The worldwide awareness on
environment and health is likely to provide new opportunities on jute, due to its
environment-friendly characteristics. Jute and kenaf have been employed for centuries as
packaging materials. In recent times they are found to be a valuable aid to sound
environmental management.
Jute, a natural fibre that
can be used in many different areas, supplementing and/or replacing synthetics, has been
receiving increasing attention from the industry. Their interests focus not only on the
traditional uses of jute, but also on the production of other value-added products such
as, pulp and paper, geotextiles, composites and home textiles etc.
Jute is an annually
renewable energy source with a high biomass production per unit land area. It is
biodegradable and its products can be easily disposed without causing environmental
hazards. The roots of jute plants play a vital role in increasing the fertility of the
soil. By rotating with other crops like rice and potatoes, jute acts as a barrier to pest
and diseases for others crops and provides also a substantial amount of nutrients to other
crops in the form of organic matter and micronutrients. Jute and kenaf have ecological
adaptability, and can be grown on a range of soil types. They have a good tolerance to
salinity, water stress and water logging. Agronomically, jute and kenaf have advantages as
regards their resistance to climatic extremes, pests and diseases.
Jute plants have high carbon
dioxide (CO2) assimilation rate and it clean the air by consuming large
quantities of CO2, which is the main cause of the greenhouse effect.
Theoretically, one hectare of jute plants can consume about 15 tons of CO2 from
atmosphere and release about 11 tons of oxygen in the 100 days of the jute-growing season.
Studies also show that the CO2 assimilation rate of jute is several times
higher than that of trees. (Inagaki, 2000) |
