task 2 - crops2industry · web viewthe project is a coordinated action supported by grant agreement...

“Non-food Crops-to-Industry schemes in EU27”

WP1. Non-food crops

D3.2 Fibres that can be produced in EU27

Lead beneficiary: INSTITUTE OF NATURAL FIBRES AND MEDICINAL PLANTS (INF&MP), POZNAN, POLAND

Authors: Krzysztof Heller, Przemyslaw Baraniecki, Maria Talarzyck,

Co-beneficiaries: HEMPFLAXAuthors: Mark RendersCo-beneficiaries: KEFIAuthors: Valerio Zuccini

May 2011The project is a Coordinated Action supported by

Grant agreement no. 227299

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Crops2Industry project

WP3. Bio-based products

The general target of WP3

The main target of this WP3 is to explore the potential and feasibility of the European industry to manufacture high-value biobased products from renewable agriculture and forestry feedstocks and biotechnological routes. The work is divided in four tasks: Task 3.1 Oils, Task 3.2 Fibres, Task 3.3 Resins, Task 3.4 Pharmaceutical and other specialty products.

In this WP, the bio-industry demands in oils, carbohydrates, resins, pharmaceutical and other specialty products is reported and restricting factors that inhibit broader industrial use of the feedstocks are to be identified. Research gaps, prospects and recommendations to procure bio-based products are tackled.

Task 3.2 Fibres

Elaboration for flax by the Institute of Natural Fibres & Medicinal Plants, Poznan, Poland

Tasks in WP3 Bio-based products

1. Review on the product yielding capacity from various industrial crops streams

2. Identify desirable quality characteristics that feedstock has to meet for mature industrial processes

3. The report on raw materials from non-food crops as alternative to fossil, petroleum-based and chemical resources

4. Set prospects to widen the range of potential feedstocks for the understudy industrial uses, based on the technology improvements

5. Identify restricting factors that inhibit broader industrial use of the biomass feedstocks (supply, costs, physical traits, consistency in quality, technical performance, research gaps, etc)

6. Set forth research gaps, prospects and recommendations to procure bio-based products will be tackled

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1. Flax (Linum usitatissimum)

Task 1. Review on the product yielding capacity from various industrial crops streams

Flax (Linum usitatissimum) is one of the oldest cultivated plants and as such, is one of the oldest sources of raw material used by humans, especially in Europe. The Latin adjective used in scientific name of the species – “usitatissimus” – means the most useful, the most versatile is a testimony of its importance it still had in times of Linnaeus. Although for last two, three centuries it has faced a strong competition from cotton and for last couple of tens years from synthetic fibres it is still utilized in many industries.

For the purpose of this report we will not consider all possible products that can be obtained from this crop but focus on currently most important products. In flax crop chain many products become raw materials for further processing either in the form of items manufactured for this purpose or in the form of by-products which are utilized further. This caused the need to divide all materials obtained from flax into agricultural raw materials and industrial raw materials. The latter are also divided for primary and secondary industrial raw materials yielding products of which utilization example and directions of use are given. The Table 1. presents all the materials that can be obtained from flax indicating which products and what directions of use correspond to primary and secondary industrial raw materials. Note: The significance of the raw materials and bio-based products should be discussed and described on the base of current situation (vide questionnaires, which INF&MP is still asking for, waiting for completing)The task 1 as well as all other tasks will be completed after obtaining the results derived from the entire set of the questionnaires, filled-in by the project partners. The tasks 5 and 6 should be compatible; the task 6 should be elaborated on the basis of profound analysis of the materials of task 5.

Table 1. Most common raw materials and products obtained from flax

Industrial use of renewable raw materialsAgriculture Raw materials

Primary Industrial Raw Materials Secondary Industrial Raw Materials

Directions of use/Product example

Non-deseeded straw

Biomass/biofuel

Deseeded straw Biomass/biofuelPulp & paperWhole stem mats

Seeds Sowing material, Agro –fine-chemicals etc.Animal feedEdible oilFood Pharmaceuticals

Chaffs Feed

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Industrial use of renewable raw materialsChaffs Pharmaceuticals, Agro –

fine-chemicals etc.Decorticated fiber Nonwoven, insulation,

Composite material, Pulp & paperRopes

Agriculture Raw materials

Primary Industrial Raw materials

Secondary Industrial Raw Materials


Shive ParticleboardInsulationSolid biofuelComposite MaterialsSubstrate for mushroomsConstruction materialAnimal beddingPulp & paper

Retted strawLong scutched fiber Hydraulic sealingShort fiber (tow) Nonwoven, insulation,

Composite material, Pulp & paper

Carded yarn Technical fabricsDecorative fabrics, twine, ropes

Shive ParticleboardInsulationSolid biofuelConstruction material,Substrate for mushrooms,Composite Materials,Pulp & paper

Dust Compost, BriquettesLong hackled fiber Hydraulic sealing100% linen yarn Woven and knitted fabrics,

GarmentsTable clothBedlinenDecorative fabrics

Noils Worsted carded yarn,Garments,Table cloth,Bedlinen,Decorative fabrics

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Agriculture Raw Materials

Primary Industrial Raw Materials

Secondary Industrial Raw Materials


Scutched homomorphic fiberNonwoven,Agro, geotextiles,Insulating material,Composite Materials,Pulp & paper,Carded yarn,Garments,Table cloth,Bedlinen,Decorative fabrics, ropes

Cottonized fiber Carded yarns,Composite Materials,Personal hygiene products

Task 2. Identify desirable quality characteristics that feedstock has to meet for mature industrial processes

2.1. Agricultural raw materials

2.1.1. Non-deseeded straw

- seed content – over 10%- average technical length – over 56%- straw colour – (over 65% of yellow stems)- straw shape – at least 60% of normal (straight stems)- health condition – at least 80% of healthy stems- impurities weight content – utmost 20%- moisture content – utmost 16%

Requirements presented above were obligatory in many countries of Eastern Europe before accessing the European Union*.

2.1.2. Deseeded straw

- average technical length – over 60 cm- straw colour – yellow (over 65% of yellow stems)- straw shape – at least 60% of normal (straight stems)- health condition – at least 80% of healthy stems- impurities weight content – utmost 20%- moisture content – utmost 16%* Does not refer to seed plantations

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2.1.3. Sowing material

- seed purity – minimum than 99%- germination capacity – minimum than 80%- moisture content – maximum than 8%- admissible level of other species seed – maximum 100 seeds/kg- admissible level of diseases infection – maximum of 5 seeds infected/kg

2.1.4. Chaffs

- impurities below 10%- maximum moisture content – 12%

2.1.5. Retted straw

- average technical length – over 60 cm- content of properly retted stems – over 90%- straw colour – light grey, steel grey, silver grey- straw shape – at least 70% of normal, straight stems- health condition – at least 80% of healthy stems- moisture content – utmost 16%- efficiency of long scutched fibre – at least 15%

2.2. Primary industrial raw materials

2.2.1. Seeds

- seed purity – minimum 85%- admissible amount of seeds without shine – 15%- moisture content – maximum than 10%

2.2.2. Decorticated fibre

A raw material for production of decorticated fibre is straw obtained from the following plantations:

- oil flax plantations where straw contains low amounts of low quality fibres,- fibrous flax plantations – fibre not useful for processing into spinnable fibre:

- heavily weeded plantations- seed plantations- lodged plantations where straw is tangled and curved- plantations infected by diseases- plantations yielding short and not sufficiently retted straw

Parameters of decorticated fibre:

After decortication:- average impurities content in the fibre: below 25%- average length of decorticated fibre – 48.5 mm- average fibre strength – 22.5 cN/tex

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2.2.3. Long scotched fibre

Quality parameters of long scutched flax fibre:

- fibre length – minimum 500 mm- fibre thinness – below 6.0 tex- fibre delicacy – delicate and soft fibre- greasy feel – very greasy felt fibre required- colour – homogeneous steel grey fibre- total loses in carding – maximum than 3%- breaking force – maximum than 14 daN.Long scutched fibre is mechanically hackled. Hackling results in division of fibre into long hackled fibre and short fibre – machine noils.

