International technology group ANDRITZ has recently commissioned a state-of-the art teXline bast fiber line at the new factory of Ekolution, a pioneer in sustainable building materials, in Malmö, Sweden.
The line will expand Ekolution’s production capacity, producing environmentally friendly hemp fibers 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.
Remi Loren, CEO of Ekolution, states: “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 digitalization in the future to optimize our operations.”
The ANDRITZ line, designed to obtain hemp fiber 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 fibers from up to 5 tons of feedstock per hour. Some of the fibers will be fed into a neXline airlay flexiloft+ line producing up to 1.5 tons of nonwovens felt per hour for various applications.
“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,” says Francis-Elias Junker, Sales Area Manager for the ANDRITZ Nonwovens & Textile division.
Ekolution, established in Sweden in 2013, produces bio-based building solutions and materials using hemp from its own plantations as a raw material. Its hemp fiber insulation is the first with an Environmental Product Declaration (EDP) confirming that it is carbon-negative (more CO2 is sequestered in the industrial hemp than is emitted in the production process). Ekolution’s hemp panels and nonwoven products have recently been used in the construction of a high-tech logistics center in Stockholm, the world’s largest building project using hemp fiber insulation. 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 green, natural fibers are in demand.
