compound / Production capacity of 8,000 t/y

The bonds between agriculture and plastics are growing tighter. AFT-Plasturgie (F-21121 Fontaine les Dijon), a new company created in January of this year to produce plastic compounds reinforced with hemp fibre. The company is owned to 60% by La Chanvriere de l´Aube (F-10200 Bar sur Aube; www.chanvre.com), a cereals group with annual sales of EUR 12.1m, which has two production lines extracting hemp fibre from crops on 5,500 hectares. Some 35% of AFT is owned by another cereals group, Interval (zi Giranaux, F-70100 Arc les Gray), while the remaining 5% is held by AFT general manager Gerard Mougin.

To date, AFT has invested some EUR 1.8m in production equipment and plant. By the end of 2001, it plans to produce compounds based on thermoplastic polymers, including polyolefins, PVC, ABS, polystyrene and some polyamides, reinforced with natural fibres. These can be processed both by injection moulding and extrusion. The new firm also is looking into the development of thermosetting compounds, to be converted by RTM and SMC processes, as well as non-woven natural fibres impregnated with resins, to be processed by thermocompression.

Production capacity at AFT-Plasturgie is expected to reach 8,000 t/y over the next three years. Thermoplastic compounds, made up to 50% of hemp and 50% of polypropylene are already in use for the manufacture of automotive interior components, such as door panels, real parcel shelves and head rests. The company says the use of hemp improves the mechanical properties and provides good noise absorption. In addition to the low price of this natural raw material, sources are guaranteed, since France cultivates some 9,000 hectares of hemp, the company told PIE.