Vegetable fibers kenaf

Urena and Abutilon. These are less important vegetable fibers of a jute-like nature. Urena lobata (Cadillo) of the mallow family (Malvaceae) is a perennial that grows in Zaire and Brazil to a height of 4—5 m with stems 10—18 mm in diameter. Because of a lignified base, the stems are cut 20 cm above the ground. The plants are defoflated in the field and retted similarly to jute and kenaf. The retted material is stripped and washed and, in some cases. 

Some of the other important vegetable fibers include flax, jute, kenaf, hemp, sisal, coir, banana and pineapple. Generally, in vegetable fibers such as cotton and flax,... 

Stout has written a detailed review on jute and kenaf. X-ray diffraction patterns show the basic cellulose crystal structure, although in jute and kenaf the crystalline orientation is high and the degree of lateral order is lower than in flax. Batra" in a comprehensive review has highlighted the morphological structures and physical, mechanical and chemical properties of other long vegetable fibers. 

Specific Fibers. Literature on specific fibers is subdivided into the following classes cotton, wool and hair, silk, and the long vegetable fibers, with jute, flax and linen, hemp, ramie, and kenaf as constituents of the last class. 

Jute and kenaf, like most vegetable fibers, contain a proportion of acetyl groups that are readily hydrolyzed by dilute alkali to acetic acid. Estimation of the quantity of acetic acid produced per unit weight of fiber then provides an index of the acetyl content. 

Natural fiber-reinforced PLA composites are attractive because both the reinforcement (natural fiber) and matrix (PLA) are obtained from renewable resources. Natural fibers are considered as environment friendly alternatives to conventional reinforcing fibers such as glass, carbon, aramid, and so on. Natural fibers can be subdivided into three categories plant (cotton, jute, flax, hemp, etc.), animal (wool, silk, etc.), and mineral fibers (asbestos, inorganic whiskers, etc.). Generally, plant fibers are more popularly used as natural fiber reinforcements. Of these fibers, the most used are flax, jute, sisal, ramie, hemp, kenaf, and cotton. Plant fibers can generally be classified as nonwood (vegetable fibers) and wood fibers [20]. 

Both jute and kenaf grow to 2.5-3.5 m in height at maturity, but kenaf, although it still requires a long day length for vegetative growth, flourishes in drier conditions than jute and can adapt to a wider variety of soils and climates. As a result, it is preferred to jute as a fiber... 

Cellulosic fibers, which are currently viewed as viable alternatives to synthetic fibers in the manufacture of NFRPs, have already established their place in the infrastmcture and commercial products market Currently, many types of natural fibers, derived from either wood and agricultural fibrous plants (such as flax, hemp, jute, and kenaf) or vegetable wastes (such as bagasse, rice husk, and grass), have already been investigated for use with plastics. Table 6.1 shows a list of biofibers and their sources [10] a more detailed discussion on natural fiber reinforcements can be found in Chapter 3 of this book. In general, biofibers can be considered... 

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