Bast ribbon processing apparatus and method of decortication
AssigneeCanfiber Inc
InventorPatrick Harrap
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method and apparatus for decortication of fibrous plant stalks, involving first flattening the plant stalk, splitting the two substantially planar stalk sides one from the other; then bending each planar stalk such that the flat stalk piece with the hurd is on the outside of the bend and fibrous bast on the inside of the bend; separating the segments such that the bast begins to pull away from the hurd that spans the gap between the bent segments; peeling the bast from the broken hurd. The resultant bast fiber ribbon is valuable to textile and composite manufacturing industries while the leftover hurd is suitable for a wide range of uses.
Claims17
A method for decorticating a length of a plant stalk, the method comprising:
- a) passing the length of plant stalk between opposed rollers to flatten the plant stalk into two substantially planar stalk sides with adjoining edges;
- b) interposing and passing a splitter between the two stalk sides so as to sever the adjoined edges, creating two stalk pieces, each comprising a bast layer and hurd;
- c) supporting fore and aft sections of each stalk piece in fore and aft chutes,
- d) rotating the fore and aft chutes with respect to each other to bend each stalk piece, with the hurd on an outer radius and bast on an inner radius until the hurd is broken, without severing the bast layer;
- e) peeling the bast layer from the hurd by acting on a section of the bast layer connecting the broken hurd pieces and moving that section of the bast layer away from the broken, supported stalk pieces;
- and
- f) ejecting the bast layer and hurd to collection locations.
Apparatus for decorticating a length of a plant stalk comprising:
- opposed rollers for receiving and flattening the plant stalk into two substantially planar stalk sides with adjoining edges;
- a splitter positioned downstream of the rollers, so as to sever the adjoined edges, creating two stalk pieces, each comprising a bast layer and hurd;
- fore and aft chutes for receiving and supporting the stalk pieces;
- an actuator for rotating the fore and aft chutes relative to each other to bend and break the stalk pieces, without severing the bast layer;
- a peeling plate moveable between fore and aft chutes for peeling the bast layer from the hurd;
- and
- ejection chutes for ejecting the bast layer and hurd to collection locations.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.