• Elastomers and Composites
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• v.46 no.2
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• pp.125-131
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• 2011

The effects of chopped kenaf fiber concentration on mechanical property of polypropylene (PP) composite are investigated. The addition of kenaf increased the tensile strength, flexural modulus, impact strength, specific gravity, and HDT, while decreased the elongation%, flexural strength, and melt flow index. The increase of mechanical properties is due to increased surface area contacting between fiber and polymer matrix and fiber-fiber interaction. Volatile extractives in the kenaf seemed to decrease the interfacial adhesion between kenaf surface and PP.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Clothing and Textiles
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• v.30 no.11 s.158
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• pp.1581-1588
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• 2006

The effects of removal of lignin or hemicellulose on the cottonizing and pulping characteristics of kenaf fiber were studied by comparing the conditions of non-cellulosic material contents, fiber lengths and dyeability. And the effects of lignin or hemicellulose on dyeability of the kenaf fiber using CI Direct Green 26 and CI Direct Red 81 were investigated. The results were as follows. The lignin contents decreased and the kenaf fiber became shorter and finer as the reaction time with sodium chlorite increased. The hemicellulose could be removed by treating sodium hydroxide solution to the fiber from which the lignin partly removed. The 80% of hemicellulose could be removed by 5% of sodium hydroxide solution in 5 minutes. But if lignin were not removed at all, hemicellulose could not be removed. The fiber lengths proper for apparel were obtained after treating sodium chlorite for 10-20 minutes and those for pulping were obtained after treating sodium chlorite for 40 minutes. The kenaf fibers from which lignin and hemicellulose partly removed were dyed with CI Direct Green 26 and CI Direct Red 81. Their dyeability increased as the removal rates of lignin increased. The ${\Delta}E$ values of kenaf fiber dyed with CI Direct Green 26 were lower than CI Direct Red 81.