2.2.4. Short fibre

Quality parameters:*

- fibre length – over 80 mm (scutching tow), over 140 mm (matted tow)- fibre thinness – below 5.5 tex (scutching tow), below 6.5 tex (matted tow)- divisibility – a clear strand separating into technical fibres is required- impurities content – below 3%- spinning ability – minimum than 330 tex.Short flax fibre: noils and tow (scutching and matted) are processed by wet (including boiled and bleached roving) and dry carding spinning system. Linear density of carded yarn depends on the grade of fibre and spinning system used.

2.2.5. Long hackled fibre

Quality parameters*

- fibre length – over 80 mm (scutching tow), over 140 mm (matted tow)- fibre thinness – below 5.5 tex (scutching tow), below 6.5 tex (matted tow)- fibre delicacy – delicate and soft fibre- greasy feel –greasy felt fibre required- fibre strength – when broken fibre must give a crushing sound, fibre ends frayed where

broken- colour – homogeneous, shades of green and rusty unacceptable- wet spinning ability – maximum than 84 tex- average breaking strength – minimum than 14.4 daN

Long hackled flax fibre is used in traditional flax wet and dry spinning system. Thinner worsted yarns are produced by wet system with boiling.Dry spinning the yarns of higher linear density are produced

2.2.6. Scutched homomorphic fibre

Flax homomorphic fibre should have the following main quality parameters:

according to research conducted at INF&MP according to research conducted at INF&MP

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- average diameter – about 60-90 mm- divisibility – maximum 2.3 tex- impurities content – maximum 0.4%- maximum length – 130 mm with longer fibre content maximum 5%- average thickness – 40-50 μm

Main raw material for flax wool-like fibre is homomorphic flax dew-retted fibre obtained from straw harvested earlier.

2.2.7. Cottonized fibre

Flax noils of 170-210 grade (Ns 10-14) obtained from mechanical hackling of scutched fibre are the best fit for production of flax cotton-like fibre. Also so called homomorphic fibre obtained from dew-retted flax straw and scutching waste fibre are also useful for that purpose.

The fibre types mentioned above should be mechanically or chemically processed to meet requirements given in technological conditions.In production of cottonized fibre from flax homogeneity of fibre including fibre length, thickness and impurities content plays very important role.

2.2.8. Yarn

Yarn parameters depend on its application. Due to high variability of yarns it is not possible to present quality parameters in the report.

Factors connected with quality parameters of yarns:- linear density [tex]- variability of yarn is a basic quality parameter in spinning industry. Variability of yarn linear

density is a result of its uneven thickness which has serious consequences for technological processes.

- yarn twist – a number of twists per 1 m of yarn. Direction of twist is also determined (s – when spiral line of elements in outer layer are bended in accordance with bending of the middle part of letter “S”.

- yarn strength – mostly a specific yarn strength is given [cN/tex] describing the co-dependency of breaking force [cN] and linear density of yarn and also elongation [%] of a yarn section during breaking.

2.3. Secondary industrial raw materials

2.3.1. Shive

- moisture content – maximum than 15%- fibre content – maximum than 10%- the impurities content – maximum than 15%- dust content – maximum than 10%- content of required shive fraction – minimum 65%Waste shive fractions resulting from fibre extraction process can be used for:

- bedding for animals

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Shive are contaminated with dust and silica as a result of processing. Using shive for bedding requires removal of dust and short fibres.

- substrate for mushroom production

- construction materials

- for energy production (briquettes)Using shive for briquettes production requires removal of short fibres and silica. Silica causes excessive wear of briquetting machine working elements. Short fibres content has negative effect on durability of briquettes in transport.Energy efficiency of shive is 18.3 MJ/kg**

- composite material fillerShive grinding is required. Depending on the use in composite materials, lignocellulosic material is ground down to fractions from 0.2 to 2.0 mm. Moisture content should be below 10%.

2.3.2. Noils

- thinness – thin able to be combed fibre - delicacy – very delicate fibre- strength – fibre resistant to stretching- colour – homogeneous, shades of green and rusty unacceptable- nap content – minimum amounts acceptable- impurities content – maximum 2%- carding sliver efficiency – minimum 84%- spinning ability, wet – maximum 100 tex

Task 3. The report on raw materials from non-food crops as alternative to fossil, petroleum-based and chemical resources



- flax biomass as solid fuel (briquettes, pellets) substituting fossil fuels (coal, lignite)- flax biomass as liquid fuel (second generation fuels) alternative to fossil liquid fuels (gasoline, diesel fuel)- additive of biomass in biogas reactors instead of fossil gas fuel (methane)- use in insulating mats instead of Styrofoam or mineral wool- replacement of man-made polymers based fillings in composites- use in production of low grade paper and elimination polymer based packaging

3.1.4. Chaffs

- replacement of mineral fertilizers with flax chaffs as a raw material for the production of organic ecological fertilizers


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3.2.1. Seeds

- oil removed from seeds (by pressing) can be used for production of biodiesel. Transesterification of flax oil with methanol with the presence of natrium or potassium hydroxide as a catalyser, produces methyl esters of higher carboxyl acids, commonly called biodiesel. Technical flax oil is used for production paints, varnishes, cosmetics, etc. rafinated oil is used for food and pharmaceutics.

3.2.2. Decorticated fibre can be an alternative for production of:

- synthetic fibres PA, PE, PAN, PP, PET, PCV, PS, PW, glass fibre, carbon fibre, aluminium-silica fibres used in production of technical yarns (twine, ropes)

- pulp used for packaging manufacture – biodegradable bags instead of polymeric ones- degradable foils made of cellulose instead of polymeric foils- insulation materials used in construction replacing mineral wool (basalt)- filling and reinforcing materials in composites instead of glass and carbon fibre- mattresses and furniture cushioning replacing PU foams- elements of car construction materials (acoustic insulations, padding, seats, supports, instead of polymers: PU, PE, PP, PVC, PET, etc. - friction material in brakes and clutches instead of asbestos fibres- replacement of asbestos in roof and elevation elements of buildings- agricultural and gardening substrates replacing miner wool- needle-punched, sewn, glued, etc. nonwoven

3.2.2. Long scutched fibre

- chemical fibres for spinning: PA, PE, PP, PAN, PET, PCV, PS, PW, glass fibre, carbon fibre, basalt fibre

- reinforcing fibres in composite materials manufactured by press moulding: glass fibre, carbon fibre, PE, PP, PET, PCV, etc.- hydraulic sealing instead of synthetic sealing tapes

3.2.3. Short fibre

- production of carding yarns instead of synthetic fibres: PA, PE, PP, PAN, PET, PCV, PS, PW- production of technical yarns instead of synthetic fibres: PA, PE, PP, PAN, PET, PCV, PS, PW- reinforcement of composite materials manufactured by press moulding and injection moulding instead of synthetic fibres- mattresses and furniture cushioning instead of PU foams- needle-punched, sewn and glued nonwovens instead of chemical raw materials- manufacture of biodegradable cellulosic and cellulose-glued foils instead of synthetic ones.


