Method and system for processing baled straw

A system for processing a bale of straw to provide a hurd fraction, a fiber fraction and a dust fraction, the system comprising:

• a) a bale cutting assembly comprising:
• a receiving station for receiving and holding the bale of straw,
• a cutting station comprising a cutter mechanism configured to receive the bale from the receiving station and cut the bale into a plurality of vertically stacked cut bale segments by making one or more horizontal cuts through the bale,
• an ejector configured to eject a lowermost one of the plurality of the cut bale segments from the cutting station;
• b) a first conveyor assembly configured to receive a bale segment ejected from the cutting station, convey the ejected bale segment away from the bale cutting assembly, and separate the bale segment into straw wafers, wherein the first conveyor assembly comprises one or more conveyor belts;
• c) a flail assembly configured to receive the straw wafers from the first conveyor assembly and convert the straw wafers into loose straw, said flail assembly comprising:
• a flail member comprising a horizontally oriented rotating shaft having a plurality of flails/beaters fixed thereto and extending radially outward therefrom, and a straw conveying surface having a receiving end portion and a discharge end portion;
• d) a second conveyor assembly in communication with the flail assembly and configured to convey the loose straw away from the flail assembly;
• e) a grinding assembly for receiving the loose straw from the second conveyor assembly, said grinding assembly comprising grinding/cutter member to grind, decorticate and separate fibers from the hurd of the loose straw to provide a mixture of hurd, fiber and dust;
• and
• f) a separation assembly for separating the mixture of hurd, fiber and dust into the hurd fraction, the fiber fraction and the dust fraction.