Kapok

Kapok fibre is a cotton-like plant fibre obtained from the seed pods of a number of trees in the Malvaceae family, which is used for stuffing mattresses and pillows, for padding and cushioning, and as insulation.

Properties

Kapok fiber is naturally lustrous, yellowish-brown in color, and composed of a hollow lumen made primarily of lignin and cellulose. It is extremely lightweight, with a density of around 0.35 g/cm³, and exhibits high buoyancy and water resistance due to its natural waxy coating. These properties make it ideal for use in pillows, cushions, mattresses, life jackets, and other stuffing materials.^[1][2]

Environmental applications

Recent studies have shown that raw kapok fiber is capable of absorbing 27 to 50 times its own weight in hydrocarbons, making it a promising biodegradable material for oil spill remediation. In agitated systems, kapok has demonstrated even higher oil uptake levels exceeding 200 g/g. Its hollow structure, low density, and surface waxes contribute to its exceptional sorbent properties for various organic solvents and industrial pollutants.^[3][4]

Trade

Indonesia is among the world’s top exporters of kapok fiber, primarily supplying markets such as India, China, Japan, and several European countries. The fiber is usually manually processed, dried, and packed into bales for export.^[1]

Kapok may also refer to: Added content about kapok fiber properties and oil absorption potential with sources.

Plants

Kapok trees

• Trees from which kapok fibre is commonly obtained:
  • Bombax genus, trees and shrubs native to western Africa, the Indian subcontinent, Southeast Asia, and the subtropical regions of East Asia and northern Australia
    • Bombax ceiba, a red-flowering tree, native to parts of tropical Asia, northern Australia, New Guinea, and the Solomon Islands; previously also known as Bombax malabaricum, the 'Malabar kapok'
  • Ceiba pentandra, a native tree of the tropical Americas and West Africa with white flowers, cultivated particularly in south-east Asia for its seed fibre

Other kapok plants

• Calotropis procera, a shrub with white and purple flowers, known in some areas as the 'kapok plant'; native to Asia and North Africa, an invasive weed in other places
• Cochlospermum fraseri, a yellow-flowering tree known as the 'cotton tree' or 'kapok bush', native to northwestern Australia
• Cochlospermum gillivraei, a yellow-flowering tree, native to northern Australia, with the common name 'kapok'
• Cochlospermum gregorii, a tree of the Bixaceae family, named for the explorer Augustus Charles Gregory and native to the Northern Territory and northern Queensland, Australia; it has the common name 'native kapok'

Other uses

• Kampong Kapok, a Bruneian village
• Kapok Computer, former subsidiary of the laptop manufacturer Clevo