total of 27 car models. Some of the examples are listed and the year it was applied can be seen as below:-

2000: Celsior door trim. Kenaf and polypropylene composite

2001: Brevis door trim. Kenaf and polypropylene composite

2003: Harrier door trim and seat back board. Kenaf and polypropylene composite

2003: Raum spare tyre cover. Kenaf and polylactic acid

Another major company that start to apply Kenaf as one of its main material in producing their product is NEC. NEC have started to use Kenaf for their mobile casings that is composed of a bioplastic and added with natural fiber as reinforcement. Kafus Bio-Composites in the USA have also actively pursued opportunities in the automotive sectors and other related sectors in providing Kenaf natural fiber as an alternative to fibreglass and reinforced plastics.

Source:

http://www.toyota.co.jp/en/environment/recycle/design/recycle.html

 http://www.bc.bangor.ac.uk/suscomp/assets/pdf/car%20components.pdf

NEC Eco-Mobile: http://www.nec.co.jp/eco/en/annual2006/02/2-1.html

Kenaf Harvester

(img source: http://www.hort.purdue.edu/)

Kenaf can be planted all year round. However, Kenaf is best to be harvested during the dry season. In getting the optimum fiber quality, the appropriate harvesting time will be after 120 days of growth. Harvesting processes involved cutting the stem via manually or mechanically and then dried in the field. Once dried, the stem be chopped and baled. The harvesting equipment used for Kenaf depends much on the location, the size of the farm and also the final product. Normally, farm of the size of 3 to 5 Hectares usually used manual harvesting. In mechanical harvesting, several methods are normally used; amongs them are the forage harvester of chopper and the modified sugarcane harvester.

Kenaf in USA

In the United States, Kenaf are mostly grown in areas such as North Carolina, South Carolina, Arizona, Georgia, Mississippi, Texas, Florida, New Mexico, Alabama, Tennessee, Louisiana and Arkansas. However, the commercial kenaf activity in the U.S. are mainly focus in these four areas; Georgia, Texas, Mississippi and New Mexico. In Georgia for instance, there are a development of a large-scale kenaf based industrial project lead by a company called ANKAL. scientists and researchers who actively work with kenaf. The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) have began doing research on Kenad since 1940s. Even with limited funds given by the Government, USDA have work with several private companies to study the potential of Kenaf. One of the research are to investigate the potential for processing kenaf black liquor into binders and fertilizers. Another organization that is actively promoting Kenaf in the USA is the American Kenaf Society. The American Kenaf Society is a registered nonprofit membership organization that was chartered in 1997. Its members include nearly all the Mississippi and New Mexico.  There are also business members, and a growing number of international members. Below are video on Kenaf farming in Georgia.
 

Kenaf Post Harvest - Retting Process

(img source: jutecomm.gov.in)

In post harvest, kenaf stem will undergo a retting process with the objective of separating the bask from the strands. Traditionally, the retting is done by immersing the stems in open water via lakes, rivers, ditches, canals or even ponds. This will lead to the decomposition via aquatic microbes that will separate the non-fibrous materials linking the fibers to the bark. After retting, the fibers are then extracted manually and sun-dried before it is sent for further processing. However, if the fiber is set to be used for a higher grade products, manual water retting is not sufficient. Therefore, a bio-based retting technology is needed such as microbe retting. By using microbe retting, the removal of pectin in microbe retting of kenaf is 91.31% under the optimal retting conditions. There are also inexpensive methods of conserving during kenaf retting as details of it can be seen here Inexpensive methods of water conservation for kenaf retting (Cooperative research project)

Kenaf as an Economic Cash Crop?

