Civil Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
flowering of the plant does lead to some reduction in the overall quality of the stem, from
which the bast and shiv fibres are obtained.
Various models of hemp processing have emerged in the UK in recent years, ranging from
the super-high-tech, such as the multi-million-pound processing plant in Suffolk built by
Hemp Technology Ltd (formerly Hemcore), to small-scale and (relatively) low-tech solu-
tions such as those employed by K J Voase and Son in Yorkshire, who process all of their
own hemp using machinery they have built or adapted themselves, on the farm where it is
grown.
Current UK markets for hemp straw
Part of straw
Proportion of
crop (approx.)
Market
Shiv (stem core)
60%
Construction industry, horticulture & animal hus-
bandry
Bast fibre (strong fibres in
which the stem is wrapped)
30%
Textile industry, construction industry, scientific &
technical industries, automotive industry
Fines (small pieces of bast
fibre)
7%
Consumer goods (e.g. mattresses)
Dust
3%
Fishing (e.g. ingredient in fishing bait)
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