Swedish company Ekolution has opened a new fiber processing line at its factory in Malmö. The advanced system was developed by Austrian technology group ANDRITZ.
Ekolution is well reputed for their carbon-negative building materials. With this addition the company has ramped up its capacity to make eco-friendly hemp fibers and non-woven felts.
ANDRITZ’s new fiber processing line for Ekolution in Malmö
The new Ekolution facility has an end-to-end manufacturing process. The company grows its own hemp thus ensuring the highest-quality raw materials. Hemp has proven to be an excellent raw material for construction especially for insulation. In Europe, hemp insulation is gaining popularity over traditional materials like glass fibers.
Ekolution’s hemp panels and nonwoven products were recently used in a high-tech logistics center in Stockholm. This shows there is a growing market for sustainable building materials.
The New Bast Fiber Processing Line in Malmö
The new processing line at Ekolution’s Malmö factory is designed to produce high-quality hemp fibers and felts. The new facility has the latest equipment for:
- Decortication and Refining
The decortication process is very important for hemp fiber based products. During this stage hemp fibers are separated from the plant’s woody core. ANDRITZ’s teXline bast fiber system gently processes the fibers, keeping them strong and reducing waste. The refining process further cleans and prepares the fibers for use in insulation and other products.
- neXline Airlay System
In the next stage the neXline airlay system uses air to spread out fibers. This helps to make felt which is both lightweight and uniform. The soft and non-woven fabric is ideal for insulation and construction materials.
Some of the fibers are also processed using the neXline airlay flexiloft+ system, which further refines the material.
Eco-Friendly Production
The new ANDRITZ processing line is designed to be both energy-efficient and space-saving. It has minimal environmental footprint for a facility of its size. Some key benefits include:
- Low energy use which translates to reduced emissions and keeping environmental impact low
- Minimal waste in manufacturing as the system produces high-quality fibers with zero impurities.
- Large capacity capable of processing up to 5 tons of hemp per hour and producing 1.5 tons of non-woven felt per hour.
Ekolution is a Swedish company founded in 2013. They make renewable construction materials from hemp. The company is best known for making hemp fiber insulation with an Environmental Product Declaration (EPD). This certification proves that the product is carbon-negative. Simply put, the manufacturing process at Ekolution absorbs more CO2 than it releases.
ANDRITZ is a global technology company that provides sustainable solutions spanning several industries. They employ 30,000 employees across 80 countries and 280 locations. The company focuses on growth through sustainability.
ANDRITZ is known for their expertise in four key areas:
- Pulp & Paper – Technology for paper, board, and tissue production.
- Metals – Equipment for metal processing.
- Hydropower – Solutions for renewable energy.
- Environment & Energy – Technologies for green energy and waste reduction.