Kenaf straw processing

The demand for better fuel efficiency based on the strict governmental regulations on safety and emission has led to the wide application of composites and plastics in the automotive industry in the place of the traditionally used steels [32]. Thermoplastic materials reinforced with natural fibers have reported to have excellent mechanical properties, recycling properties, etc. [33-36]. Several natural and biorenewable fibers such as wheat, isora, soybean, kenaf, straw, jute, and sisal are used in the fiber/plastic composite industry, and the use of namral fibers as reinforcements for composite has attracted many industries [37, 38]. Compared to polymer resin, polymer biocomposites that are reinforced with natural fibers have many applications due to its ease of processing, comparatively lower cost, and excellent mechanical properties [39]. For more than a decade, European car manufacturers and suppliers have been using natural fiber-based composites with thermoplastic and thermoset matrices. These biocomposites and bionanocomposites... 

Before straw is processed and fibres extracted, it has to be retted. In Asia, Africa and Latin America kenaf is still retted in ponds. However, this process is labour intensive and leads to serious contamination of waterways [47,49], therefore, like many other bast fibre yielding crops, kenaf can be dew-retted. The second stage of processing involves a series of decortication machines that break the stem and separate core and bast fibres [50]. 

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