During this morning’s “Hemp and Automation” workshop, speakers highlighted how the development of this material has so far been held back by a lack of suitable mechanisation. One essential link in the supply chain was missing in particular: the primary processing of plant stems to obtain the two basic products required by industry, fibre and hemp shiv. Unlike countries such as France and Ukraine, speakers explained, Italy lacked suitable machinery for processing and harvesting the stems. These operations require specialised equipment, as the plants often exceed three metres in height and have extremely tough fibres.
The situation is changing, however, thanks to Parma-based Whole Lotta Hemp (WLH), which has been working with Federcanapa for two years, entering into contracts with farmers to purchase their hemp straw. WLH has installed a medium-sized decortication plant, primarily producing hemp shiv for construction. The purchase price paid for the straw is modest, while the work required of growers is minimal: they can simply cut the plants at the base and collect them in round bales. WLH’s output currently meets only a very small proportion of Italian hemp-lime and hemp block manufacturers’ requirements, but another plant is expected to become operational soon in Veneto.
A different approach to hemp processing is being proposed by the Trionfi Honorati farm in Jesi, in the Marche region. Recognising that Italian agriculture largely consists of small farms, Antonio Trionfi Honorati commissioned Spapperi, based in Città di Castello, to build a compact scutching machine. Although it processes small volumes, the machine can produce long hemp fibre for textile applications. This approach allows farmers to sell a higher-value product, although the fibre will still require further refining at an industrial facility.
The third case presented during the workshop concerned new machinery from Cormatex, a Prato-based company with decades of expertise in carding systems. Cormatex has developed new nonwoven production lines that make use of waste from textile fibre production. Its lines can process residual fibre containing hemp shiv, or fibre blends, to manufacture sound-absorbing panels, thermal insulation panels, absorbent flooring for poultry houses and hemp-fibre composites incorporating special additives such as cellulose microfibrils to improve the products’ mechanical performance.
These systems currently find a market primarily in the United States, but could soon become more widespread in Italy, providing an additional income opportunity for the Italian hemp supply chain.