"Kenafine" used for membrane material of "Eco Gallery" (Toyako, Hokkaido)

Sakai Ovex (Fukui city, President: Mr. Shintaro Matsuki) has jointly developed "Kenafine," a membrane material using kenaf fiber, with Taiyo Kogyo Corporation (Osaka city, President: Mr. Kotaro Nomura) dealing with membrane structures and tent warehouses. This "Kenafine" has been employed as a membrane material for the roof of Toyako Visitor Center "Eco Gallery" opened by the Ministry of the Environment from June 1 to August 31, in connection with the Hokkaido Toyako Summit.

Membrane materials have a structure in which resin is coated on the base material. "Kenafine" is uses kenal, an annual plant which absorbs CO², a cause of global warming, at the growing phase, as a base material, and can be used to make recycled paper after use. Because polyurethane resin is used for a coating material and a non-halogen flame retardant is used for flame proofing, it does not produce toxic substances when burnt.

The company is expecting this "Kenafine" to be broadly used in yet-to-be-built membrane structures in the future, as waste disposal, is not a problem, and it will promote this product in a wide range of applications including interior decorating materials such as wallpaper and partitions.