US industrial hemp processor Panda Biotech has started commercial operations at its processing facility in Texas.
The hemp facility in Wichita Falls has the capacity to process 10 tonnes/hour of industrial hemp into textile-grade fibre/hemp hurd (the by-product of the hemp process), short-fibre/hurd mix and nutrient-rich micronised hurd, the company said on 3 April.
With every part of the industrial hemp stalk used in a zero-waste process, the company said the focus would be on five main product lines: mechanically cottonised fibre; decorticated fibre; hurd (cellulose), short-fibre/hurd mix; and nutrient-rich micronised hemp dust.
Applications for each product varied but included: consumer and industrial textiles; non-wovens; paper products; bioplastics; biofuel; animal bedding; fibreglass substitute; and construction materials such as hempcrete, mulch and insulation.
“As research and development in this area continue to advance, industrial hemp fibre and cellulose will help transform numerous industries with sustainable goals and challenges,” Panda Biotech president Dixie Carter said.
Hemp required significantly less water than most major crops, provided good soil remediation and required minimal fertilisers, pesticides and herbicides, the company said.
As part of its pay-to-grow programme, Panda Biotech said it was working with producers for this harvest and with farmers who might have straw or fibre from previous harvests or the 2024 growing season.
“Our straw is sourced directly from our farming partners in Texas and surrounding states, and - through our decortication process - it is transformed into packaged products, ready for retail or downstream manufacturing applications,” Panda Biotech chief operating office Scott Evans said.
