Ecofibre Industries Limited Global View Hemp & Allied Fibres PO Box 426, Ashgrove,Queensland, 406, Australia ABN 28 010 914 619 Tel: +61 7 3369 4925 Fax: +61 7 3367 1218 E-mail: admin@ecofibre.com.au
Ecofibre Industries Limited Objectives Derive a Clean, Green profit for shareholders To Support Value adding industries in the region of production of raw materials By Creating Products that meet triple bottom line ideals Products for expanding global markets Development opportunities (patents and technology) New Industry with product versatility
Ecofibre Industries Limited Corporate History Founded in 1996, identified Aust needed a major breeding program for sub tropical and tropical hemp. First crops grown in 1998, Norfolk Island (territory of Australia) Trial Legislation in Queensland 1999 Queensland Commercial legislation in 2004 EIL has grown over 3,000 ha at latitudes 15-40 Developed new handling system 2005 Developed new processing system 2006
Projected Global Fibre Production 1999 2050 Man Made Fibres (million tonnes per year) Cellulose 2.6 6 Synthetic 26.8 35 Natural Fibres Raw cotton 19.1 25 Raw wool 1.4 2 Others + Hemp/Flax/Kenaf 0.2 32?? TOTAL FIBRE PRODUCTION 50.0 100.0
Global Fibre Demand 120 100 80 60 40 DEMAND Synthetics Cotton Other 20 0 1990 Now 2010 2020 2030 2040 2050 Figures compiled from CSIRO 2000, Kline Report, FAO, Hubbert Curve
Global Hemp Production Northern Hemisphere 60O to35o Latitude
Global Hemp Production Southern Hemisphere 60O to35o Latitude
Global Hemp Production Southern Hemisphere Production 40O to15o Latitude
Global Hemp Production
Sub-Tropical Kenaf Flax & Hemp Kenaf- Summer sub-tropical/tropical Fibre crop, High fibre yield t/ha, Technical & low value fibre uses Flax- Winter sub-tropical. Duel Food & Fibre crop, Low t/ha fibre yield related to food/oil seed production demand Hemp- Summer temperate-tropical & Winter tropical. Duel Food & Fibre crop, Medium/High yields of fibre, relatively low yield seed (1t/ha) Some existing varieties, need further plant improvement
Growing Regions & Rainfall Zones Flax Kenaf Hemp Summer Rainfall Zone has an economic growing advantage
Growing Regions & Rainfall Zones Flax Kenaf Hemp Summer Rainfall Zone has an economic growing advantage
Plant Breeding Hemp is being bread privately for Aust conditions but only for the last 5 years. There are no Australian bread cultivars released onto open market.
Summer Hemp Fibre Crops Hemp grown in Australia on a wide range of latitudes Tasmania 40 Latitude Broadest range of latitudes to trial crops Queensland 15 Latitude
Winter Hemp Seed Production
Growing Regions & Rainfall Zones Seed from north transported south, Seed south transported north Flax Kenaf Hemp
Hemp Crop Production and Yields Seed Tasmania, Temperate 1.5-1.8 t/ha (Oct-March) Queensland, Tropical 0.5-0.7 t/ha, ( Nov-March) Temperate 0.7-1.2t/ha (Feb-July) Fibre Tasmania, Temperate 6-8t/ha (Oct- Feb) Tropical 8-10t/ha (Oct- April) Queensland, Tropical 8-12t/ha (Oct-March)
Low Latitude types in High Latitude regions Tasmania 2007-8 France 2007
Australian Hemp Legislation Queensland has commercial legislation Flax Kenaf Hemp Tasmania
Australian Hemp Legislation Western Australia Queensland has commercial legislation Flax Kenaf Hemp Victoria Tasmania
Australian Hemp Legislation Western Australia Northern Territory Queensland has commercial legislation South Australia Flax Kenaf Hemp NSW Trials only Victoria Tasmania
Australian Hemp Legislation State based legislation with no Federal override on production. Seed and Oil imports and exports need Federal approval No hemp human foods allowed (yet)! Qld allows seed THC to be up to 0.5% and fibre 1.0% Tasmania, WA and Vic all crops 0.3% (inc NSW trials) Uniform legislation, THC limits and sampling & testing protocols being considered.
