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Shives

Shives, also known as hurds, shoves, or boon, are the lignocellulosic woody cores separated from the bast fibers during the mechanical processing of plant stems from species such as flax (Linum usitatissimum), hemp (Cannabis sativa), and jute (Corchorus spp.).^[1]^[2]^[3] These rigid, fibrous residues represent the inner structural component of the stem, contrasting with the flexible outer bast fibers used primarily for textiles like linen, canvas, and burlap.^[1]^[2] In the production process, shives are isolated through a series of steps beginning with retting, where enzymes or microbes break down the pectin binding the fibers to the woody core, followed by breaking to fracture the stem, scutching to scrape away the shives, and hackling to align and clean the remaining fibers.^[4] This decortication yields shives comprising 50–70% of the dry stem weight, positioning them as the primary by-product of the bast fiber industry.^[5]^[4] Historically underutilized as agricultural waste, shives have gained recognition for their sustainable potential due to their abundance, low cost, and composition rich in cellulose (35–45%), hemicellulose (20–30%), and lignin (20–25%).^[6]^[1] Contemporary applications of shives span multiple sectors, leveraging their absorbent, lightweight, and biodegradable properties. In agriculture and animal husbandry, they serve as bedding material for livestock, offering superior moisture absorption compared to traditional options like straw.^[7] In construction and manufacturing, shives are incorporated into particleboards, fiber-reinforced composites, and hempcrete for eco-friendly building materials, enhancing mechanical strength while reducing reliance on virgin wood.^[8]^[1] Additionally, their porous structure enables use as adsorbents for wastewater treatment, removing heavy metals and dyes, and as feedstocks for bioenergy via pyrolysis or biofuel production.^[6]^[9] Ongoing research emphasizes shives' role in circular economies, with innovations in particle size optimization and chemical modification expanding their viability in advanced materials and environmental remediation.^[10]^[5]

Definition and Sources

Definition

Shives are the short, woody core fragments, also known as hurds or shoves, that remain after the mechanical separation of bast fibers from the stems of bast fiber plants such as flax (Linum usitatissimum) and hemp (Cannabis sativa). These fragments consist primarily of the lignified xylem tissue in the plant's inner core, which is shorter and more rigid compared to the elongated bast fibers extracted for textile use.^[11] The term "shives" derives from the Middle English "shif" (plural "shives"), attested in the late 14th century to describe particles of flax husk produced after beating the stems during fiber preparation. This usage traces back to Middle Low German "scheve" or "schif," meaning "splinter," and is possibly connected to an Old English root "*scīfe" denoting a split or fragment. In some contexts, "shives" is used interchangeably with "hurds," particularly in hemp processing, though "hurds" is more specifically applied to the woody core of hemp stems.^[12]^[11] Shives are conceptually distinct from bast fibers, which form continuous bundles in the phloem layer of the stem's outer bark and are prized for their length and strength in applications like cordage and fabrics. In contrast, shives represent the brittle, splintered inner woody material that must be removed to isolate the bast layer, highlighting the anatomical separation between the plant's supportive core and its fibrous exterior. This differentiation is fundamental to bast fiber processing, where shives emerge as a byproduct of breaking and scutching.^[11] The historical naming of shives emerged within medieval European fiber industries, particularly in flax cultivation regions like those in the Low Countries and England, where manual and early mechanical beating techniques routinely generated these core splinters as a processing residue. By the 18th century, the term was standardized in industrial contexts to denote this specific waste material, reflecting centuries of refinement in separating usable fibers from the plant's structural core.^[12]

