In Shallowater, Texas, Panda Biotech will build a facility to decorticate 130,000 tons of industrial hemp for processing into numerous industrial and consumer products. Decortication separates fiber and cellulose. Once complete, the plant will be one of the largest decortication sites globally.
“After more than a year of due diligence—which has included an analysis of the hemp fiber and cellulose industries in the People’s Republic of China, various European countries and Canada—we have concluded that the processing of hemp stalk for industrial uses will be the next multi-billion-dollar business in the United States,” Scott Evans, the company’s executive vice president Biotech, says in a statement. “Hemp fiber and cellulose will help manufacturers meet the needs of today’s eco-conscious consumers who increasingly require environmentally friendly products and services. As a result, hemp will be a game changer for both agriculture and industry for generations to come.”
Industrial hemp can be used to produce textiles, building materials, paper products, automobile composites, nanomaterials, bioplastics, and finishing products.