An establishment of Kenaf industries in any country can be consider as an opportunity in boosting up the economy as Kenaf not only provides jobs in the upstream value chain but also throughout the midstream and downstream chain. The industry can be considered as a dynamic tool to create a high profit industrial based that is supported by strong cash crop agriculture.The downstreaming products that can be derived from the plant are shown as below:

• Bast  - Substitute raw material for pulp/paper industry, biocomposites that consists of kenaf bast fiber and resins (polypropylene) to form a panel which can be molded, into interior car parts.
• Core - Cloth, Oil absorbent, carpet, tar-saturated roofing.
• Fines - livestock feed or as blending component for various kinds of animal feed
  
  
   Want to know more on the possibility of transforming kenaf into a lucrative business?
  Tree free by 2003? Entrepreneurs are hot on the Kenaf paper trail. (using the kenaf woody plant as an alternative source for paper products): An article from: E

Toyota Using Kenaf fiber as Automobile Interior Parts

Source: http://www.toyota-boshoku.co.jp/en/release/08051401e.html

Toyota Boshoku Corporation (Head Office: Kariya, Aichi; President: Shuhei Toyoda) has recently started a full-scale development in Indonesia of seeds of the kenaf (an annual plant), which is used for automobile interior parts. From the latter half of the 1990's, Toyota Boshoku has been conducting research on utilization of the environmentally-friendly plant "kenaf" for automobile interior parts, and for that purpose, PT. Abadi Barindo Autotech (ABA), Boshoku's subsidiary in Indonesia, has been conducting an integrated process from cultivation through productization. A door trim base material using kenaf was first adopted for TOYOTA Celsior which was launched on the domestic market in 2000. With that as a starter, currently, kenaf is being used for five components in a total of 27 car models centering on high-end cars.

However, with the target set at making all interior parts from plant materials, in using the agricultural product kenaf for industrial automobile interior parts, it has become more vital than ever to stabilize its quality, production volume and cost. With that in mind, we have entered into a kenaf seed development agreement with IToFCRI* in Indonesia to embark on a full-scale seed development program.

The seed development agreement was signed on March 27, 2008 in Jakarta, Indonesia, in the presence of Prof. Dr. Achmad Suryana, Director General of IToFCRI, Mr. Mitsuyuki Noguchi, Executive Vice President of Toyota Boshoku Corporation, and all the parties concerned. In the coming years, jointly with IToFCRI, we will pursue the development of new varieties which secure stable crop yields including seeds which can grow in dry regions, seeds of an early maturing variety, etc., and the research on new plants that can be applied for automobile parts.

* IToFCRI: Indonesian Tobacco and Fiber Crops Research Institute
World's leading research institute with a 50-year experience in the field of kenaf seed improvement as well as the storage of its data and improved varieties.

Kenaf seed development Signing Ceremony (March 27, 2008 in Jakarta, Indonesia) Mr. Mitsuyuki Noguchi, Executive Vice President of Toyota Boshoku Corporation (The right side), Prof. Dr. Achmad Suryana, Director General of IAARD※ ※Indonesian Agency for Agricultural Research and Development

Kenaf Processing

(img source: kenafibers.com)

Kenaf are an annual plant that usually takes 4 months for it to grow. After that duration, the plant is normally ready to be harvest. After harvesting, The post harvesting activities would involve retting processes. Retting is the process of removing unwanted bark material from kenaf fiber strands. The retting process usually involves moisture with bacteria or chemicals. Other post harvest activities are the decorticating process. Decorticating process is the process of removing of the core from the bark. You can get more details in Kenaf Processing here Kenaf Properties, Processing & Products

Kenaf has been traditionally used as a cordage crop to produce twine, rope, and sackcloth . However, due to recent research, it was found out that Kenaf was an excellent cellulose fiber source for a large range of paper products (newsprint, bond paper, and corrugated liner board).

Kenaf as Pulp for Paper Making

One of the main product that can be derived from Kenaf is in producing high quality specialty papers. The decorticated bark and core from the kenaf stem can be used to produced pulps. The pulps has properties that is comparable to those produced from wood. The fiber offers the strength factor while the core provides the surface characteristics. In terms of process, Kenaf as pulp has many advantages as it does not require high energy consumption and also less chemical usage. By using Kenaf also, cost and labour will be reduced compared to the process of making pulp from wood.

Want to know more on Kenaf Pulping and Papermaking? click here Kenaf Pulping and Papermaking

Advantages of Kenaf

Kenaf fibers also have many advantages compared to synthetic fibers. Compared to synthetic fibers, Kenaf requires much less energy. Natural fibers are produced by solar energy while Carbon fibers require a great deal of energy to be produced since its processing temperature can exceed 1200°C and 3000°C respectively.

