Hemp Updates from China

China is the world's leading producer of hemp fibers and hemp products. While hemp has been outlawed in the West for decades, China never stopped growing and processing hemp. Lately the Chinese have renewed their efforts to make good use of mother nature's wonder crop and are increasing their growing and processing capacity as the two following articles illustrate.

Note that the second article refers to kenaf rather than hemp. 


China Hemp: A Magical Plant 

Web source: CFF Group News 

Author： chh 　　　Time：Jun 11 2009 9:45AM

China-hemp is an ancient plant, known as "the king of natural fibers". Clothing and clothing products made from China hemp have many functions like moisture-absorption, breathable, comfort, heat-disperse, anti-mildew, antibacterial, anti-radiation, anti-ultraviolet, and sound-absorption. The fabric is suitable for military and civilian. The excellent properties of China hemp will bring about revolutionary changes to food and clothing for soldiers in the future.

China hemp is a magical plant, which can be processed into a variety of military apparel and high-end apparel materials. It is expected to change the structure of textile products in the world; it might become alternatives of oil, coal and other fossils to reduce environmental pollution caused by energy consumption.

China hemp is a multi-purpose plant that is eco-friendly and renewable. It can become white fiber like cotton after processes of degumming and spinning, and then the fiber can be used in wool textiles, cotton textiles, and blended textiles at low-cost.

China hemp fabrics　

With in-depth study of China hemp, experts find that the plant is all of magic. Moisture-absorption rate of China hemp is 3 times of cotton. China hemp fabric can kill bacteria attached to the fabric within one hour; China hemp fabric can shield more than 95 percent of ultraviolet rays. The fabric does not fade in 370 ℃ high temperature and does not burn at 1000 ℃. The fabric has excellent heat resistance and anti-UV properties.

Stalk core of China hemp can be processed into wood powder, activated carbon and pulp for paper; hemp leaves, hemp flowers and hemp roots can extract drugs with functions of hemostasia, loosing sediment, detoxification and securing embryo; hemp seed can squeeze oil; hemp stalk core can absorb formaldehyde 11 times higher than pine and it also has special features to decompose harmful chemical gases.

China hemp will be promising in production of military uniform. Chinese army is the world's first army to use china hemp fiber in large volume.

《中华人民共和国增值电信业务经营许可证》编号：浙ICP备05004918号

Bio-dynamic Group Announces Fuel Ethanol Production Plan

Web source:  PR Log: Bio-Dynamic Group

 According to Industrial Biotechnologies China News,unlike most producers of cellulosic-based ethanol adopting straw as raw material, the joint venture will choose kenaf as raw material with several obvious strengths.

PRLog (Press Release) – Jan 30, 2011 – On January 6, 2011, Bio-Dynamic Group Limited (or Bio-Dynamic Group) announced that the company and Shanghai Zhongwei Biochemistry Co., Ltd. (or Shanghai Zhongwei) entered into a non legally-binding framework agreement for establishing a joint venture engaged in the production and sales of cellulosic-based fuel ethanol made from kenaf.

According with the framework agreement, the production facility with a production capacity of over 10,000t/a will be launched in 2011 upon completion of construction; the capacity will be expanded to 100,000t/a to 200,000t/a during 2012 and 2013 upon completion of construction. The registered capital of the joint venture will be about USD6,002,800 (equivalent to RMB40,000,000). Shanghai Zhongwei and Bio-dynamic Group will contribute certain intangible assets (including technology and expertise) into the joint venture on a 75:25 basis as registered capital of the joint venture.

According to an employee of Bio-Dynamic Group, Miss Chan, Bio-Dynamic Group will provide needed facilities for fuel ethanol production as the company is already an edible-ethanol producer in Harbin City, Heilongjiang Province; meanwhile, Shanghai Zhongwei will offer the core technology of fuel ethanol production from kenaf. Currently, R&D stage has been completed but the project is still pending industrialization. Thus, whether the joint venture will be set is still up in the air.

According to Industrial Biotechnologies China News February 2011 issue, published by CCM International Ltd., unlike most producers of cellulosic-based ethanol adopting straw as raw material, the joint venture will choose kenaf as raw material with several obvious strengths.

On one hand, the arable area has been shrinking in China owing to environmental damages or land desertification; however, kenaf with high adaptability can grow on land not so fertile, highly guaranteeing the stable supply. On the other hand, the kenaf planting can also help better the soil conditions, facilitating environmental protection in the long run. Furthermore, the adoption of kenaf totally complies with the “non-grain ethanol” governmental policy promoted nationwide since 2007. If the quality can meet the national standards, the company would have no big concern about the sales, according to Miss Chan, anyway, the domestic demand for fuel ethanol is tremendous in the future.

Notes:

1 Incorporated in the Cayman Islands with limited liability, Bio-Dynamic Group is a listed enterprise on the Hong Kong stock exchange market, who has an edible-ethanol production base with 60,000t/a capacity in Harbin City, Heilongjiang Province.

2 Shanghai Zhongwei is a Shanghai-based enterprise engaged in the researching, developing, manufacturing and investing all kinds of new vegetable colloid materials in the fields of food, medicine and fine chemistry.

CCM’s Industrial Biotechnologies China News at http://www.cnchemicals.com/Newsletter/IndustrialBiotechn ...