Value-adding-Chain SEED STOCK GENETIC SEED STOCK BREEDING HEMP GROWERS CONTRACT GRAIN HARVESTING CONTRACT FIBRE HARVESTING CONTRACT GRAIN PROCESSING: Cleaning Pressing Sterilising Dehulling PRIMARY FIBRE PROCESSING Clasification of herd, cleaning, mill short fibres Cosmetics and Therapeutics Human Foods Animal Foods Mulch Garden Products Animal Bedding Hydro-Mulch Spray grass Paper pulp feed stocks Building composites SECONDARY FIBRE PROCESSING Cleaning & prep of long fibres Non-woven fibres Textile fibres Industrial fibres Plastic fibres
Bedding & Hydro-Mulch Horse Bedding Hydro-Mulch
Hempcrete Construction High insulation Carbon sink advantages Fast construction Highly versatile design Superior health environment Relative cost to similar rated materials
Develop different cropping systems to suit all existing farm systems and competitive crop rotation Crop Production
Traditional fibre crop approach
Hemp Handling & Processing Need to find ways of reducing all costs to compete with other fibres. Problems in costs of double handling and other inefficiencies Old fashioned approach for the modern evolution of a new product Modern approach that started the processing in the field and addressed transport and energy costs
Hemp Harvesting & processing Increase on farm production efficiency through higher yields with lost costs (15%) Reduce handling and transport costs (30%) Increase raw material throughput (20%) Decrease per unit processing cost (20%) Reduce handling costs to market through packaging, storage and transport (10%) Maximise market logistics and production risk through relocatable processing technologies? Overall reduction in cost of fibre by 30%
Seed Crop Harvesting
Dump basket into Module maker
Fibre is compressed in Module
Compress & remove Module maker
Infield Loader lifts module onto flat bed truck
Module loaded onto Truck
Truck to Mill
Module stored at Mill site
Module Breaker
Fibre Crop/ Seed Crop Handling & Transport Comparisons Conventional Bale System Based on moving 90 x 225 kg bales Total 20 tonnes Action Harvest crop into windrows $ per 20/t Module System Based on 2 x 10 tonne module Total 20 tonnes Action $ per 20/t Fibre crop spray defoliant 120 30 Rake and Windrow x 2 times 60 0 Bale 20 tonnes Strip fibre process standing 450 crop into mobile basket. 500 Pick up bales, cart to farm Cart stripped fibre to Module storage 180 160 Unload bales and store Make Module 135 120 Cost of farm storage Cost of farm storage & Tarp 45 60 Load flat 40ft bed truck Pick up Module on Chain bed 180 truck 150 Transport to Mill, unload Transport to Mill & Unload 450 360 Load bales into Mill storage 135 Move & load bales into Processor 180 Process straw to Strip fibre level before clasification 80 Move product into processor for 1st stage clasification 30 Cost of Module storage 10 Move product into processor for 1st stage clasification 30 Total 2045 Total 1420 Rate Per Tonne $102 Rate Per Tonne $ 71
Module Breaker
Stage 1 Classification
Sizing and Further Classification
Stage 2 Processing Input 2.5t/hr (40% hurd/shive -60% fibre) Short & Long Fibre 2-3% Shive hurd/shive
10t/hr or 80m³/hr Re-locatable to suit production Low throughput cost New Processing
Ecofibre Industries Limited Hemp & Allied Fibres PO Box 426, Ashgrove,Queensland, 406, Australia ABN 28 010 914 619 Tel: +61 7 3369 4925 Fax: +61 7 3367 1218 E-mail: admin@ecofibre.com.au