- in production of carded yarns as alternative for chemical fibres: PA, PE, PP, PAN, PET, PCV, PS, PW

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- production of technical yarns instead of synthetic fibres: PA, PE, PP, PAN, PET, PCV, PS, PW- reinforcement of composite materials manufactured by press moulding and injection moulding instead of synthetic fibres- mattresses and furniture cushioning instead of PU foams- needle-punched, sewn and glued nonwovens instead of chemical raw materials- manufacture of biodegradable cellulosic and cellulose-glued foils instead of synthetic ones.


- in production of carded blended yarns with wool and cotton as alternative for chemical fibres: PA, PE, PP, PAN, PET, PCV, PS, PW - alternative for chemical fibres: PA, PE, PP, PAN, PET, PCV, PS, PW, glass fibre, carbon fibre, basalt fibre in composite materials- replacement of elements and polymers in hygienic products

3.2.7. Pure linen yarn

- garment bedlinen, table cloth, curtain, furniture fabrics as an alternative for fabrics made of PA, PE, PP, PAN, PET, PCV, PS, PW fibres

- carpet backing and knitted fabrics for underwear and garments, sportswear, medical textiles, including wound dressing as alternative to textiles made of PA, PE, PP, PAN, PET, PCV, PS, PW fibres


3.3.1. Shive

- particleboard bonded with natural bonding agents instead of particleboard bonded with synthetic bonding agents or particleboard based on polymers- additive for construction material replacing mineral fillers such as expanded clay aggregates- solid biofuel (briquettes and pellets) substituting fossil fuels (coal and lignite)- second generation fuels liquid fuel alternative to fossil liquid fuels (gasoline, diesel fuel). Lignocellulosic raw material can be used for production of bioethanol by hydrolysis and fermentation. Process covers three stages: preliminary processing with phosphoric acid, enzymatic hydrolysis and fermentation.- fillers to replace synthetic fillers in composite materials- pulp to replace polymeric packaging materials - agricultural and gardening substrates replacing mineral substrates

Task 4. Set prospects to widen the range of potential feedstock for the understudy industrial uses, based on the technology improvements

4.1. Agricultural raw materials.

a./ Technologies improving the quality of preliminary raw material (e.g. breeding varieties with better gene expression together with improvement of technology of: cultivation, harvesting and processing) as factor determining further application.

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Example: Breeding cultivation: genetics, for yield and quality improvementCultivar/Agronomy: soil, climate, weed, disease, and pest control, limited use of fertilizersHarvest/storage: moment of harvest, mechanization, storage conditions control, transport

and handling conditions

b./ Production of PHA (Polyhydroxyalkanoates) in statu nascendi by genetically engineered plants

Linseed crops are considered as good targets for seed-specific PHA production. Advantages of PHA synthesis in fibrous plants in order to modify properties of plant fibres are: - no need for extraction, - low amount of PHA can have significant impact on fibre properties.

Production of PHA in plants on an agronomic scale could allow synthesis of biodegradable plastics in the million ton scale while bacteria or yeast produce material in the thousand ton scale. PHA, when synthesized in plants to a level of 20-40% dry weight, could become competitive with the petroleum based plastics.

Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) represent a group of biopolymers that are synthesized by many bacteria as storage compounds and deposited as insoluble cytoplasmic inclusions. Because they have many putative technical and medical applications, PHAs may play an important role in human life in the future.

4.2. Primary Industrial Raw Materials

a. Water retting (in river, in container)Water consumption: 1t straw / 20t water and 10t for washing and rinsing. - cold water 13-18oC, - warm water 29-32oC, - application of nitrogen nourishment: urea, nitrate, phosphate and ammonium, carbonate with aeration.Bacteria: Bacillus amylobacter, Bacillus felsineus, Granulobacter pectinovorum, Clostridium felsineum, Bacillus comesii rossi

b./ Improvement of water retting process by using enzymes : cellulolytic, pectynolytic, hemicellulolytic, lignocellulolytic

Enzymatic retting: straw, fibre

b./ Improvement of dew retting process by

• application of desiccants (Purivel, Roundup),• breaking of straw in root part,• application of nitrogen nourishment.

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Fungi: Clostridium herbarum, Mucor stoloniter, Mucor hiemalis, Mucor plumbens, Aspergillus niger, Fusarium culmorum, Epicoccum nigrum, Rhizopus sp

c./ Development of decortication process

Line for bast fibre extraction (INF&MP, Poland) is composed of:- feeding unit,- breaking unit,- fibre extraction unit,- condensing unit,- cleaning unit,- press,- residues collector.

d./ Development of physical methods of degumming bast fibrous (flax, hemp, kenaf, jute) plants:

• ultrasound (US) oscillation,• electron radiation,• steaming with application of pressure methods,• steam explosion, • flash hydrolysis – steam hydrolysis,• osmosis degumming – like conducted in Lys or Nil River, • high-power electromagnetic pulses.

e./ Development of new technologies and techniques for textile industry including principles of European Environmental Policy

- in spinning industry (e.g. Extremozymes with improved resistance to the technology conditions of fibre spinning and conventional textile wet processing - high temperatures, pH, oxidative conditions etc.),

- in weaving industry (e.g. high-performance looms for processing linen yarns,- in finishing industry (e.g. plasma, corona, nano particles), finishing processing

techniques for raw materials and products to grant additional, multifunctional human friendly (micro and nano encapsulation, grafting).

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Example 1:

- development of improved, environmentally friendly textile wet processing based on use of selective enzymatic catalysis as an alternative of harsh conventional chemistry,

- improvement of reproducibility and zero-waste utilisation of renewablenatural fibre resources based on bio-processing. Extensive use of bio-basedmaterials as by-products of biorefineries,

- utilization of textile substrates (garments, technical textiles) as a widelyused support for bioactive materials and investigation of textiles wastes asalternative large volume feedstock for biorefinery.

Example 2:

Textiles are changing thanks to nanotechnology.The application of nanotechnology on textile linen materials could lead to the additionof several functional properties.

- silver nanoparticles provide antibacterial properties, - platinum and palladium decompose harmful gases or toxic chemicals,- UV blocking textiles enhanced with zinc oxide nanoparticles and extremely strong,

wear-resistant surface coatings are two approaches likely to have application in the military, aerospace and other civilian products.

Example 3:One increasingly important process in textile treatment is surface functionalization using plasmas.

Plasmas may be used to impart a variety of properties to a wide range of textiles without changing their bulk properties. These include:- chemical inertia and affinity,- wetting capacity,- resistance to oils,- biocompatibility,- capillarity e.g. for subsequent dyeing,- bond strength,- lubricity,- cleanliness and sterility,- washability,- durability and anti-wear properties,- mechanical properties e.g. anti-creasing,- electrical properties e.g. anti-static.

Example 4:Grafting technique is still in the laboratory development phase. It consists of „activating” the surface of a textile through electron beamsIn such a way that it becomes capable of reacting with the ions or active radicals

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contained in an impregnation bath.It is possible to graft polyester or polyurethane molecules on to cotton or linen fibres using this technique, endowing them with wrinkling-resistance and easy-care properties

f./ Development of new generation of fibres such as:• biosilk,• fibres on base of polylactic acid, • poly- hydroxy- butyric acid (PHB) in statu nascendi,• fibroin, • natural nano-fibres, • and nano-fillers (like nanolignin from flax for UV blocking).

Materials made form renewable resources are attractive but should perform at the same level (or better) than conventional engineering materials we aim to replace.

