Kenafine

Like traditional fabric membrane roofing products, Kenafine functions as a highly durable, moisture resistant material that features a high degree of translucency, promoting optimum natural daylighting. As a sustainable building product, Kenafine contributes to a variety of United States Green Building Council (USGBC®) Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED®) credit categories. This is especially ideal for temporary tensioned membrane structures, such as those built for the Olympics.

Recently developed Kenafine® is a biomass membrane material made with fibres from the African herb, kenaf. This extraordinary plant has one of the highest rates of carbon dioxide absorption in the plant world and is a very effective agent in combating global warming. Kenafine® is made by weaving kenaf plant fibres with polyester fibres into a base fabric, which is then coated with thermoplastic resin. This is a PVC free product that releases no toxic substances if burned. The other benefit is this material is 100% recyclable and can be easily turned into paper products. Unlike wood pulp, Kenafine® can become paper without the use of chemicals.

In the past, the main uses of kenaf fiber have been rope and twine similar to that made from jute, coarse cloth and paper. Kenaf functions as an alternative to wood as a raw material for paper.

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