Plant Sources

Shives are primarily derived from bast fiber plants, including flax (Linum usitatissimum), hemp (Cannabis sativa), jute (Corchorus spp.), and kenaf (Hibiscus cannabinus).^[1]^[13]^[14] These annual dicotyledonous plants produce fibers in the phloem layer of their stems, with the inner woody core forming the shives after mechanical separation.^[15] Botanically, these plants feature slender, upright stems that are typically hollow, consisting of an outer bast layer surrounding a central pithy core that lignifies into shives.^[16]^[17]^[18] Flax stems reach heights of 0.6 to 1.2 meters with a diameter of 1-2 mm, hemp stems grow 1.5 to 5 meters tall and 5-15 mm in diameter, jute stems reach 2.5 to 3.5 meters with basal diameters of about 20-25 mm, while kenaf stems can exceed 3-4 meters with diameters up to 25 mm, all contributing to substantial shive production potential.^[19]^[20]^[3] Shive yields vary by plant but generally constitute the majority of stem dry weight: approximately 70% for flax, 70-75% for hemp, 60% for jute, and 60-70% for kenaf, with the remainder primarily bast fibers.^[21]^[22]^[23]^[24] These percentages reflect the plants' structure, where the woody core provides structural support while allowing efficient water transport through the hollow lumen.^[18] Flax is predominantly cultivated in temperate regions of Europe and North America, such as France, Belgium, and Canada, where cool, moist climates favor its growth.^[14] Hemp is grown globally, with major production in China, Canada, and Europe, particularly emphasizing low-THC industrial varieties following legalization trends in the 1990s and 2000s that expanded cultivation for non-drug purposes.^[25] Jute thrives in tropical regions, primarily in India and Bangladesh, which account for over 90% of global production as of 2023. Kenaf thrives in subtropical and tropical areas, including India, China, and the southern United States, benefiting from warmer conditions that support its rapid biomass accumulation.^[26]^[27] Shive quality differs by plant variety; for instance, fiber-type hemp cultivars produce taller stems with higher bast-to-core ratios, yielding denser, more uniform shives compared to oilseed varieties, which prioritize seed production and result in shorter stems with potentially finer but lower-volume shives.^[28]^[29] These variations influence shive suitability for downstream applications, though decortication isolates them from all types.^[19]

Production

Decortication Process

The decortication process serves as the primary mechanical method for separating bast fibers from the woody core, known as shives, in plants such as hemp and flax.^[11] This technique has been central to fiber production since the 18th century, when early manual methods dominated in Europe, involving labor-intensive steps to process retted stems. Industrial scaling occurred in the 20th century, particularly for flax processing, driven by mechanization that enabled large-scale operations and improved economic viability. The process begins with breaking, where dried, retted stems are crushed between fluted rollers or similar mechanisms to fracture the woody core without damaging the outer bast fibers.^[11] This is followed by scutching, in which rotating blades or swinging knives scrape away the broken shives and short fibers, cleaning the longer fiber bundles.^[11] The final step, hackling, uses comb-like structures to align and further separate the fibers, removing any remaining woody debris and producing refined fiber ready for spinning or other uses.^[11] Decorticators, the key machinery, were developed in the late 19th century, with significant improvements patented in 1917 by George W. Schlichten in the US, leading to powered variants for widespread adoption.^[30]^[31] Common types include roller mills, which use paired rollers to crush and separate, and hammer mills, employing rotating hammers for more aggressive breaking suitable for tougher stems.^[19] Modern automated systems integrate these steps into continuous lines, often incorporating air separation for dust removal, enhancing throughput to several tons per hour.^[19] Efficiency metrics highlight the process's output: typical yield rates from dry stem weight are 25-30% bast fiber and 70-75% shives for hemp, with flax yielding slightly higher fiber proportions around 35-40%.^[19]^[11] Energy consumption varies by scale but averages approximately 90-100 kWh per ton of processed material in contemporary operations.^[32]