Example 1:

Biosilk A. biomimetic, man-made fibre produced by: 1. sequencing the "dragline silk" protein that is produced by the orb-weaving spider (Nephila clavipes).,2. synthesizing gene to code for that "dragline silk" protein (components); which are mostly glycine and alanine, 3. expressing the gene in a suitable host organism (e.g., yeast, bacteria, plants) to cause production of the protein,4. dissolving the protein in a suitable solvent, and then "spinning" the protein into fibre form by passing the liquid (dissolved protein) through a small orifice, followed by drying to remove the solvent,This results in biosilk fibres that are extremely strong.

g./ Popularization of new technologies in ready-made textiles enabling adaptation of production to individual needs of customers (design, comfort, functionality, size fit, short series, minimization of delivery time e.g. emerging technologies for mass customization such as three-dimensional non-contact body measurement, digital printing, reduction of production costs).

4.3. Product example

Nonwovens

The use of natural fibre based geotextiles in civil engineering offers large environmental advantages by the fact that these are fully biodegradable and no synthetic polymers remain in the soil after its functional lifetime. Similarly, in agriculture and horticulture the use of natural fibre based twine or nonwoven mats, planting pots etc., do not require removal since they are compostable, which improves even the soil structure.Underwear made of linen knitted fabric

Development and application of new blended knitted yarns:- linen/silk

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- linen/bamboo- linen/lycra- linen/wool

will allow for obtaining novel assortment of underwear according to changing consumer goods (for health, leisure and sport activities).

Pulp & paper

The lower qualities of fibre (tow, straw), which are produced as residue from agro-industrial production have to compete with highly efficiently organized and therefore relatively cheap wood fibre on the market for paper and pulp, fibre board and composites.Only about 7% of the world’s virgin cellulose pulp is made from non-wood sources (mainly straw, bagasse, and bamboo).

Compared to wood based pulping natural fibre pulping processes for the production of paper, board and cellulosic fibre products is, in general, ecologically advantageous due to the lower energy and chemicals requirements.

With environmental pressures on forestry, the pulping of non-wood fibres, including agricultural residues, is becoming a major objective for developing countries as well as those countries that traditionally manufacture wood pulp. In order to be economically and commercially successful today, however, a pulping process for non-wood fibres must have certain characteristics. It must be environmentally acceptable-preferably a closed cycle mill. It must also be economic on a smaller scale of operation than kraft, have a reasonable capital cost, produce a good quality pulp and address the problem of silica content of the raw material.

Example:

The ALCELL® Process

Alcohol(Ethanol) +CELLulose (Wood Chips/Annual Fibres)

The alcohol pulping process known as the ALCELL process has following characteristics: it has a capital cost lower than kraft, promises excellent environmental performance, uses co-product revenues to be profitable on a much smaller scale and has successfully produced high quality pulps from wheat straws, bagasse, kenaf and flax. Since the cooking chemical is volatile, and cooking is performed at an acid pH and no sodium is used in the process, an inorganic recovery cycle is avoided. Thus silica accumulation in the liquor recovery cycle is not a problem. In this process, the cooking chemical is ethanol, a material easily produced and readily available in the agricultural economies.

Composites- in the automotive industry the use of cellulosic fibres as renewable raw material in fibre reinforced composite materials has received much attention as “green” development and is showing much promise. Since its introduction a decade ago the use of natural fibres in automotives has shown increasing trends.

- another potential large market for lignocellulosic materials is found in an increased interest for renewable materials in ecological building and construction applications.

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Task 5. Identify restricting factors that inhibit broader industrial use of the biomass feedstock (supply, costs, physical traits, consistency in quality,

technical performance, research gaps, etc.)


5.1.1. Seed

Costs

Physical traits- Low multiplication factor (max. 10 seeds in a seed capsule) results in the relatively

low efficiency of seed production- Negative correlation of seed yield and fibre quality- Compromising quality of fibre and quality of seed in harvest (best quality fibre

available when seeds still immature)

Research gaps- Lack of research on energy value of seeds caused by low efficiency of biodiesel

production from linseed oil


Costs- Due to high low weight/volume ratio costs of straw transport are very high, especially

when long fibre production is involved- Straw processing results in numerous by-products which become a waste that

company needs to address – this generates costs. Some of them must be utilized on sight as their transport is not economically viable. This may generate additional costs, especially when no profitable use is possible.

- Alternatively utilization of by products needs bearing costs, especially when it is difficult or impossible to commercialize these by-products.

- Non-deseeded flax straw can be used as solid biofuel. However, low yield as compared to other crops used for energy production make it not viable economically

Physical traits- Due to high low weight/volume ratio costs of straw transport are very high, especially

when long fibre production is involved- Yield too low to use for energy purposes. - Biodeterioration, flammability limits the use of straw in some applications (whole

stem mats) resulting from elimination of applications where moist conditions prevail.

Consistency in quality- Straw is a preliminary raw material having high impact on use and quality of all

derivative products and by-products (fibres, yarns, fabrics, etc.), therefore its quality and quality is crucial. Quality faults have immediate impact on its application which usually is reflected in compromising the most premium uses.

Research gaps

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- New, economically feasible fibre extraction methods are necessary that will eliminate weather dependency of retting process

- Cell and tissue structure of a plant is very complex and still many information is missing which has straight impact on efficiency of fibre extraction technology (e.g. on efficiency of enzymes)


5.2.1. Seed

Costs- High costs of research on lingan utilization for medical applications (clinical tests,

medicament registration) is a important restriction factor, especially for SMEs to introduce new medicament based on linseed.

Physical traits- Low multiplication factor (max. 10 seeds in a seed capsule) results in the relatively

low efficiency of linseed production

Research gaps- Lack of research on energy value of seeds caused by low efficiency of biodiesel

production from linseed oil.5.2.2. Chaffs

Costs

- High costs of research on chaffs utilization for medical applications (clinical tests, medicament registration) is a important restriction factor, especially for SMEs to introduce new medicament based on linseed.

Physical traits- Time of harvest has strong impact on quality of chaffs

Research gaps- Lack of research on medical application of chaffs

5.2.3. Linseed oil

Costs- Complex and costly process of linseed oil modification for fuel use.

Physical traits- High content of α-linolenic fatty acid makes it useful for food application and as cold

pressed oil which limits its the competitiveness on the market- High content of polyunsaturated fatty acids makes it very easily to oxidise resulting in

short shelf-life

Research gaps- modification of fatty acids composition in fibrous flax connected with genetic

modification – conventional hybridization would compromise fibre parameters.

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- use of genetic modification to reduce ability of oxidation ability of α-linolenic fatty acid

- development of technical solutions reducing oxidation of linseed oil in packaging

5.2.4. Fibre

Costs- Costs of all preliminary processing operations in all industry chain of natural fibres are

relatively high as compared to polymer-based competitors resulting from relatively low efficiencies and technological level.

- Nature of natural fibre raw materials results in numerous by-products which become a waste that company needs to address – this generates costs. Alternatively utilization of by products needs bearing costs, especially when it is difficult or impossible to commercialize these by-products.

Physical traits- Small amount of raw material produced on low area – logistics problems- For some applications (pulp& paper) fibre must be free of impurities (shive) this

requires additional operations incurring additional costs. This is especially important for decorticated fibre

- Presently low area of flax cultivation makes fibre not useful for some applications where constant supply of high amounts is required for production (e.g. particleboard industry)

Consistency in quality- Small amount of raw material produced on low area – different quality from field to

field- As majority of fibre production in Europe is based on dew-retting quality of fibre is

highly weather dependent. Quality differs from field to field, year to year. - Flax fibre produced during processing yields many different types of fibre (long, short,

noils, etc.) which are is a preliminary raw material having high impact on use and quality of all derivative products (yarns, fabrics, etc.), therefore its quality and quality consistency is crucial. Quality faults have immediate impact on its application which usually is reflected in compromising the most premium uses.

