CC Summer 1995: Ukraine's participation in Bioresource Hemp 1995
BIORESOURCE nice pic
HEMP
1995
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Hemp in the Ukraine
Pavel Goloborodko from the Ukrainian Institute of Bast Crops reported on the current status of the hemp industry in Ukraine. Over 150,000 hectares of hemp were grown in Ukraine for fibre and oil until the 1950's. This figure had fallen to 4000 hectares by 1994, but is expected to rise again.The Institute of Bast Crops has been researching the anatomy, biology, physiology, selection, genetics, harvesting and processing of hemp for sixty years. The Institute has established a genetic fund of hemp since Ukraine's independence in 1992, and currently maintains about three hundred varieties, each of which is catalogued according to fibre and cannabinoid content, as well as many other factors.


Pulping the Whole Thing
The Ukrainian Pulp & Paper Research Institute (UPPRI) presented their newly-developed and unique pulping technology. Vladimir Krotov's paper explains that hemp stalks contain about one quarter long bast fibre, and three quarters woody core fibre, also called hurds.

It is usually necessary to mechanically separate the two types of fibre before pulping, because the optimum pulping conditions for each are different. However, the added costs of separating processes include higher capital investments and operating expenses, and the advantages of better quality pulp are at least partially negated by the high loss of raw materials during mechanical stalk-separation.


Soft & Decentralized
The process developed by the UPPRI uses mild reagents, a weakly alkaline medium, and organic solvents to produce very soft pulping conditions that allow the entire stalk to be pulped as a whole. The pulp yield is therefore 20-40% higher than traditional methods.

The technique requires no fresh water, and therefore it generates no effluent. Also, one unit can combine all the necessary equipment for an unbleached pulp plant, thus allowing for the development of profitable low-capacity plants and even mobile units. This could be a major factor in the decentralization of pulp and paper production in Ukraine and around the world.
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