Alternative Extraction Methods

While mechanical decortication serves as the baseline for shive isolation from bast plants like flax and hemp, alternative methods focus on chemical, biological, and advanced physical treatments to facilitate separation by degrading pectins and other binders in the stem.^[11] Chemical retting employs alkali solutions, such as sodium hydroxide (NaOH), or enzymatic treatments to soften plant stems prior to shive separation, yielding fibers with enhanced purity due to reduced lignin and pectin residues.^[33] For instance, alkaline retting under controlled conditions (e.g., 1-5% NaOH at 50-80°C) effectively dissolves non-fibrous components, allowing cleaner shive isolation compared to untreated stems.^[34] Enzymatic retting uses pectinase-rich mixtures like Flaxzyme or Ultrazym, applied at pH 5-7 and 40-50°C for 4-24 hours, which selectively hydrolyzes pectins for precise fiber-shive demarcation without excessive fiber damage.^[35] These approaches improve shive yield by 10-15% in flax through better stem breakdown, though they require neutralization steps to manage effluent.^[36] Biological retting relies on microbial action, often involving anaerobic bacteria such as Clostridium species, to enzymatically degrade stem binders in a controlled, eco-friendly manner.^[37] In water retting variants, stems are submerged for 5-14 days at 25-30°C, where pectinolytic bacteria produce enzymes that break down hemicelluloses and pectins, facilitating shive release with minimal mechanical input.^[38] This method, common for hemp, achieves uniform retting through microbial succession (e.g., initial Clostridium dominance followed by Bacillus), resulting in shives with lower contamination from epidermal tissues.^[39] Its environmental benefits include reduced chemical use and wastewater compared to alkali processes, aligning with sustainable agriculture practices.^[40] Biological methods like microbial retting typically consume 20-30% less energy for the mechanical separation step than traditional mechanical decortication following field retting (e.g., ~70-80 kWh/ton total for hemp), primarily due to ambient conditions and easier decohesion with no heavy machinery.^[32] Emerging technologies like steam explosion and supercritical CO₂ extraction enable high-purity shive isolation by combining thermal, pressure, and solvent effects. Steam explosion involves saturating stems with steam at 180-220°C and 10-20 bar for 1-5 minutes, followed by rapid decompression, which fragments the core and separates shives from fibers through autohydrolysis of lignocellulosic bonds.^[41] This technique, developed in the 1980s-1990s for lignocellulosic materials including hemp, enhances shive accessibility for downstream uses by delignifying up to 20-30% of the core material. Supercritical CO₂ extraction, using CO₂ at 31-40°C and 200-300 bar with co-solvents like ethanol, degums stems by penetrating and dissolving pectins, promoting fiber-shive decohesion without water or harsh chemicals; studies from the 2010s show it increases shive purity by improving inter-fiber separation in flax.^[42] In terms of efficiency, chemical and emerging methods offer trade-offs, with steam explosion achieving faster throughput (seconds per batch) at moderate energy (100-150 MJ/ton) but requiring specialized equipment, while supercritical CO₂ provides solvent-free purity at higher capital costs.^[43] Overall, these alternatives prioritize sustainability and quality over the speed of traditional approaches.^[44]

Properties

Physical Characteristics

Shives are the woody core fragments remaining after the decortication of bast fiber plants like hemp and flax, typically appearing as irregular, elongated particles. These particles generally range in length from 7 to 15 mm and width from 2 to 4 mm, depending on the grade and processing method, with finer grades having median lengths around 7.5 mm and coarser ones up to 15 mm.^[45]^[46] Their shape is often needle-like for flax shives and more rectangular for hemp hurds, contributing to their irregular woody fragment form. Bulk density varies from 80 to 160 kg/m³ in the dry state, with typical values of 85–90 kg/m³ for hemp shives, making them lightweight aggregates suitable for various applications.^[45]^[46]^[47] The texture of shives features a highly porous structure, with accessible porosity averaging 76.7% in hemp shives, arising from interconnected voids and vessels measuring 50–100 μm in diameter. This porosity enables high water absorption, up to 300% by weight or an average of 252% across hemp varieties, allowing shives to absorb several times their dry weight in water.^[45]^[48] Additionally, the porous nature provides effective thermal insulation, with thermal conductivity ranging from 0.04 to 0.08 W/m·K and an R-value of approximately 2.5 per inch for loose hemp shives at typical densities.^[45]^[49] Shives exhibit color variability from light beige to yellow or light brown, influenced by the plant source and processing conditions, as seen in flax shives displaying a yellow hue and hemp shives a bright beige tone. Moisture content is typically 8–12%, with averages around 7.8–10% reported for hemp and flax shives under standard conditions, reflecting their hygroscopic properties.^[50]^[51]^[48]^[47] Mechanically, shives demonstrate low compressive strength, generally in the range of 2–3 MPa at 10% deformation for hemp shive-based materials, though values can reach up to 1.24 MPa in composites depending on particle integration. Their friability, stemming from the brittle woody composition, makes them amenable to particleboard production, where aspect ratios enhance bending strength by about 60% compared to wood particles.^[52]^[47]^[53]