Research gaps - Development of highly efficient, low cost fibre extraction technologies not dependent

on natural environment conditions

5.2.5. Shive

Costs- Shive is a niche products competing with many substitutes (straw, wood chips) any

additional processing (e.g. cleaning) adds additional costs which may by unacceptable for the market

Physical traits- Low ratio of weight/volume generates the logistics problems. - Low availability (low cultivation area of flax) makes shive unattractive for many

applications

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- For most applications (animal bedding, solid fuel, particleboard) shive must be free of impurities (fibres, sand, silica) this requires additional operations incurring additional costs

- Presently low area of cultivation makes shives not useful for some applications where constant supply of high amounts is required for production (e.g. particleboard industry)

Research gaps - Legislative and economic incentives resulting in incentives for broader use of flax

shive in industrial applications

5.2.6. Yarn

Costs- High cost of production caused by high level of human work use of expensive media

(water, energy), need of waste and sewage treatment, relatively low efficiency of the processes.

- Considerable losses of raw material in each production stage – only 30% of preliminary raw material (straw) can be utilized.,

- High costs of finishing processes

Physical traits- high degree of non-homogeneity of raw material (fibre – linear density, strength, length,

colour, degree of retting) compromises the spinning processes and has negative impact on quality parameters of yarn.

- impurities content – necessary cleaning processes increasing costs and reducing efficiency of the spinning process

Research gaps - necessary research on high efficiency, low inputs, low cost spinning processes.

Task 6. Set forth research gaps, prospects and recommendations to procure bio-based products will be tackled



Basic research- genetic and agronomic studies to enhance economic value of flax yield - testing insulating properties (acoustic, thermal) and energetic value of flax straw

Applied research- improvement of biomass/biofuel, pulp & paper, whole stem mats production technology from deseeded straw

Prospects and recommendations

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- intensify legislation necessary to increase the share of renewable raw materials in energy feedstock of EU

- promotion financial mechanisms to use flax straw for biomass/biofuel, pulp & paper, whole stem mats production. Such mechanisms are necessary to improve price competitiveness of these products and replace traditional goods based on fossil raw materials

- deseeded flax straw from seed plantations and plantations yielding poor fibre quality can be used for fuel.

6.1.2. Chaffs

Basic research- evaluation of curative and dietetic properties of flax chaffs

Applied research- manufacture technology development of alternative medicaments, diet supplements, feed additives

Prospects and recommendations- use of raw materials obtained from flax chaffs for production of alternative

medicaments, agro-fine chemicals, diet supplements, feed additives will not be achieved unless sophisticated technologies to develop these groups of bioproducts are developed.

- promotion financial mechanisms to use flax straw for biomass/biofuel, pulp & paper, whole stem mats production. Such mechanisms are necessary to improve price competitiveness of these products and replace traditional goods based on fossil raw materials

- deseeded flax straw from seed plantations and plantations yielding poor fibre quality can be used for fuel.


6.2.1. Seeds

Basic research- evaluation of curative, dietetic properties of flax chaffs and usefulness of linseed and linseed oil for cosmetics production

Applied research- manufacture technology development of new medicaments, diet supplements, cosmetics

Prospects and recommendations- use of linseed for production of new medicaments, agro-fine chemicals, supplements,

cosmetics requires development of mature production technologies of mentioned groups of bioproducts and their promotion (education, PR, advertisement) as important element of mix-marketing (4P – product, price, place, promotion)

6.2.2. Decorticated fibre

Basic research

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- evaluation of usefulness of decorticated fibre for production of new bioproducts from nonwoven, insulation, composite materials, pulp& paper, ropes, etc. group

- insulation properties (acoustic and thermal) of decorticated fibre

Applied research- manufacture technology development of new bioproducts from nonwoven, insulation, composite materials, pulp& paper, ropes, etc. group based on decorticated fibre

Prospects and recommendations- use of decorticated fibre for production of bioproducts from nonwoven, insulation,

composite materials, pulp& paper, ropes, etc. group requires improvement of production technologies of mentioned groups of bioproducts and their promotion (education, PR, advertisement) as important element of mix-marketing (4P – product, price, place, promotion). It is also important to introduce financial mechanisms improving price competitiveness on mentioned bioproducts.

6.2.3. Short fibre (tow)

Basic research- evaluation of usefulness of short fibre for production of nonwoven, insulation,

composite materials, pulp& paper, etc. - insulation properties (acoustic and thermal) of decorticated fibre

Applied research- manufacture technology improvement of insulation, composite materials, pulp& paper

Prospects and recommendations- use of short fibre for production of bioproducts from nonwoven, insulation, composite

materials, pulp& paper requires improvement of production technologies of mentioned groups of bioproducts and their promotion

- crucial factor is introducing financial mechanisms stimulating development of producers in the sector of bioproducts manufacturers

- legislative actions resulting in incentives for broader use of renewable raw materials in production of nonwoven, insulation, composite materials, pulp& paper.

6.2.4. Carded yarn

Applied research- research on improvement of technologies producing new bioproducts from the group of technical fabrics, decorative fabrics, twine, ropes

Prospects and recommendations- use of carded yarn for production of new bioproducts from the group of technical

fabrics, decorative fabrics, twine, ropes requires development of production technologies of mentioned groups of bioproducts and their promotion (education, PR, advertisement).

6.2.5. Pure linen yarn

Basic research- research on features crucial for the quality of long flax fibre (thinness, divisibility,

strength, delicacy, colour)

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- insulation properties (acoustic and thermal) of decorticated fibre-Applied research- manufacture technology development for new bioproducts based on pure linen yarn from the group of worsted and carded yarn, woven and knitted fabrics, table cloth, bedlinen, decorative fabrics- manufacture technology development for new bioproducts based on pure linen yarn from the group of worsted and carded yarn, woven and knitted fabrics, table cloth, bedlinen, decorative fabrics- richer design of bioproducts based on pure linen yarn

Prospects and recommendations- use of short fibre for production of bioproducts from the group of worsted and carded

yarn, woven and knitted fabrics, table cloth, bedlinen, decorative fabrics requires improvement of production technologies of mentioned groups of bioproducts and their promotion (education, PR, advertisement)


Basic research- scutched homomorphic fibre usefulness evaluation for production of new bioproducts

from the group of composite material, nonwoven, agro-and geotextiles, insulation, pulp & paper, carded yarn, garments

Applied research- new manufacture technology development of new bioproducts from the group of composite materials, nonwoven, agro-and geotextiles, insulation, pulp & paper, carded yarn, garments- manufacture technology development for new bioproducts based on pure linen yarn from the group of worsted and carded yarn, woven and knitted fabrics, table cloth, bedlinen, decorative fabrics

Prospects and recommendations- use of scutched homomorphic fibre for production of new bioproducts from the group

of composite materials, nonwoven, agro-and geotextiles, insulation, pulp & paper, carded yarn, garments requires improvement of production technologies of mentioned groups of bioproducts and their promotion (education, PR, advertisement) as important element of mix-marketing (4P – product, price, place, promotion)

- legislative actions resulting in necessity for wider use of natural fibre products in industry

- introduction of economical incentives facilitating use of scutched homomorphic fibre


Basic research- cottonized fibre usefulness evaluation for production of new bioproducts from the

group of carded yarn, composite materials, personal hygiene products

Applied research- new manufacture technology development of new bioproducts from the group of carded yarn, composite materials, personal hygiene products

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- manufacture technology development for new bioproducts based on pure linen yarn from the group of worsted and carded yarn, woven and knitted fabrics, table cloth, bedlinen, decorative fabrics

Prospects and recommendations- use of cottonized fibre fibre for production of new bioproducts from the group of

carded yarn, composite materials, personal hygiene products requires improvement of production technologies of mentioned groups of bioproducts and their promotion (children and teenagers education, PR, marketing)


6.3.1. Chaffs

Basic research

- curative properties of compounds contained in flax chaffs

Applied research- development of technologies using compounds contained in flax chaffs for medicaments and alternative medicaments

Prospects and recommendations- use of flax chaffs for production of medicaments and alternative medicaments requires

considerable financial support for mandatory basic and application research on medical and dietetic properties of chaffs.

