Andritz commissions bast fibre line at Ekolution in Sweden

The line will expand Ekolution’s production capacity, producing environmentally friendly hemp fibres and nonwoven felts made from industrial hemp. The scope of supply included equipment for hemp decortication and refining, combined with a neXline airlay line for producing the felts.

“Our company is at the forefront of green materials with insulation and nonwoven products that are bio-based, carbon-negative and energy-efficient. Andritz helps us achieve our sustainability targets through a process that makes the most of our raw materials while reducing resource consumption. We can also rely on Andritz’s expertise in service and digitalisation in the future to optimise our operations,” Remi Loren, CEO of Ekolution, said.

The Andritz line, designed to obtain hemp fibre without impurities through a gentle process, is equipped with machinery that has a small land footprint and operates at low energy consumption. The decortication and refining equipment will produce high-quality fibres from up to 5 tonnes of feedstock per hour. Some of the fibres will be fed into a neXline airlay flexiloft+ line producing up to 1.5 tonnes of nonwovens felt per hour for various applications, the company said in a press release.

“We are proud to be part of this project, which is fully in line with our commitment to provide sustainable and circular technologies that support the green transition,” said Francis-Elias Junker, sales area manager for the Andritz nonwovens & textile division.

Fibre2Fashion News Desk (RR)