Rattan

Abstract: Forest-based farmers are faced with rapidly changing economic opportunities due to many factors. In response, farmers are changing their main economic activities and land uses. This study compares the financial costs and benefits of the principal land use options in two sub-districts of East Kalimantan Province, Indonesia. Financial benefits of oil palm plantation, traditional rattan gardens, intensive rubber plantation, and traditional rubber plantation are compared on a land unit basis. Oil palm is by far the most profitable, followed by rattan gardens. Rubber production, at current prices, is not profitable. Benefit-cost ratios and returns to labor, which better reflect the farmer perspective, reveal that rattan is more attractive, with oil palm in a strong second place. Non-financial considerations also help to explain the resilience of the rattan garden system. The conclusions summarize the findings and offer options to counter the strong negative impact of recent events on the rattan farmers.

Abstract: Meeting: Consultative Meeting on Priority Species of Bamboo and Rattan, 6-9 Dec. 1993, Dehr Dun, IN

Abstract: Researches on novel natural fibers in polymer-based composites will help promote the invention of novel reinforcement and expand their possible applications. Herein, in this study, novel cellulosic fibers were extracted from the stem of manau rattan (Calamus manan) by mechanical separation. The chemical, thermal, mechanical and morphological properties of manau rattan fibers were comprehensively analyzed and studied by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), single fiber tensile test and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Component analysis results showed that the cellulose, hemicellulose and lignin contents of C. manan fibers were 42wt%, 20wt%, and 27wt%, respectively. The surface of the rattan fiber was hydrophilic according to the oxygen/carbon ratio of 0.49. The C. manan has a crystalline index of 48.28%, inducing a maximum degradation temperature of 332.8 °C. This reveals that it can be used as a reinforcement for thermoplastic composites whose operating temperature is below 300 °C. The average tensile strength can reach (273.28 ± 52.88) MPa, which is beneficial to improve the mechanical properties of rattan fiber reinforced composites. The SEM images displayed the rough surface of the fiber, which helped to enhance the interfacial adhesion between the fibers and matrices in composites. These results indicate the great potential of C. manan fibers as the reinforcement in polymer-based composites.