6.3.2. Shive

Basic research

- flax shive usefulness evaluation for production of new bioproducts from the group of particleboard, insulation, solid biofuel, composite materials, substrate for mushrooms, construction material, animal bedding, pulp & paper

Applied research

- new manufacture technology development and improvement of existing solutions for bioproducts based on shive: particleboard, insulation, solid biofuel, composite materials, substrate for mushrooms, construction material, animal bedding, pulp & paperProspects and recommendations- use of shive for production of bioproducts from the group of particleboard, insulation,

solid biofuel, composite materials, substrate for mushrooms, construction material, animal bedding, pulp & paper requires introduction of economical incentives necessary to improve price competitiveness of these products

- legislative actions resulting in necessity for wider use of mentioned raw materials in industry

6.3.3 Dust

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Basic research- flax shive usefulness evaluation for production of new bioproducts from the group of

fertilizers and fuelApplied research- manufacture technology development for production of fertilizers and fuelProspects and recommendations- wider use of dust for production of fertilizers and fuel requires introduction of

financial incentives necessary to improve price competitiveness of these products

6.3.4. Noils

Basic research- flax noils usefulness evaluation for production of new bioproducts from the group of

worsted carded yarn, garments, table cloth, bedlinen, decorative fabricsApplied research- manufacture technology development for production of fertilizers and fuelProspects and recommendations- wider use of noils for production of worsted carded yarn, garments, table cloth,

bedlinen, decorative fabrics requires improvement of products manufacture technology and their competent promotion (education, PR, advertisement)

6.5. Product examples

6.5.1. Medical use

Basic research

- intensification of research on flax fibre use for production of wound dressings and band-aids

- research on lignan effect on cancer cells spread limitation in human bodyProspects and recommendations- production of wound dressings and band-aids with better healing properties resulting

in quicker wound healing- production of medicaments used in cancer treatment

6.5.2. Environmental protection

Basic research

- intensification of research on flax fibre use phytoremediation of polluted land

Prospects and recommendations- increasing of flax cultivation acreage in areas polluted with heavy metals- promotion of flax cultivation in areas polluted with heavy metals. Plants from such

cultivation can be successfully used for solid biofuel- integration of research on phytoremediation with research on energetic value of flax

biomass.

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2. Fiber hemp

Task 1. Review on the product yielding capacity from various industrial crops streams

Cannabis Sativa L. is the scientific name for the hemp plant. Cannabis is a tall, woody plant that will grow in practically any climate. Just as there are tiny terriers and huge Great Danes in the canine world, corn for cattle and sweet corn for people, and sweet and salty liquorice, there are different kinds of cannabis. Certain varieties produce compounds that act as medicinal or psychoactive substances, whereas others produce mainly fibre, wood and seeds which hardly contain these active substances.It is the non-psychoactive cannabis species that are grown as a source of fibre, wood and seed. After processing, these parts of the cannabis plant are used in a number of industrial products.The Golden Age was also the golden age of hemp in Holland. Without hemp, that Age would actually have been much less Golden. It was funded by the Dutch merchant empire of which the Dutch East India Company (Verenigde Oostindische Compagnie or VOC), with its worldwide shipping trade, was the backbone. It was also the first multinational in the world and, in its turn, it furthered the cultivation of the hemp plant. In those days hemp, next to wood, was the major component for the shipbuilding industry. A merchant navy as large as Holland’s required innumerable tons of hemp. An average sailing vessel would need about 21 kilometers (13 miles) of rope and hundreds of square metres/yards of canvas. This winged and international concept is derived from the French word chanvre, meaning cannabis. Hempfibre was also used for caulking, i.e. rendering the hull watertight.Hemp stalks were harvested and temporarily laid down in ditches or ponds adjacent to the fields. Here commenced the decomposition process called “retting”. Bacteria would break down the bast fibres so that they separated. Then the stalks were dried and treated in a so called “breaker” in order to soak off the inner wood core. After having been broken, the fibre bundles were beaten with a piece of flat wood to eliminate the final bits of wood core. Subsequently the fibres were hackled, i.e. pulled across steel “brushes” (hackles) of various sizes. De hackled fibres were twisted into ropes or spun into fine yarns. Farmer’s wives and weavers would turn these hemp yarns into fabric.In order to give a good overview of the many possibilities figure 1 is developed. Important is to take the climate differences in Europe in account. Hemp seeds are not harvested above 50° latitude because seeds will mature in half September. This is too late in time to harvest the straw in good quality. The harvesting risk is increasing more and more the higher the latitude is.

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Figure 1 hemp products flow scheme.

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Industrial hemp

Hemp Seeds Hemp Strawharvest

Primary processing

Secondary processing

Hulling Pressing Decorticating

Meat

Shell

Oil Cake Fiber Hurd

Technical grade

Paper gradeShort fiberFoodFuelPaintPersonal care products

FoodBeer Feed

FabricInsulationNon WovensCarpeting

CordagePulpRecycling additive

CordageFiber boardResin filler

Fiber BoardCompostMortarPaper fillerAbsorbent Bedding

Food

Flour

Chemical feedstocks

PlasticsPaintSealant

Dust

EnergyCompostResin filler

Task 2. Identify desirable quality characteristics that feedstock has to meet for mature industrial processes

Due to the fact that Oil and food products are out of the scope of WP3 we concentrate on the desirable quality characteristics of the hemp straw raw material. Quality of the feedstock is of utmost importance for the quality of the end products. Even if a processor has the best state of the art technology he won’t be able to make a good quality out of the feedstock.

2.1 Agricultural raw materials Current different processing techniques are available and in use in the European hemp industry. The process of hemp processing can be divided in two stages:

1. Decortication: here the woody core and the fibres are separated from each other resulting in a raw fibre (15% – 10% core left in it) and shives

2. Fibre opening and cleaning. Here the fibre bundles are opened to a more primary fibre and are cleaned to an impurity of maximum 5%.

No processing line is equal. There are standardized lines from La Roche and Van Dommele in use. Some other companies are using own technology our modified technology of existing suppliers. Modern Hempprocessing is since early nineties under development. For that reason there are a lot of different (some still experimental) techniques in use. Flax industry is more standardized due to a much older and developed industry.Before the characteristics of every feedstock can be mapped, first the different techniques of harvesting and processing needs to be identified. Harvesting and processing techniques go hand in hand because an hemp processing installation is build for a specific feedstock. In Europe there are two main systems to be identified.

1. Hempstraw in pressed in bales stored inside (figure 2)2. Hempstraw chopped with a fourage harvester and stored in outside depots (figure 3)

System 1 is used by most European processors. System 2 is used by one European and an Australian processor.

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Figure 2 figure 3Baling system Chopping system

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Mowing

Turning

Baling

Logistics

Storage in shed

Dew- Retting

Drying/Dew retting

Loading

Unloading

Mowing

Turning

Chopping

Logistics

Storage in field

Dew- Retting

Drying/ Dew retting

Unloading

Loading

MowingThe harvest is beginning with the mowing process. This process is executed by a self-propelled cutter. The machine is equipped with a cutting equipment consisting out of two big circle saws. This saw blades are turning around with high velocity. The stems of the Hemp are cut by the saw blades and pulled into the machine.

