The Mechanical Harvesting of Hemp Using In-Field Stand-Retting: A Simpler Approach Converted to the Production of Fibers for Industrial Use

Sustainability

Stanislao Esposito¹  Enrico Santangelo²  Andrea Cocchi²  Alberto Assirelli²  LambertoDal Re³ 

[1] CREA Council for Agricultural Research and Economics, Research Center for Agriculture and Environment, Via della Navicella 4, 00184 Rome (RM), Italy;CREA Council for Agricultural Research and Economics, Research Center for Engineering and Agro-Food Processing, Via della Pascolare 16, 00015 Monterotondo (RM), Italy;Experimental Farm “M.Marani”, Via Romea Nord 248, 48122 Ravenna (RA), Italy;

关键词: hemp;    in-field maceration;    fiber separation;    harvesting;    mechanization;   

DOI  :  10.3390/su12218795

来源: DOAJ

【 摘 要 】

The mechanical harvesting of hemp is a key step toward a profitable use of the product. Various fractions (fiber, seeds, residual biomass) may be recovered, and their correct management is fundamental for complying with the requirements of processors/end users. In the light of the renewed interest for its industrial use (panels and insulators), this work proposes the use of modified commercial machines to implement a field separation of the fibrous fraction of stand-retted hemp, a practice that would be profitable if realized with the systems adopted for textile use. The present work was conducted to test the efficiency of harvesting partially macerated plants by using a modified self-propelled forage harvester (SPFH). In Northern Italy, a hemp crop was stand-retted for four months. Then, an SPFH—with rotor knives reduced in number from 24 to 12—was used. Stand-retting made it possible to separate cortical fibers from the inner stem cylinder during harvesting; 53.3% of the material (fibers and shives) was separated automatically by the SPFH together with the chopped bast fiber, while the remaining 46.7% was separated on exiting the launch tube. More than 50% of the fibers were shorter than 5 cm in length, while almost 15% were longer than 10 cm. The SPFH had an effective operating speed of 3.48 km h⁻¹, and no clogging occurred during the test. Therefore, the combination of stand-retting with harvesting using a modified SPFH could be helpful in obtaining an early separation of fibers from shives, thus facilitating the product treatment during its subsequent processing, e.g., by enhancing the defibration.

【 授权许可】

Unknown