Chemical Composition

Shives, the woody inner core of bast plants such as flax and hemp, are primarily composed of lignocellulosic materials, with cellulose constituting 44-55%, hemicellulose 15-25%, and lignin 15-25% of their dry weight.^[54]^[55] Minor components include pectin, typically 2-5%, and ash content ranging from 1-5%, which contribute to the overall structural integrity and reactivity of the material.^[55] These proportions provide shives with a balance of rigidity from lignin and flexibility from polysaccharides, influencing their durability in various applications.^[56] The chemical makeup of shives varies depending on the plant source, with hemp shives generally containing higher lignin levels (20-28%) compared to flax shives (14-24%), which affects their resistance to biodegradation.^[54]^[57] Additionally, shives exhibit a neutral pH range of 6.5-7.5 in aqueous suspension, making them compatible with mildly acidic or basic processing environments without significant hydrolysis.^[58] This pH neutrality stems from the balanced ionic content in the lignocellulosic matrix.^[58] Analytical verification of shive composition commonly employs Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy to detect functional groups associated with cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin, alongside High-Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) for precise quantification of hydrolyzed sugars and phenolic compounds.^[59]^[60] Thermogravimetric analysis reveals thermal stability up to 250°C, after which hemicellulose begins to degrade around 220-280°C, followed by cellulose at 300-350°C and lignin persisting to higher temperatures.^[61] Environmental processing, such as retting, alters shive composition by reducing pectin content by 50-70% through microbial enzymatic action, which loosens the matrix and enhances accessibility of core components without substantially affecting cellulose or lignin levels.^[62] This pectin degradation, from initial levels of 25-30 g/kg to 7-10 g/kg dry matter, improves the material's reactivity for subsequent treatments.^[62]

Applications

Agricultural and Animal Uses

Shives, the woody inner core of bast fiber plants such as flax and hemp, have long been utilized in agriculture for their absorbent qualities, particularly in animal bedding applications. In livestock management, hemp shives serve as an effective bedding material for horse stalls and poultry litter due to their high porosity and moisture absorption capacity, which can reach up to four times their weight in liquid. This absorbency helps maintain dry conditions and reduces airborne dust compared to traditional options like wood shavings. Studies on horse bedding have shown that hemp shives lower gaseous ammonia concentrations by approximately 19% relative to wheat straw, mitigating respiratory issues in animals from ammonia buildup.^[63]^[64] In farming practices, shives function as mulch and soil amendments to enhance soil health and crop performance. When applied as a surface layer in gardens and fields, hemp shives suppress weed growth by blocking sunlight and provide insulation against temperature fluctuations, while their structure promotes moisture retention in the soil. Upon decomposition, shives contribute organic matter, improving soil structure and fertility; their high carbon-to-nitrogen (C:N) ratio, typically 40–70:1, indicates slow breakdown, which sustains long-term nutrient release without rapid immobilization of soil nitrogen. This makes them suitable for organic systems where gradual organic matter addition is preferred.^[65]^[66]^[67]^[68] Historically, flax shives were employed in 19th-century European farming for practical agricultural purposes, including as animal bedding and field litter to absorb waste and return nutrients to the soil upon composting. This utilization aligned with traditional flax processing in regions like France and the Netherlands, where shives were a byproduct of fiber extraction and repurposed to support local livestock and soil management. In the modern era, adoption of shives in organic agriculture has grown since the early 2000s, coinciding with renewed hemp cultivation following regulatory changes that legalized industrial hemp in Europe and North America; this shift has promoted shives as a sustainable, low-input alternative in regenerative farming practices.^[69]^[70]^[22] Economically, shives offer cost-effectiveness for agricultural uses, with bulk pricing for hemp shives in bedding applications ranging from approximately 0.20 to 0.45 euros per kilogram in European markets as of 2023, making them competitive against straw or wood-based alternatives. In Canada, where hemp production has expanded, regional examples include the use of locally sourced hemp shives for equine and poultry bedding, leveraging domestic supply chains to keep costs low and support circular farm economies.^[71]

