Variety Trial and Pyrolysis Potential of Kenaf Grown in Midwest United States

Kenaf (Hibiscus cannabinus L.) has potential as an annual herbaceous biomass feedstock. It is not typically grown in the American Midwest; however, kenaf may be attractive as an alternative crop for Iowa and the Corn Belt. In this study, seven kenaf varieties were grown in Iowa and evaluated for their productivity. More specifically, our research questions were the following: (1) how do kenaf varieties perform in Iowa for yield? (2) How does fiber morphology and quality differ among varieties and among core and bast fiber? And (3) What potential does kenaf (bast and core) have for producing fuel using fast pyrolysis? Tainung 2, one of the varieties, reached the best yield in Central Iowa over multiple years. Bast kenaf contained 8 % more cellulose and 23 % less hemicellulose than the core but it varied among varieties. Also, regardless of variety, core was composed of 40 % more lignin than bast. Core was found to have higher potential for fast pyrolysis than the bast but its potential was variety-dependent. Overall, kenaf could be grown to diversify Iowa agriculture and provide alternative feedstock to the biofuel industry.