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“축ㆍ수산, 하수처리장 등 악취 문제 ‘케나프’로 잡는다”
Kenaf emerges as solution to odor problems of farms and sewage treatment plants Trial cultivation of new variety in progress at Seogwipo farming households

Jeju National University’s Subtropical Horticulture Research Institute (JNU-SHRI) is growing a new Kenaf variety in Yere-dong, Seogwipo City, the institute announced on Friday (July 16).

According to the announcement, the trial cultivation was launched by JNU-SHRI and its industrial partner SJ Global Corp. with the support of Seogwipo City Saemaeul Association.

SJ Global is the only corporation in Asia that owns original Kenaf seeds. Kenaf, or Hibiscus cannabinus, is a plant in the family of Malvaceae. The plant matures 120 days and absorbs carbon dioxide better than other plants, which helps decarbonize the industrial sectors.

Kenaf leaves are rich in protein and used for animal feed, while the other parts of the plant provide materials for eco-friendly plastic composites, paper products, livestock mattresses, and more.

The latest trial cultivation aims to collect base data for selecting superior varieties to the existing Kenaf breeds.

SJ Global and JNU-SHRI expect that Kenaf will help resolve odor problems of livestock and fish farms and sewage treatment plants on Jeju Island.

Last year, Jeju National University, SJ Global, and another Jeju-based business named Changjo Biotech jointly made a patent application for the technology of using Kenaf to solve odor problems of fast fermentation of waste flatfish.