Industrial and Composite Uses

Shives, the woody inner core of hemp and similar bast fiber plants, serve as a sustainable raw material in the production of particleboard and medium-density fiberboard (MDF). In these engineered wood products, shives are typically incorporated as a primary filler, comprising 10-25% in core or surface layers when blended with wood particles and urea-formaldehyde resins, though higher contents up to 85% are achievable with starch-based binders for specialized high-strength variants. The resulting boards exhibit mechanical properties suitable for construction, including a modulus of rupture (MOR) exceeding 15 MPa and often reaching 40 MPa with chemical treatments and compression, meeting European standards such as EN 310 for bending strength.^[8]^[72] In insulation applications, hemp shives are utilized to manufacture lightweight thermal and acoustic panels, often in hempcrete formulations combining shives with lime binders. These materials demonstrate low thermal conductivity values of 0.049-0.052 W/(m·K) at densities of 109-124 kg/m³, providing effective insulation comparable to conventional products. Acoustic performance benefits from the shives' high porosity (around 79%), enhancing sound absorption in building interiors. Fire resistance is improved by the inherent lignin content in shives, rendering hempcrete relatively low-flammability for non-structural use.^[73]^[74] Shives also function as reinforcements in biocomposites, particularly bioplastics and automotive components, where they replace synthetic fillers to promote biodegradability. In thermoplastic starch biocomposites produced via extrusion, optimal incorporation of 40% hemp shives yields tensile strengths of 11.5 MPa and Young's modulus of 1621 MPa, with improved water resistance for packaging and structural parts. European Union-funded projects in the 2010s, such as the MultiHemp initiative (2013-2017), advanced shive-based bioproducts for industrial applications, including automotive interiors, by optimizing processing for enhanced mechanical integration. The lignin's natural binding properties further aids adhesion in these composites.^[75] Global production of hemp shives for industrial uses aligns with the expanding hemp sector, with European output estimated at over 100,000 tons annually as of 2022, supporting applications in composites and building materials. Since 2015, demand has grown significantly in green building sectors, driven by sustainability mandates and a projected compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of over 17% for the broader industrial hemp market through 2030, reaching approximately USD 6.79 billion globally.^[76]^[77]^[78]

Developments and Research

Water-Repellent Coatings

Research on water-repellent coatings for shives has primarily focused on hemp shives, employing silane-functionalized sol-gel treatments to enhance hydrophobicity while preserving the material's breathability. These coatings typically involve the cohydrolysis and polycondensation of tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS) with methyltrimethoxysilane (MTMS) under acidic catalysis, forming a silica-based network with hydrophobic methyl groups on the shive surface. Application methods include dip-coating (immersion) or spray techniques, where shives are submerged or sprayed with the sol precursor, followed by drying and curing at moderate temperatures around 80–100°C to promote gelation and adhesion. Untreated hemp shives exhibit high baseline water absorption, often exceeding 400% mass increase due to their porous structure. Such treatments have been shown to reduce water absorption by up to 75%, with single-layer coatings limiting uptake to approximately 100–250% compared to untreated samples.^[79]^[80] Initial studies on these hydrophobic modifications emerged between 2015 and 2020, driven by European research institutions seeking to improve shives for sustainable building materials. Pioneering work at Northumbria University and the University of Bath in the UK demonstrated the efficacy of sol-gel coatings in transforming hydrophilic shives into water-resistant aggregates suitable for insulation and composites. By 2018, multiple layers of these coatings were optimized to balance hydrophobicity with moisture buffering, enabling broader adoption in construction applications.^[81]^[82] Performance evaluations highlight contact angles exceeding 118° on treated surfaces, confirming superhydrophobic behavior that repels water droplets effectively. Durability tests indicate that these coatings maintain hydrophobicity for 6–12 months under simulated environmental exposure, including moderate UV irradiation, with minimal degradation in contact angle (less than 10° loss) due to the stable silica matrix. Wax-based alternatives, such as beeswax or bio-extracted paraffins, have been explored in complementary studies, applied via dry blending or emulsion immersion, achieving similar absorption reductions of 70–85% but with potentially lower long-term UV resistance compared to silane-sol-gel systems.^[83]^[84] These advancements have enabled expanded applications of treated shives in outdoor composites and construction, such as weather-exposed hempcrete blocks and facade panels, where untreated shives would degrade rapidly from moisture ingress. Patents filed around 2018, including those for bio-based silane formulations tailored to lignocellulosic aggregates, underscore the commercial potential of these coatings in eco-friendly building products. Overall, such treatments enhance shive viability in humid environments without compromising their low-density and thermal insulation properties.

