Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
The true difference between these invest-
ment costs is due to:
the degree of refinement that is sought
Table 9.3.
Operating costs.
Cost (2004
values) in
€
/t
Source:
Experts
Source: Nova-
Institute
•
(higher levels of fibre purity require more
decorticating equipment - for example: an
increase in the number of rollers);
the degree of sophistication of the equip-
Salaries and
social charges
43.56
47.00
Repayments
38.71
54.00
•
Energy
10.67
11.40
ment used to treat the dust and waste pro-
duced in order to avoid pollution;
the degree of sophistication of the equip-
Financial
charges
11.10
Included with
other charges
•
Maintenance
8.40
9.00
ment used to treat and condition the hurds
and powder;
the surface area and volume of storage
Other costs
24.83
27.40
Total
137.27
148.80
•
provided for storing the straw and the end
products.
Depending on the choices made, the amount
of investment required can double.
•
Maintenance: 2 qualified workers per team.
•
From this it would appear that the cost of
treating 1 t of straw lies between
€
120
150/t.
As a result, we are able to propose two
approaches to the calculation of production
costs (these are average values and exclude the
cost of purchasing straw).
and
€
9.7.2 Operating costs
The values provided in Table 9.3 are averages
obtained from observations and exchanges of
information with European hemp producers.
The following rough figures are offered:
Numbers: one person is required for the
9.8 Conclusion
•
This chapter has demonstrated and explained
that the refining of industrial hemp into useable
products is both difficult and costly. The big-
gest challenge lies in defining clearly the end
use of the product and making a sale.
fibre extraction of 2000 t of straw/year.
Energy: 100-150 kWh are required per
•
tonne of straw (including the conditioning
of the hurds).
Notes
1
Other authors indicate the term may come from the Latin Rivus or Ros or from the German Rozen.
2
For a scientific explanation of retting, one should refer to Chapter 3 where B. Chabbert and M. Kurek
describe the chemical composition of hemp.
3
In water at 20°C, the process of decomposition lasts 8 days.
4
This practice polluted water and the atmosphere leading the authorities to ban the technique.
5
The reader is referred to the contribution of Dr Jöerg Müssig, in Chapter 10 on the methods used to
characterise the natural fibres.
6
An explanation of this technology can be found in Chapter 10 by Dr Jöerg Müssig.
7
Dunagro.
8
Hill Agra Machinery.
