Journey of kenaf in Malaysia: A Review

Abstract

Kenaf is an industrial crop with high potential for cultivation in a tropical climate. It is a source of raw material for fiber-based industries and paper production. Considerable research has been conducted to explore its adaptability and utilization in Malaysia since 2000, under the supervision of governmental and private organizations. A number of technologies and expertise among researchers have been developed to enhance kenaf production in Malaysia. However, international documentation of the research is limited, which is important for rectification to provide a comprehensive knowledge base for all tropical and subtropical countries. The main objective of this review is to provide an overview of the results of Malaysian research on kenaf. In addition, the past, present and likely future trends in kenaf research in Malaysia as a representative tropical region are summarized.

Life Cycle Assessment dan Life Cycle Cost untuk Serat Kenaf

“…Kebutuhan nutrisi suatu tanaman tergantung pada kondisi iklim dan sifat-sifat tanah. Kenaf salah satu tanaman yang membutuhkan nutrisi tambahan berupa pupuk untuk meningkatkan produksi dan kualitas serat (Mohd et al, 2014). Kelembaban dan curah hujan yang tinggi selama musim tanam dapat menyebabkan penyakit jamur pada tanaman kenaf.…”

Physico-Mechanical, Chemical Composition, Thermal Degradation and Crystallinity of Oil Palm Empty Fruit Bunch, Kenaf and Polypropylene Fibres: A Comparatives Study

“…Among all of oil palm biomass, EFB fibre is one of the most utilised residues in the market. It can be utilised to produce biocomposite, bioethanol, pulp and paper and many other value-added products (Mohd et al 2014;Zakaria et al 2014). Over the last five years, the amount of EFB generated every year increased from at 17.64 million to 18.72 million tonne.…”

“…The production of kenaf bast fibre was reported to reach around 11,602 tonne in 2015. The kenaf fibre is raw material for several types of products such as panels, woven and nonwoven textile, reinforced composites, high quality paper and furniture (Mohd et al 2014). This variety of application of kenaf has contributed to RM309,385 and RM784,231 for domestic trade and export trade respectively for Malaysia economy in 2015.…”

“…Ideally, fibre length would be much greater than the critical fibre length to allow for efficient reinforcement of a composite (Pickering et al 2016). The critical fibre length for kenaf fibre reinforced composite has suggested around 6 mm (Abdul Khalil et al 2010;Mohd et al 2014).…”

“…Kenaf (Hibiscus cannabinus) in Malaysia was first introduced in early 1970s and was highlighted in late 1999 by the National Economic Action Council (NEAC) (Mohd et al 2014). It is a warm-season annual fibre crop related to cotton (Abdul Khalil et al 2010) which constitutes of 75-60% of core and 25-40% of bast.…”