Hempcutter in actionIn the machine is a patented cutting device installed who cuts the stems in lengths of approximately 60 cm. These cut stems are laid down in a so called swat. This system is developed, build and patented by HempFlax.

An Hempcutter with next to it the stems collected in a so called swat

This swat will lay for two weeks on the field in order to dry and stimulate the retting process. The retting process is needed in order to solve the pectin solution between the bastfiber and the wood part of the stems.

Under normal conditions the harvester will process between 1 and 1,5 ha a hour. Mowing Hemp can be processed full continue, 24 hours a day and 7 days a week.

Turning During the retting process the crop needed to be turned once or twice. Both sides of the swat need to be equal of color. Furthermore this turning is needed in order to get the product equally dry. For further processing the humidity rate in the straw must be lower then 15%.

The turning process is executed by a special turning equipment which is pulled forward by a standard agricultural tractor.

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The tractor needs to be at least 120 hp. This machine is able to turn three swats a once. The average capacity under normal conditions is approximately 4 ha an hour.

BalingWhen the humidity rate of the straw in the swat is below 15% the product is ready to be baled.

This baling process is executed by a self-propelled baler. The baler picks the product from the swat up and it is pulled into the pressing chamber of the machine. There it is compressed with high pressure. The end product is a rectangular bale measuring 0.85 * 1.20 * 2.20 meter. The bale is leaving the machine at the end after it is been knotted with rope.

Self propelled baler

The baling machine is completely adapted by HempFlax for Hemp baling. The harvester has a closed cab for the operator en powered by a 250 Hp Diesel engine.

Bales leaving the machine ChoppingWith a slightly modified fourage harvester the hempstalks are picked up and chopped. The chopped hempstraw is blown into the carrier driving next to the fourage harvester. The chopped straw is then stored on the field in a big pile with a plastic cover on top of it to prevent water coming in the product.

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Logistics The bales are transported by road on trucks. Rectangular bales are easier to transport than round bales since there is little risk of the bale rolling off the back of a flatbed trailer. The rectangular shape also saves space and allows a complete solid slab of straw to be stacked up for transport and storage. Approximately 15 tons is loaded pro truck. Due to the huge rectangular shape, large spear forks, or squeeze grips are mounted to heavy

lifting machinery, such as: large fork lifts, tractors equipped with front end loaders, telehandlers, hay squeezes or wheel loaders to lift these bales.In case of the chopped hemp a extravator with a special bucket to load the trucks. The trucks can’t be a flatbed trailer due to the fact the product is bulk and loose. Approximately 8000 kg is loaded in a truck of 90 m3 capacity. Unloading of truck full of hemp bales

Agricultural raw material qualityHemp straw Baling system Chopping system

Average technical lengthRetting degree; Secondary fiber Primary fiberEqual rettingMoisture contentImpuritiesFiber recovery ratePacking Size W*L*H Binding

60-70 cm

Light rettedWell retted>90% same color<15%<5%>24%

1,20 x 2,20 x 0,85Red/blue straps

7 – 8 cm

Light rettedWell retted>90% same color<15%<5%>20%

n.a.n.a.

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Primary

Pape

r gr

ade

Tech

nica

l gr

ade

Shor

t fib

er

Moisture content

Fiber length in mm

Fiber length distribution in %

Fiber thinness in µM

Retting degree

Color

Impurities/ shive content in %

< 18%

100-150

35 %

> 100

Light

variable

< 20%

< 12%

40 -80

15%

<80

Medium

homogeneous

< 5%

< 12%

< 30

n.a.

<40

n.a.

variable

< 30%

Hempfiber used for yarns are made out of technical grade fiber who will be degummed. Degumming can be done with the following procedures:

1. Water retting2. Chemical treatment (Chinese process)3. Steam explosion4. Enzyme treatment (Crailar process)

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Secondary

Shiv

es

Dus

t

Moisture content

Grading in mm

Fiber content

Contamination

Dust

Mineral material

< 15 %

5-25

< 5%

< 2%

< 1%

< 10%

< 2

<5%

n.a.

< 5%

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Task 3. The report on raw materials from non-food crops as alternative to fossil, petroleum-based and chemical resources

The table below indicates the industrial uses of hemp products and the products they are replacing.


Raw material

usage Non renewable alternative

Paper grade fiber

Pulp for packing Biodegradable bags instead of polymeric ones

Cordage Nylon, PP, PE

Fibre board EPS, Tropical wood, gypsum board

Technical grade fiber

Fabric PA, PP, PE, PAN, PET, PVC, PS, PW

Insulation Glas fiber, Mineralwool, EPS

Non Wovens Glasfibers, PP, PE, PET, PVC Carbon fiber, basalt fiber

Carpeting PA, PP, PE, PAN, PET, PVC, PS, PW

Paneling PP, PE, PVC, Glassfiber

Tow Cordage Nylon, PP, PE

Fiber Board PP, PE, PVC, Glassfiber

Resin filler Glassfiber

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Raw material

usage Non renewable alternative

Shives Fiber board EPS, Tropical wood, gypsum board

Compost Artificial fertilizers

Animal bedding Peat, wood shives,

Mortar Concrete, cement,

Paper filler Non renewable Polymeric ones

Absorbents Non renewable Polymeric ones

Dust Energy Fossil fuel

Compost Artificial fertilizers

Resin filler Glassfiber,

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Task 4. Set prospects to widen the range of potential feedstock for the understudy industrial uses, based on the technology improvements

4.1. Agricultural raw materials.

Competition of other agricultural crops are increasing. Due to shortage grain prices and other agricultural commodity are increasing which makes the growing of hemp less attractive. Due to the current cost price structure offering a higher price for the hemp straw isn’t an option. In order to increase the financial result for the farmer an increase of yield without a substantial increase of costs is desirable. Average yield over the past 5 years is 7000 kg of hemp straw in the Netherlands. Potential can be 10.000 till 12.000 kg of hempstraw a hectare. This can be achieved as follows:

1. Breeding of better varieties with higher yields2. Knowhow transfer to farmers for better agricultural practices3. Optimizing harvesting techniques in order to decrease harvesting risk.

The price for the straw paid to the farmer can also be increased when the fiber yielding of a variety will increase to. Work on breeding is necessary in order to obtain this goal. 4.2. Primary Industrial Raw MaterialsNatural fibers are produced for industrial clients who are used to synthetically made products for many years. Synthetically made products meets a very specific quality requirement with less variation. The quality of a natural fiber is influenced by weather and growing conditions. The desire of the end user is to have a fiber with physical characterisation of a synthetically produced fiber.

Fiber impuritiesAll top quality fiber starts with a good decortications system. The shive content should aproax 0%. When shives stays in the fiber they will also be in the non woven mat. If this non woven mat is pressed moulded to a interior part the shive will blow like pop corn causing an uneven surface of the composite. In the past this relatively uneven surface of the composite wasn’t a problem because the finishing layer was minimal 2-3 mm thick. So the unevenness was levelled out through the thick finisihing layer. These days these finishing is not more than a fraction of a milimeter thick, so all inequalities in the composite surface will be shown. Modern cleaning systems will clean out all the shives. Nevertheless these systems only works with well retted material. The quality of the fiber starts in the field. The more the fiber is cleaned the lower the fiber recovery ratio will be. Also the fiber will get damaged to much if it is cleaned intensively. Research should be conducted on further development of modern decortications systems.