Sustainability and Innovations

Hemp shives offer significant environmental benefits as a biodegradable alternative to synthetic plastics, particularly in composite materials and bioplastics where they replace non-degradable fillers.^[85] Their use in applications like hempcrete and particleboards reduces reliance on petroleum-based polymers, promoting circular economy principles through natural decomposition at the end of life.^[85] Additionally, hemp shives contribute to carbon sequestration; cultivation of industrial hemp, from which shives are derived, sequesters 9 to 15 tonnes of CO₂ per hectare, with shives themselves enabling long-term storage in building materials such as hemp-lime composites that lock away up to 35 kg CO₂ per square meter over a century.^[86]^[85] The production of one metric ton of hemp shives can sequester 0.219 to 0.763 metric tons of CO₂, depending on farming practices.^[87] Lifecycle assessments highlight the lower environmental footprint of shives compared to traditional materials. Hemp-lime bio-composites incorporating shives exhibit embodied energy of 3.3 to 3.5 MJ/kg, representing a 10 to 50% reduction relative to conventional options like aerated autoclaved concrete (4.0 MJ/kg) or wood particle-based products.^[88] This efficiency stems from hemp's low-input cultivation, which requires minimal fertilizers and pesticides while enhancing soil health.^[88] Furthermore, shives-based composites demonstrate high recyclability, allowing repeated processing without significant loss of integrity, unlike many synthetic alternatives that contribute to waste accumulation.^[89] Recent innovations leverage shives for advanced applications, including nanocellulose extraction. Post-2020 research has developed phosphoric acid hydrolysis methods to isolate cellulose nanocrystals and nanofibrils from hemp hurds (shives), achieving yields up to 29% after pretreatment and crystallinity levels of 46 to 77%, enabling uses in high-performance nanomaterials.^[90] Shives are also integrated into 3D printing filaments, such as alkali-treated hurd-reinforced polylactic acid (PLA) composites, which improve stiffness, tensile strength, and thermal stability for sustainable additive manufacturing.^[89] In 2024-2025, further advancements include mineral additives enhancing fire resistance and durability in hempcrete, and structural optimization of lightweight shive-fiber panels for eco-friendly construction, supporting expanded use in sustainable building practices.^[91]^[92] Looking ahead, policies like the EU Green Deal are driving adoption by emphasizing hemp's role in carbon storage and sustainable agriculture, with cultivation areas expanding across Europe to support these goals.^[86] The broader industrial hemp market, encompassing shives-derived products, was projected as of 2023 to reach USD 16.82 billion by 2030, growing at a compound annual rate of 17.5% from 2023 levels; more recent 2024 estimates suggest growth to USD 30.24 billion by 2029 at a 22.4% CAGR.^[78]^[93]

