1 (800) 247-3344 info@cablevey.com Select Page What is the Best Equipment to Process Hemp? by Karl Seidel | Nov 22, 2021 | Hemp Hemp, a plant from the Cannabis Sativa species, is used to produce a wide variety of industrial and consumer products. Hemp was removed from the Controlled Substances Act when the 2018 Farm Bill was passed into law. With hemp and hemp-derived products, like hemp seed oil and CBD hemp, the popularity of industrial hemp continues to rise as more uses of the plant are discovered. Primarily marketed as a fiber, a seed, or a dual-purpose crop, industrial hemp products include everything from food and clothing to building materials. Because of the different applications of the hemp harvest and its materials, hemp cultivation, post-processing, and industrial hemp processing will depend on its intended use or the final product. This blog post will talk about the best equipment to process hemp fiber and seed production. Hemp Fiber Processing Destemming For fiber production, the hemp farmer will put the harvest through hemp drying and bucking or de-budding/destemming, a process that removes the flower and leaves from the plant’s stem. During this harvest processing phase, the best destemming equipment will be one that does not pull or pop the hemp plant delicate flowers. Instead, the machine should gently cut the flowers from the stem to ensure the crown buds stay intact. These flowers can be separated and processed to be used for other industrial hemp products. Decortication and retting The hemp stalks then undergo hemp decortication and retting, which make up most of the processing requirements for hemp fiber production. The best equipment at this phase is an advanced decorticator. The right machinery will use a reactor that separates the hemp stalks and turns them into pulp. Modern decorticators have a hammermill that effectively separates the hemp plant’s hurd from the bast fiber, removing its gums and resins. Cleaning, refining, cutting The bast fiber, the natural fiber that grows on the outside of the hemp stalks, is then cleaned, refined, and cut to size. These fibers can be pressed into compressed bails to be sent to hemp product manufacturing facilities that will purchase wholesale hemp and turn them into industrial products like textiles, rope, paper, clothing, and so on. Pellet processing If the hemp is intended to make hemp pellets, the straw or stalks will undergo a different form of processing. For this application, the best equipment is a pelletizer machine that functions similarly to machines used for making grass pellets. Because hemp pellets are delicate and can easily fall apart when mishandled, they need a gentle conveyance system when they are being moved throughout the hemp processing facility. Hemp Seed Processing Hemp seed processing differs from fiber production because instead of using the hemp plant’s stalks, the focus is on the hemp flowers. Harvesting Hemp farmers will use hemp farming equipment like a straight combine when harvesting the hemp crop. When the combine header is positioned just right and high enough, it will cut the crop just below the seed head. In this way, less of the plant’s fiber ends up in the combine. Dehulling The seeds will need to undergo drying, cleaning, and dehulling. Dehulling involves a hemp seed shelling machine that removes the seed’s outer shell. Seed dehulling/shelling equipment consists of an input hopper, spiral elevator, and a unit that dehulls and separates the seeds. The seed separator uses vibration to separate the seed from the shell gently. There is also a device that collects and discharges kernels, the seed’s crunchy skin that’s been separated, and hull residue. For any back-flowing materials, the equipment will send them back for dehulling and separation again. Conveying Because the hemp seeds are fragile, they need to be conveyed gently when moved from the combine to drying facilities, bins, or dehulling equipment. In the past, equipment like screw augers, bucket elevators, pneumatic conveyors, belt conveyors, and vacuum conveyors were used to move hemp materials; however, these systems proved inefficient and not ideal for maintaining consistency. Poor inlet designs and high conveyor speeds made them susceptible to temperature changes, damaging the seeds, leading to product loss. Hemp seeds are delicate and burst when introduced to friction and heat. Once they have been compromised, they are susceptible to contamination and can become rancid quickly. The best conveyance system in seed processing involves a gentle conveyor system designed to maintain the integrity of the seed and reduce wastage. Tubular cable and disc drag conveyors are designed to keep delicate products like hemp seeds from becoming damaged during the move between different processing equipment and phases. With a modular design meant to accommodate wide ranges of diameters and materials, tubular drag conveyor systems can also move other parts of the plant and hemp products like hemp pellets. The best tubular drag conveyor will feature technology that combines conveyance tubes with cables and discs attached at set intervals. This innovation gently handles materials from an inlet within an enclosed tube. With top-mounted drive units that are pulled by sprockets, the hemp materials are moved slowly and gently from the infeed points to discharge ports. Conclusion From medical cannabis facilities and CBD production plants to industrial hemp farms, the passing of the 2018 Farm Bill has resulted in a surge of cannabis-related businesses. Hemp farmers growing hemp today are setting the standards for cultivation and processing by being the first to use advanced equipment that eliminates the need to harvest and process hemp by hand. The best hemp farm equipment and processing equipment depends on the intended use of the hemp plant material. For processing hemp fiber, hemp processors and producers will need equipment like destemming machines and decortication machines. If the hemp is used for seed production, the process will require a hemp seed shelling machine. But whether you are processing hemp fiber, hemp seeds, or hemp biomass, an effective, gentle conveyance system designed for these unique materials, is essential to ensure the raw materials are moved gently to reduce the risk of wastage. If you’d like to know more on how best to move delicate hemp materials, don’t hesitate to reach out to Cablevey. We would be happy to answer any questions you may have and help you choose the right conveying system for your facilities. Blog Categories Almonds Biomass Breweries Cablevey News Cereals Coffee Conveyor Thoughts Conveyors Craft Brewers Conference Feed Food Safety Fragile Materials Hemp Nuts Packaging Pecans Pet Food Press Processed Food Processing Products Rice Seeds Snack Foods Specialty Grain Handling Tea Testimonials Tips Uncategorized Walnuts About CABLEVEY® CABLEVEY® is a world-wide tube conveyor manufacturer that designs, engineers, and services our tubular drag cable and disc conveyor systems in over 65 countries. Toll Free: 1 (800) 247-3344 T: +1 (641) 673-8451 F: +1 (641) 673-7419 E-mail: info@cablevey.com 2397 Highway 23 PO Box 148 Oskaloosa, Iowa 52577 USA Cablevey Feeding Systems Cablevey Ag delivers and installs products all over the world, our systems are made in the U.S.A., utilizing higher quality materials than many of our competitors. 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