Belgians invest 5 million in expansion of production capacity of a plant producing hemp blocks

According to the developed business plan, new production facilities should be "intellectual". There is a massive use of new technologies: sensors, robots, kobots, as well as the use of other "manipulators", managed with the help of integrated software.

On the pages of the profile electronic edition of Ukrainian cannabis ( tku.org.ua ) it has been described more than once how the fire is turned into “ Bricks and blocks used in hemp construction ”. Attention was drawn to the fact that “ Canada is building capacity for the production of building materials from hemp fiber ”, “ Holland“ starts “streaming construction of panel-frame structures made of concrete ”, “ Austria is building industrial construction of pre-fabricated cannabis ”. Developing several production chains at once, the agricultural producers of Wallonia in 2016 “launched” a plant for the primary processing of hemp straw / trusts. The article “ Belgium increases hemp processing capacity ” describes the features of the production capacity of this enterprise, which are “sharpened” for obtaining high-quality fiber. This article will focus on the Belgian plant that manufactures blocks of hemp fires, lime with the addition of water, the management of which, due to a significant increase in demand, plans to increase several times the industrial capacity.

In Belgium, one of the main uses of hemp fires is the manufacture of insulating blocks from it. In theory, everything is extremely simple - the “woody part of the plant” with a size of 0.5 to 3 cm is mixed in certain proportions with lime and water. The resulting mixture is poured into molds and blanks "bring" a special press. After pressing, the blocks are left to dry in the open air for 10-14 weeks (at this stage, this building material hardens to the extent necessary for carrying out work with it).

One of the Belgian companies has automated this production process and since 2012, it has introduced products to the EU market. At the moment, the staff of the company has 25 people, and the produced hemp blocks are sold in Belgium, France, the Netherlands. According to the manager of the company, the demand for manufactured products is constantly growing. In 2018 alone, turnover increased by 75%. According to the results of the first three months of 2019, it has doubled.

5 main advantages of hemp blocks

Thermoregulation

The hemp block naturally regulates the temperature of a building due to its excellent ability to dissipate accumulated heat. A block made of hemp fires with high inertia protects:

•   from the cold in winter, keeping warm in the house longer

•   summer heat, avoiding overheating of the habitat.

Hemp blocks are a natural thermal buffer that maintains a constant temperature in the room and significantly reduces the effect of temperature fluctuations throughout the day (day / night). Unlike other building materials sold on the market, hemp blocks are simultaneously a shell and an insulator, so there is no need to “add layers of insulation.”

Humidity control

Due to its high water vapor permeability, the hemp block acts as a buffer for water and provides a constant and healthy climate for people in the room. Thus, the level of relative humidity stabilizes within 50% - 55% making the placement of ventilation systems or vapor barrier membranes unnecessary.

Blocks are used for:

•   repair and insulation of old buildings - brick or often weeping walls

•   interior renovation guaranteeing excellent "conservation" of the existing building

•   humidity control in projects where its fluctuations are an important factor: rooms for archives, museums, sports halls, swimming pools, etc.

Soundproofing

Regardless of whether hemp blocks are used for interior walls or partitions, external and ambient noise will be significantly reduced. As for sound insulation, the hemp block acts like a real sound trap and can suppress most acoustic waves, thereby protecting it from "noise pollution."

Protection and fire resistance

Hemp blocks meet current standards and provide a simple and effective solution to the problem of fire resistance for industrial buildings as well as for collective (nursery, school) or private housing. Possessing an excellent response to fire (class A1 for a block with a coating), it provides fire resistance for more than 2 hours depending on the finish and thickness of the block used.

Health and environmental quality

Hemp block meets the most stringent requirements of sustainable development and "green housing": made using a very energy-efficient process, using 100% local biodegradable natural materials (lime + hemp). Building or repairing a facility using hemp blocks can steadily “bury” more than 2 tons of carbon dioxide stored in the atmosphere, leaving a “negative hydrocarbon trace” during production. Making blocks requires very little energy. In the course of their production there is no waste.Blocks are 100% recyclable.

Commentary of the Association "Ukrainian technical hemp"

At the moment, the Belgian construction company sells about a million cannabis blocks a year. As demand continues to grow, it was decided to build new production lines that would double the capacity of the plant. The second production equipment chain should earn by March 2020. Planned investment of € 5 million will increase production capacity to 5 million units per year. According to the developed business plan, new production facilities should be "intellectual". There is a massive use of new technologies: sensors, robots, kobots, as well as the use of other "manipulators", managed with the help of integrated software.