Dissanayake et al ID #10 2008 International Conference on Flax and Other Bast Plants (ISBN #978-0-9809664-0-4) 47 Optimisation of Energy Use in the Production of Flax Fibre as Reinforcement for Cement for Composites

Global warming has become a worldwide concern over the past few decades. This study aims to identify whether the use of natural fibres as reinforcement for composites is truly environmentally beneficial when judged against manmade fibres with respect to energy consumption (leading to carbon emissions). Energy used by agricultural equipment in ploughing, sowing, applying fertiliser, pesticides, desiccation and harvesting and is used to produce fertiliser, pesticides and desiccant. Energy is also used in fibre processing stages of rippling, retting, decortication, carding and spinning. These processes are carried out using heavy machinery. The aim is to determine the total energy consumption in obtaining 1 tonne of flax in a form that can be used as reinforcement for composites and to establish best practice in each stage of the agricultural process. If alternative minimum impact methods were to be adopted, how great a reduction could be achieved