Bast fibre separation/decortication

After the field retting, followed by baling and drying, the hemp stalks undergo their initial processing step at the processing facility: the separation of the inner woody core from the outer bast fibres. This is typically achieved by applying mechanical force to the stalk, breaking the inner woody core, and subsequently separating the fibres from the shives through sieving. Upon completing this initial step, the fibres are relatively clean. At this stage, the quality and purity of the fibres are sufficient for paper production. The shives which occur as a side product in the fibre production can be collected and marketed as animal bedding, building material, mulching material or for energetic use through incineration.