Fiber lengthSynthetically produced fibers do all have the same length. Hempfibers produced with traditions decortications systems do have a average fiber length with a fiber length distribution. The goal is to keep the standard deviation of the fiber length distribution as low as possible. This is important for:

Non woven productions for composites: the physical characteristics of the non woven mat is mainly determined by the fiber length distribution of the fiber used. (especially when modern airlay systems are used.

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Fibers for spinning: for ring and open end spinning systems an equal fiber length is necessary.

A normal fiber distribution of a 40 mm hemp fiber is given in the figure below.

Different options are possible in order to decrease the standard deviation of the fiber. The difficulty is that the fiber isn’t parallelised in any decortications system. A fiber that is not flowing parallel is difficult to be cut precisely. For a better fiber length distribution research should be conducted on parallelising the fiber.

Changing the fiber characteristics. By changing the characteristics of the fiber new markets will open for natural fibers. An example is using hempfibers for brake pads reinforcement. Changing the fiber can be done with an ultrasonic process. This is a very expensive process which makes the fiber only available for a small niche market. Research should be conducted on scaling up the ultrasonic process so higher volumes can be processed into modified high tech natural fiber.

Fiber fineness: Compared to flaxf iber, hemp fiber is pretty rough. For non wovens the fineness is important in order to maintain enough fibers/cm2 in the deep moulded parts of the interior part. Flax fibers will be scare in the following years as a result of:

Decreasing growing area Increasing Asian demand for yarns

There is a opportunity to substitute flaxfibers for hempfibers if the fiber fineness of flax fiber can be obtained. Mechanically fiber opening is limited to certain fineness. Alternative techniques are:

ultrasound (US) oscillation, electron radiation, steaming with application of pressure methods, steam explosion, flash hydrolysis – steam hydrolysis, osmosis degumming – like conducted in Lys or Nil River,

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high-power electromagnetic pulses.

These techniques not only separate each fiber to a more primary fiber, but also takes care of degumming the fiber. Degumming is important for resin biding and/or coloring the fiber. This is also important for a textile use of hemp fiber.

Good results are made with the CRAILAR process developed by Naturally Advanced Technologies in cooperation with the Canadian Research Council. For Europe a comparable technique that is based on enzymatic retting, is desirable. This is not only for hemp fibers but also the flax fibers can benefit of this technology. Fiber length control is again a issue with this technique.

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4.2. Secondary Industrial Raw MaterialsConstructionHempshives are now mainly used as animal bedding. Thanks to the extreme absorption capacity of hempshives and being dust free hemp bedding is a popular alternative to wood shaving, mineral and synthetic bedding. Nevertheless the use of bedding is a relative low end usage of this material. In the UK and France the pat ten years hemp shives are used more and more in the construction market. Exampels are:

Hempcrete: like concrete a mixture of hemp shives and chalk/lime/binder Hemp particle board Hemp stones Insulation material

If the market of hempfiber is growing with 1 kg, the market of shives should be growing with 3 kg. This means that, regarding the expected growth of hemp fiber use, the market for shives has to grow extremely. Hempshives can make the construction business much more sustainable. More research has to be conducted in using hempshives for construction. Chemical feedstockShives can be pulped and be a feedstock for different chemical products. Research and information on this is topic scare. This is a unknown field to be explored. EnergyHempshives and dust can be pelletized to energy pellets. Pelletized hemp shives and dust do have an energetic value of 17,6 MJ/Kg, this is equal to woodpellets. Dust is at the moment disposed for compost. The solution of burning the shives is a last solution if markets are not opening up for other shive products. Burning dust is a better use then compost so this is desirable. Due to the fact hemp is taking a lot of potash from the soil the hemp contains a higher concentration of chlorine. This higher concentration of chlorine may cause damage to the standardized pellet heating systems. The long term effect of heating with hemp dust pellets is not researched enough. The fair of damage to the heating system prevents a broader use of hemp dust pellets.

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Task 5. Identify restricting factors that inhibit broader industrial use of the biomass feedstock (supply, costs, physical traits, consistency in quality,

technical performance, research gaps, etc.)


Increasing food prices gives higher incentives for farmers to grow crops for food instead as for non food non feed products. Also the high sub90,sidised bio gas installations thrive up the prices paid for agricultural products. The European fiber processors aid of €90,- / 1000 kg of short fiber will be stopped from 2012 onwards. The €90,- metric ton fiber is approximately €23,- pro metric ton hemp straw. It will be difficult to offer the farmer after 2011 a competitive financial result for hemp growing. Due to the relative high transportation cost of hemp straw the growing area is restricted in a circumstance of 70 km around the processing factory. With a less financial result there is a risk that farmers will sow the hemp on the lower qualities fields and uses the high quality fields for crops with a higher margin. This will result in an lower average yielding of the crop which increases the costs per metric ton harvested tremendously. 5.2. Primary industrial raw materials

Primary quality:

Automotive industry is used to synthetically produced fibers for many years now. The quality systems applied in the automotive sector are concentrated on the small variability of synthetically produced fibers. Natural fibers needs a more widen quality requirements due to weather influences and growing conditions.

As long quality requirements are not adjusted to biobased materials the demand for biobased products in automotive industry will stay relatively low.

Requirements/legislation

Example hempfiber insulation material: local legislation subscribes to use mineral fiber insulation material for public places due to fire legislation. Natural fiber is treated with soda but will burn more easily compared to the inflammable natural fiber. Because the insulation material is always build in a construction with other materials the flammability of the whole construction should be assessed instead of only the insulation material.

Hempfiber insulation material is roughly 100% more expensive compared to mineral insulation materials. Most European governments subsidies people to insulate their houses, but don’t set requirements for the material they are using. So a lot of housing is insulated with cheap glasswool. Considering the complete life cycle assessment insulating houses with products who needs a lot of energy to be produced is not as sustainable as claimed.

Also the recycling after the lifetime of a house needs to be considered. Especially the hemp insulation with biopolymer binder is very good compostable and thus recyclable. Governements should change legislation and set rules in using renewable insulation materials.

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Insulating a house with natural fiber makes a house more healthy to live in thanks to an increased breathability. Of the walls.

Supply costs

Glass Start

Raw mat. supplier Transport Glassfiber Transport First tier

supp transport OEM

Hemp Start Farmer Agricult.

contractor Transport Primary processor transport Non

woven transport First tier supplier Transport OEM

Compared to supply chains of synthetically produced fibers the supply chain of natural fiber is relatively long. The longer a supply chain is the more margin is added to every party.

Costs can be reduced by combining some chains in one company. Transportation of products (and waste in the form of cutting remains) will be eliminated. By making the supply chain shorter the total chain costs will be reduced.


Shives:

Horse bedding made out of hempshives is the most expensive horsebedding available. Nevertheless due to the high absorbtion capacity the bedding is cheaper in use. The majority of the horse owners see pricing as a buying decision. Therefore hemp horse bedding is positioned as a premium bedding. This is a relative niche market which can not handle the higher volumes of shives if fiber sales are increasing much.

A good market for the hemp shives is essential for the viability of a decorticating plant. Other markets like Hemcrete needs to be developed more.

Usage of hemp shives as a chemical feedstock has a high potential, but conductive research on this topic is failing.

Dust:

Hemppellets made out of dust is a usefull energy source. There is still a lot unknown about the influence of hemp pellets on the pellet burning systems. These long term consequences needs to be researched in depth and be communicated to the market. A higher chlorine content is not a problem for specific pellet burning installation. A good customer information supply is necessary.

Task 6. Set forth research gaps, prospects and recommendations to procure bio-based products will be tackled

Task 6 is already covered in task 4 till 5.

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