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Water retting process with hemp pre-treatment: effect on the ... - PMC
Sep 13, 2024 · This research aimed to investigate the effect of a pre-treatment dew retting in field of hemp stalks on the pectinolytic enzymatic activity and microbiota ...Retting Experiments · Results · Microbial Taxonomic...
[38]
Retting of Bast Fiber Crops Like Hemp and Flax—A Review ... - MDPI
It is described as one of the most important steps in the whole supply chain of fibers from bast fiber plants such as hemp and flax since it affects both the ...
[39]
Fibres from semi-retted hemp bundles by steam explosion treatment
During the steam explosion process hemp bundles are both chemically modified and mechanically defibrated.
[40]
US8591701B2 - Extraction of hemp fibers - Google Patents
A method of extracting hemp fibers from decorticated hemp bast skin involves pre-treating the decorticated hemp bast skin with an aqueous solution.
[41]
[PDF] Can supercritical carbon dioxide be suitable for the green ...
Nov 16, 2020 · The first is the significant increase in the fibre fineness and cleanness. The sc-CO2 treatment promotes clearly the inter-fibre decohesion and ...
[42]
Supercritical CO2 flax roving scouring and bleaching bobbin
The invention aims to provide a supercritical CO2 flax roving scouring and bleaching bobbin. The invention has the innovation point that CO2 is dispersed ...
[43]
Energy consumption in different retting and subsequent scutching...
In the absence of data specific to flax fiber, bioretting of hemp and stand/dew retting of baby hemp are considered to have similar energy requirements to flax.
[44]
[PDF] Evaluating Steam Explosion as Pre-treatment of Hemp Fibres for ...
Jun 18, 2019 · A steam explosion process design was constructed and the operating costs were estimated. Design choices were made based on the requirements and ...Missing: shive | Show results with:shive
[45]
Effect of water retting on the physical and mechanical properties of ...
However, the high equipment cost, energy consumption, and inconsistency in fiber quality are significant drawbacks of mechanical decortication.
[46]
Physical characterisation of hemp shiv: Cell wall structure and porosity
Jul 13, 2017 · They are lightweight, strong, and demonstrate high porosity, around 75.0% [28] , which contributes to excellent thermal insulation properties, ...
[47]
https://bioresources.cnr.ncsu.edu/resources/flax-shive-and-hemp-hurd-residues-as-alternative-raw-material-for-particleboard-production/
[48]
Flax shive and hemp hurd residues as alternative raw material for ...
Jun 26, 2017 · In Canada, flax (Linum usitatissimum) and hemp (Cannabis sativa L.) crops are cultivated for the oil from their seeds and fiber from their ...Missing: primary sources
[49]
Physical Characterization of Ten Hemp Varieties to Use as Animal ...
Jan 13, 2023 · The samples were hemp shives, obtained from hemp hurds ground to 8 mm. The results showed an average of 7.78%, 251.9%, and 50.0% for moisture, ...
[50]
Evaluating the Thermal Conductivity of Hemp-Based Insulation - PMC
Apr 9, 2025 · The thermal conductivity values ranged from a minimum average of 0.055 W/mK to 0.064 W/mK. The bulk density values under compression differ from ...
[51]
US2798019A - Structural board - Google Patents
The boards have a very attractive appearance since the flax shives have a lovely yellow color under the smoothly finished surface of the board, and the color ...
[52]
Hemp shives for sale in bulk | Wholesale - Northeast Heritage
In stockFull name: hemp shives; Type: Appearance: 3-25 mm shives; Colour: very bright beige; Packing: 20 kg bags.Missing: color | Show results with:color
[53]
Development of High Strength Particleboards from Hemp Shives ...
Jul 14, 2023 · The compressive stress of the boards obtained at 10% deformation ranged from 2.4–3.0 MPa, a bending strength of 4.4–6.3 MPa, and a tensile ...
[54]
Influence of hemp shiv, cement, and water content on the properties ...
Compressive strengths of hemp composites ranged between 0.20 and 1.24 MPa and governed by hemp:cement ratio and hemp:water ratio. In addition, sizes of hemp ...
[55]
Cell Wall Composition of Hemp Shiv Determined by Physical and ...
Oct 20, 2021 · The analyzed hemp shiv presents proportions of 2.5 ± 0.6% of water, 4.4 ± 0.2% of pectins, 42.6 ± 1.0% (Hemicellulose–Cellulose), 18.4 ± 1.6% ( ...
[56]
Optimization of Phenolic Compounds Extraction from Flax Shives ...
They are composed of 53% cellulose, 13% hemicellulose, 24% lignin, 1.5% of extractives, and 2% ash [1], although differences in the amounts of these polymers, ...
[57]
Comprehensive review on flax shives–Physicochemical properties ...
Given its favorable chemical composition (25 % of lignin, 50 % of cellulose and 20 % of hemicelluloses, depending on the age and maturity of the plant [55,56]) ...
[58]
Composition of flax shives. | Download Table - ResearchGate
The average yield of fibres and stalks from flax was 22% and 51%, respectively. The flax fibres obtained were mainly composed of cellulose (75.1% of dry matter) ...
[59]
[PDF] Vapothermal curing of hemp shives - HAL
Physical properties. Bulk density (kg/m3). 110. Water retention capacity (ml/l) EN-13041. 370. pH in suspension at 10%. 6.7 – 7.2. Thermal conductivity (W/mK).
[60]
Isolation and characterization of lignins extracted from flax shives ...
