Is Kenaf a sustainable land-use alternative for greenhouse gas emission mitigation in the Mediterranean Region?

The main goal of this work was to quantify the magnitude of greenhouse gas emission reductions possible from utilising kenaf-fibres as a source of electricity and heat (when used as a solid fuel in a combined Heat and Power Plant) or as thermal insulation boards (as a fibre reinforced composite made by kenaf vegetable fibres which are incorporated in a polyester matrix). Detailed consideration of the greenhouse gas emissions balances suggests that the use of kenaf-fibres for the production of thermal insulation boards are favored over its use as an energy feedstock, where greenhouse gas emissions balances may be poor. The life-cycle impacts of kenaf board have been compared with the performance of a synthetic insulating product, such as polyurethane. Kenaf board production offers higher greenhouse gas emission reduction potential compared with polyurethane, and appears to represent an efficient land-use option for this purpose. Net total emissions were relatively insensitive to variation in cultivation emissions, but highly sensitive to the productivity of the crop