Panda Biotech has officially started commercial operations at the Panda Hemp Gin, its industrial hemp processing facility in Wichita Falls, Texas.

With the capacity to process ten metric tons of industrial hemp into textile-grade fibres, hurds, short-fibre/hurd mix and nutrient-rich micronised hurd per hour, the zero-waste process operates solely on 100% renewable energy.

Production will continue to ramp up in the coming months. In February, the complex commissioning of the 600-yard-long line and its three miles of overhead pneumatic ducting was concluded. It includes modules for decortication, refining, blending, mechanical cottonization, hurd bagging and storage, and baling.

Industrial hemp is considered one of the most versatile raw materials available, with an unmatched variety of potential uses. Applications for the five main product lines vary broadly and include consumer and industrial textiles, nonwovens, paper products, bioplastics, biofuel, animal bedding, fibreglass substitute and construction materials such as hempcrete, mulch and insulation.

With a commitment to traceability and processing only US-grown hemp straw, Panda’s partnership with the American farming community is at the heart of the operation, providing an attractive pay-to-grow programme.

Industrial hemp provides a multitude of benefits for producers, as it is scientifically proven to minimise CO2 emissions, absorbing more per acre than any forest or commercial crop. Additionally, hemp requires significantly less water than most major crops, provides outstanding soil remediation and requires minimal fertilizers, pesticides,and herbicides. Panda is actively contracting with producers for its pay-to-grow programme for this harvest and with farmers who may have straw or fibre from previous harvests or the 2024 growing season.

“The massive scale of the campus, allowing more than 22,000 pounds of baled hemp straw for processing per hour, is what makes this industrial hemp processing facility unique,” said Scott Evans, chief operating officer at Panda Biotech. “Our straw is sourced directly from our farming partners in Texas and the surrounding states and transformed into packaged products ready for retail or downstream manufacturing applications within minutes.”

www.pandabiotech.com