Swedish building materials maker Ekolution has opened a state-of-the-art bast fiber processing line at a factory in Malmö.
The line, by Austrian technology group ANDRITZ, will expand production capacity for Ekolution, which makes environmentally friendly hemp fibers and nonwoven felts. The technology supplied includes equipment for hemp decortication and refining, combined with a line for producing felts.
The recently commissioned ANDRITZ line, designed to produce hemp fiber without impurities through a gentle process, is equipped with machinery that has a small footprint and operates at low energy, according to the company.
High-quality fibers
The decortication and refining equipment will produce high-quality fibers from up to 5 tons of feedstock per hour. Some of the fibers will be fed into a line producing up to 1.5 tons of nonwovens felt per hour for various applications.
Remi Loren, CEO of Ekolution, said the processing operation achieves his company’s sustainability targets through a process that makes the most of raw materials while reducing resource consumption.
Ekolution, established in 2013, produces bio-based building solutions and materials using hemp from its own plantations as a raw material. Its hemp fiber insulation was the first with an Environmental Product Declaration (EDP) confirming that it is carbon-negative.
Wide range of uses
Ekolution’s hemp panels and nonwoven products were used in the construction of a high-tech logistics center in Stockholm, the world’s largest building project using hemp fiber insulation, according to the International Hemp Building Association.
In addition to the construction industry, Ekolution’s hemp products can also be used in the automotive, textile, furniture, acoustics, packaging, pulp (paper), and other segments where natural fibers are in demand.
ANDRITZ, the equipment supplier, offers a broad portfolio of innovative plants, equipment, systems, services and digital solutions for a wide range of industries and end markets.