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Flax straw can be a very lucrative source of income

02.12.2022
Flax straw can be a very lucrative source of income

Over the past 10 years the cultivation of oilseed flax has increased significantly, from 9.8 thousand hectares to 1.5 million hectares. The stems (straw) of oilseed flax, in turn, contain 20 to 24% fibrous material, which can be processed and sold, reports World of NAN with reference to Agrobilim.kz.

According to statistics, the average yield of flax straw is 2 t/ha, and in 2019, 2.6 million tons of oilseed flax straw were produced from the cultivated areas. However, there is no processing in Kazakhstan, and farmers often simply burn the straw. Thus, 520 thousand tons of fiber were lost in 2019 (at an average yield of 20%).

Oilseed flax fibers and processed products are used in various industries. The fiber can be used to produce various kinds of insulation, linen wool, linen felt, and non-woven mats. By mixing fibers with polymers it is possible to obtain composite materials, parts for automobile trim, regenerated fiber, i.e. viscose, cellulose, paper, cardboard. Also thermal insulation boards and fuel briquettes can be obtained from shoves (flax offal), furfural, organic acids and various phenolic compounds can be produced by chemical treatment.

It is worth mentioning that in this segment the market of natural fibers is limited and poorly developed, but in the countries of the Customs Union this market is rather strong. As for European market, the demand for linen fiber is rather high and increases every year. Today there is a tendency of transition to green technologies all over the world. The average price of one ton of flax fiber varies from 250 to 500 euro, depending on its quality. According to preliminary calculations the cost of 1 ton of fiber is from 100 to 120 euro.

As the world practice shows, oilseed flax is an annually regenerated "bio-raw" of the new generation. Organization of industrial complex of oilseed flax straw processing in Kazakhstan will provide agricultural producers with domestic cellulose-containing raw material, which is strategically important in conditions of full import dependence of our country.


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