High-molecular weight lignins (HML) and low-molecular weight lignins (LML) were isolated, and characterized using state-of-the-art techniques, including HPLC ...
[61]
Extraction and characterization of hemicelluloses from flax shives by ...
Aug 9, 2025 · Shives can therefore be quantified on the basis of lignin content, using various approaches such as the acetyl bromide method (Smeder, 2006) or ...
[62]
Thermogravimetric analysis of flax shives degraded by pleurotus ...
Two major peaks of thermogravimetric decomposition were observed; one at 280°C, believed to represent holocellulose, and one at 450°C representing lignin. The ...Missing: thermal | Show results with:thermal
[63]
The pectin content as a measure of the retting and rettability of flax
The initial pectin content of 25–30 g/kg of stem decreased to 7–10 g/kg (on initial DM base) when retting was completed in field retting or in water retting.Missing: percentage reduction
[64]
Evaluation of Factors Influencing the Generation of Ammonia in ...
The particular concern was a reduction in gaseous ammonia concentrations. Therefore, the following materials were examined: wheat straw, wood shavings, hemp ...
[65]
Hemp Bedding vs. Traditional Bedding : Advantages and ... - Aubiose
Superior Absorption: Hemp is known for its excellent absorption capacity. It can absorb up to four times its weight in liquid, making it an ideal choice for ...
[66]
Benefits of Using Hemp Hurd as a Natural Soil Amendment
Nov 13, 2024 · In outdoor gardens, hemp hurd can be spread as a mulch layer to help suppress weeds by blocking sunlight from reaching weed seeds. Unlike ...Missing: shives | Show results with:shives
[67]
Thick Hemp Shiv 0-25 - TECNOCANAPA
Total nitrogen: da 0,3 a 1% (dry); Total carbon: 49,2% (dry); C/N: 160. Dust: 2%; PH in suspension at 10%: 6.7. Technical data sheet – Thick Hemp Shiv 0-25.
[68]
Everything you need to know about European flax | ALLIANCE
A distinction between the two important flax families was made at the end of the 19th century. ... Shives can be used for mulch, fuel and animal bedding.
[69]
[PDF] Thr Flax Journey – from Seed to Linen (Nuo Sėklos iki Drobės)
Flax, grown for 4000 years, is used for clothing, bedding, and more. Its stem provides fiber, and seeds are used for oil and animal feed.
[70]
Particleboard Creation from Agricultural Waste Residue of Seed Hemp
For example, textile-grade fibres can be found in the 1200 Euro/tonne range, but hemp shives in Europe in 2022 range from roughly 200 to 450 Euro/tonne in ...
[71]
Development of High Strength Particleboards from Hemp Shives ...
Jul 14, 2023 · In the current study, high-strength boards for the construction industry were developed from renewable natural resources, fibrous hemp shives, and corn starch.
[72]
Thermal Properties of Hemp Shives Used as Insulation Material in ...
Figure 8 presents the calculated values of Ra number for different densities of thermal insulation made of loose hemp shives for 3 different thickness of the ...
[73]
Hemp Concrete with Mineral Additives as a Durable and Fire ... - PMC
Apr 23, 2025 · This paper investigates the thermal conductivity, compressive strength, flammability, and fire resistance of hempcrete and the influence of mineral additives.
[74]
Thermoplastic starch biocomposites reinforced with hemp shives ...
Dec 15, 2023 · The objective of this study was to assess the feasibility and efficiency of incorporating hemp shives as a filler in thermoplastic wheat starch.Missing: bioplastics projects
[75]
[PDF] Biowerkstoff-Report - European Industrial Hemp Association
Apr 20, 2010 · Hemp fibres are primarily used by Eu- ropean companies, especially in the automotive, building and plastics industries as well as traditionally ...
[76]
Industrial Hemp Market Size & Share | Industry Report, 2030
The global industrial hemp market size was estimated at USD 5.49 billion in 2023 and is projected to reach USD 16.82 billion by 2030, growing at a CAGR of 17.5 ...
[77]
Hemp as a potential raw material toward a sustainable world: A review
Hemp yields more biomass than wood, offering even two times more useable fibers than forests [49]. Industrial hemp consists of a maximum of 77% cellulose which ...3. Hemp Paper · 4. Hemp Composites · 9. HempcreteMissing: shive | Show results with:shive
[78]
Hemp - Agriculture and rural development - European Commission
Hemp is a crop grown across Europe. In recent years the area dedicated to hemp cultivation for fibre has increased significantly in the EU.Missing: shives projection 2030
[79]
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Summary of each segment:
[80]
A life-cycle energy and carbon analysis of hemp-lime bio-composite ...
Dec 1, 2017 · This study concludes that hemp-lime not only has a clear advantage over comparable conventional materials in terms of embodied energy, but also in terms of net ...
[81]
Recyclable hemp hurd fibre-reinforced PLA composites for 3D printing
In particular, hemp shives, a low-value by-product from hemp fiber processing, can be milled into fine particles and used as reinforcement in polymer composites ...
[82]
Valorization of cannabis green waste to cellulose nanomaterials via ...
Oct 1, 2023 · This study demonstrates the ability to isolate cellulose nanomaterials from both bast and hurd fiber through phosphoric acid hydrolysis.