Other advantages of Kenaf according to USDA are as follows:-
1. Rapid growth: Kenaf reaches 12-18 feet in 150 days
2. High yield: Kenaf also yields more fiber per acre. According to Australia's CSIRO, Kenaf yields can be 3 times the yields for Hemp. An area of 1-acre (4,000 m2) of Kenaf produces 5 to 8 tonnes of raw plant bast and core fiber in a single growing season.
3. Exceptional papermaking characteristics: Less chemicals, heat and time are required to pulp kenaf fibers because they are not as tough as wood pulp and contain less lignin. Lignin is a resin that binds the cellulose fibers in plants or trees together. Toxic chemicals such as chlorine are predominantly used to delignify and bleach wood pulp. Kenaf can be quickly and easily pulped and bleached with harmless chemicals, such as hydrogen peroxide.(source: USDA)

Kenaf Industry in Japan

The Kenaf industry in Japan is very much substantial. Among the associations that involved in promoting kenaf in Japan is the Japan Kenaf Association and the Non-wood paper promotion association. The associations have mainly increased the awareness of the usage of Kenaf in the industry. In this country also, most of the paper companies have used Kenaf as their raw materials in producing papers. This are due to the fact of the scarcity of trees in Japan and therefore they need to obtain alternatives.

Recent development in Japan are the NEC Corporation (NEC) and UNITIKA LTD. (UNITIKA) joint development of bioplastic reinforced with kenaf fiber. This collaboration is expected to contribute greatly to environmental measures for mobile phones. NTT DoCoMo, Inc. (NTT DoCoMo) is already using this new material in the entire casing of its new FOMA(TM) "N701iECO" mobile phone, which it launched on the Japanese market on March 10, 2006.(source: JCN Newswire)

Kenaf industry in USA

The Kenaf industry in USA is developing at slow rapid pace. This is due the facts that there is a decline in the amount of money allocated to Kenaf research by the government for reasons of budget restrictions and food security issues. However, even with the lack of finding, many researchers have done several intensive research with Kenaf. About 10,000 acres of Kenaf are grown in the year 2000 in various areas in USA. Among companies that are actively using Kenaf as their raw materials are KP Products Inc. doing business as Vision Paper, Kafus Industries, Cameco Industries Inc. Kenaf International, ANAKL, DBM Farms, and the Delta Fiber operation.

Kenaf Global Producers

In 1990, major producers for Kenaf were China with 57%, India with 21% and also Thailand with 15%. However, in recent years there major shift in global production. China and Thailand suffered major declines in production to 26% and 10% respectively. The reduction was due to the decline demands. This factor is due to the replacement of synthetic fiber in the usage of gunny, rope and carpet backing productions that was once use Kenaf fiber as their raw materials.

China's jute and kenaf output, 1987 to 1998
Year Area Output
..........1000 hectares 10 000 tonnes
1987 - 344Ha.................. 55.8tonnes
1988 - 277Ha.................. 53.1tonnes
1989 - 286Ha .................65.8tonnes
1990 - 300Ha................. 72.6tonnes
1991 - 270Ha.................. 51.3tonnes
1992 - 277Ha.................. 61.9tonnes
1993 - 274Ha.................. 67.2tonnes
1994 - 176Ha...................35.5tonnes
1995 - 146Ha...................37.1tonnes
1996 - 146Ha ..................36.5tonnes
1997 - 162Ha.................. 43.0tonnes
1998 - 140eHa............... 35etonnes

Kenaf Multipurpose Usage

Kenaf plants is known to have many multipurpose usage. Its stem can be processed into products such as decorticated fiber, pelleted core, mesh core, short fiber, long fiber, water retted fiber to name a few. In retting processes, the strong bark strands is separated from the stem through natural bacteria process either through dew retting or water retting. This semi-processed materials can then be applied as raw materials in sectors such as furnitures, construction & housing, composites, automotive, aerospace and many more.

What is Kenaf?

Kenaf is Jute-like plant from the hibiscus family (Hibiscus Cannabinus) and have many multipurpose usage from its seed to its stem. Hibiscus cannabinus is probably native to southern Asia although its exact natural origin is unknown. However, based on the world producers of Kenaf, countries that produces Kenaf mostly comes from the East Asia region. It's stem can be processed into core and fibers. These core and fibers are mostly used by many industries and applications as a semi-processed materials.