From solync@cei.netSun Jul 14 22:49:04 1996 Date: Sun, 14 Jul 1996 18:15:11 -0500 From: carol cross Reply to: agenvir-l@io.com To: agenvir-l@io.com Subject: Kenaf Online Newsletter Kenaf OnLine Newsletter The Internet Newsletter about kenaf and AgroResidues is now available on a free subscription basis. This is a biweekly OnLine Newsletter about kenaf and AgroResidues for development. You can be included on the list to receive Kenaf OnLine if you have an interest in either kenaf, AgroResidues, EcoAgroForestry, sustainable agriculture, sustainable forestry or rural agroindustrial development. Feel free to contribute articles, information and questions. Introduction To Kenaf Kenaf (Hibiscus cannabinus L.) is a warm season annual closely related to cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) and okra (Abelmoschus esculentus L.). Kenaf can be used as a domestic supply of cordage fiber in the manufacture of rope, twine, carpet backing and burlap. Research, in the early 1940s, focused on - the development of high-yielding anthracnose-resistant varieties, cultural practices and harvesting machinery. During the 1950s, kenaf was identified as a promising fiber source for paper pulp. Kenaf fibers have been processed into high quality newsprint and bond paper. Although kenaf is usually considered a fiber crop, research indicates that it has high protein content and, therefore, is a valuable livestock feed. Crude protein in kenaf leaves ranged from 21 to 34 percent, stalk crude protein ranged from 10 to 12 percent, and whole-plant crude protein ranged from 16 to 23 percent. Kenaf can be ensilaged effectively, and it has satisfactory digestibility with a high percentage of digestible protein. Digestibility of dry matter and crude proteins in kenaf feeds ranged from 53 to 58 percent, and 59 to 71 percent, respectively Kenaf meal, used as a supplement in a rice ration for sheep, compared favorably with a ration containing alfalfa meal. In addition to the use of kenaf for cordage, paper pulp and livestock feed researchers have investigated its use as poultry litter and animal bedding, bulking agent for sewage sludge composting and as a potting soil amendment. Additional products include automobile dashboards, carpet padding, corrugated medium, as a "substitute for fiberglass and other synthetic fibers," building materials (particle boards of various densities, thicknesses, and fire and insect resistances), absorbents, textiles and as fibers in extraction molded plastics. If you want to receive this weekly update OnLine newsletter on kenaf happenings as well as How to do it articles, just send to Dr. Carol Cross at solync@cei.net. Kenaf OnLine (KENAFOL) is a World Wide Web/Internet NetMag focused on creating a Sustainable world through kenaf and AgroResidues for Rural AgroIndustrial Centers (RAICs), Village Business Incubators(VBIs) and Tropical Cut and Carry Teams (TCCTs). KENAFOL will be developed just like any print magazine. You can contribute articles, ask questions and develop your kenaf expertise at no cost to you. It is a free service of the Kenaf Growers Network (KGN), a membership organization of kenaf growers, processors and users. Subscriptions are open to anyone interested in kenaf and AgroResidues. Just send email to solync@cei.net and say: subscribe KENAFOL From isnv@ars-grin.gov Tue Feb 22 22:04:35 2000 Date: Tue, 22 Feb 2000 13:33:16 -0500 From: ARS News Service To: ARS News List Subject: Researchers Seek New Uses for "Black Liquor" STORY LEAD: Researchers Seek New Uses for "Black Liquor" ----------- ARS News Service Agricultural Research Service, USDA Linda McGraw, (309) 681-6530, lmcgraw@asrr.arsusda.gov February 22, 2000 ----------- Scientists with ARS and Vision Paper, Inc., of Albuquerque, New Mexico, have rolled up their sleeves and dirtied their hands to find new uses for "black liquor," a crude byproduct of pulping kenaf fiber. Twenty-five years ago, ARS scientists at the National Center for Agricultural Utilization Research Center in Peoria, Illinois, developed a process to turn kenaf into newsprint. Originally from Africa, kenaf is a renewable fiber crop closely related to cotton. It reaches heights of 14 feet in less than seven months. Kenaf stalks provide two to three times more fiber per acre annually than the Southern Pine, a paper industry staple in the U.S. South. U.S. farmers can grow kenaf in place of corn, soybeans, cotton, or rice. Black liquor is usually burned for fuel or chemical recovery, but often small paper mills can't afford expensive incinerators, according to new crops research leader Thomas P. Abbott. Led by Abbott, the Peoria-based research team, including one employee of Vision Paper, found that chitosan, made from ground-up crab shells, helps turn the dissolved kenaf lignin into a solid cake. The solid cake will be tested as an animal feed pellet binder. The remaining soluble black liquor can be converted to a dry fertilizer that has 22.2 percent nitrogen and is low in sodium. In the overall process, black liquor is turned into salable products instead of greenhouse gases. Abbott is scheduled to speak about this work at the meeting Kenaf Fiber for the 21st Century, the 3rd annual conference of the American Kenaf Society in Corpus Christi, Texas, Feb. 24-26. ---------- Scientific contact: Thomas P. Abbott, ARS National Center for Agricultural Utilization Research, Peoria, Ill.,phone(309) 681-6533, abbotttp@ncaur.mail.usda.gov. ---------- This item is one of the news releases and story leads that ARS Information distributes on weekdays to fax and e-mail subscribers. You can also get the latest ARS news on the World Wide Web at http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/pr/thelatest.htm. * Feedback and questions to ARS News Service via e-mail: isnv@ars-grin.gov. * ARS Information Staff, 5601 Sunnyside Ave., Room 1-2251, Beltsville MD 20705- 5128, (301) 504-1617, fax 504-1648.