Method and system to manufacture a hemp-based insulation material

Abstract

The embodiments presented herein describe a continuous insulation sheathing product to make a building energy efficient and reduce the carbon footprint of the building. The continuous insulation sheathing product also incorporates a specialized fire-retardant chemical in addition to natural fibers. In an embodiment, the continuous insulation sheathing product may be formed via an entanglement and thermal bonding of the natural fibers and a staple fiber. The embodiments presented herein, thus, enable the product to add additional insulation value to roofs and wall assemblies of a building, while providing a continuous layer of performance to mitigate the loss of energy through more conducive members of the roof and wall assembly (e.g., wood or steel framing). Further, the product achieves the above-described advantages using predominantly bio-based materials, thereby, resulting in a lower carbon footprint and providing an environmentally friendly option for consumers.

I/We claim: 
     
         1 . A method for manufacturing a hemp-based insulation material, the method comprising:
 combining a predefined proportion of hemp fibers and bonding fibers through a mechanized bale opening process, into a transversal collector, to form blended fibers, wherein the mechanized bale opening process comprises mechanically opening the hemp fibers and the bonding fibers from baled form and metering them to the predefined proportion;   transporting the blended fibers to a blending box for storage, wherein a first layer of a fire-retardant is sprayed on the blended fibers during the transportation;   refining, by a fine opener, the blended fibers by conveying the stored blended fibers from the blending box to the fine opener;   conveying the refined blended fibers from the fine opener to an airlay unit and spraying a second layer of the fire-retardant on the refined blended fibers, wherein the airlay unit is configured to aero-entangle the refined blended fibers into a fibrous matrix of airlaid fibers;   applying thermal compression to the airlaid fibers, using a thermal bonding oven, to form thermally compressed fibers; and   cooling the thermally compressed fibers, through a cooling unit, to form the hemp-based insulation material.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising feeding the blended fibers to a fiber opening willow to refine the blended fibers prior to transporting the blending fibers to the blending box, wherein the fiber opening willow comprises an arrangement of one or more rotating drums with spikes to orient and comb the blended fibers, and to remove impurities from the blended fibers. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 2 , further comprising siphoning off dust from the refined blended fibers prior to transporting the blended fibers to the blending box. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising blowing, using a pneumatic blower, the blended fibers from the fine opener to the airlay unit. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the bonding fibers comprise one or more of polymeric fibers or non-polymeric fibers. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the hemp-based insulation material comprises 60-70% of the hemp fibers, 30-40% of the bonding fibers and 2-8% of the fire retardant, by weight. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the hemp-based insulation material is formed as a fibrous sheet. 
     
     
         8 . A system for manufacturing a hemp-based insulation material, the system comprising:
 a bale opener configured to mechanically open and meter hemp fibers and bonding fibers from a baled form to an opened form;   a transversal collector configured to combine the opened hemp fibers and the bonding fibers in a predefined proportion;   a blending box configured to receive the blended fibers for storage;   a spray system configured to spray a first layer of a fire-retardant on the blended fibers as the blended fibers are received into the blending box;   a fine opener configured to refine the stored blended fibers;   an airlay unit configured to aero-entangle the refined blended fibers into a fibrous matrix of airlaid fibers;   a thermal bonding oven configured to apply thermal compression to the airlaid fibers to form thermally compressed fibers; and   a cooling unit configured to cool the thermally compressed fibers to form the hemp-based insulation material,   wherein the spray system is configured to spray a second layer of the fire-retardant on the refined blended fibers during their conveyance from the fine opener to the airlaid unit.   
     
     
         9 . The system of  claim 8 , wherein the hemp-based insulation material is formed as a fibrous sheet. 
     
     
         10 . The system of  claim 9 , further comprising a cutting unit configured to cut-out one or more panels of predefined dimensions from the fibrous sheet. 
     
     
         11 . The system of  claim 8 , further comprising a fiber opening willow configured to refine the blended fibers prior to a transport of the blending fibers to the blending box, wherein the fiber opening willow comprises an arrangement of one or more rotating drums with spikes configured to orient and comb the blended fibers, and to remove impurities from the blended fibers. 
     
     
         12 . The system of  claim 8 , further comprising a dust collection unit configured to collect dust siphoned off from the refined blended fibers prior to a transport of the blended fibers to the blending box. 
     
     
         13 . The system of  claim 8 , further comprising a pneumatic blower configured to blow the blended fibers from the fine opener to the airlay unit. 
     
     
         14 . The system of  claim 8 , wherein the bonding fibers comprise one or more of polymeric fibers or non-polymeric fibers. 
     
     
         14 . The system of  claim 8 , wherein the hemp-based insulation material comprises 60-70% of the hemp fibers by weight, 30-40% of the bonding fibers by weight, and 2-8% of the fire retardant, by weight. 
     
     
         15 . The system of  claim 8 , further comprising a packaging unit configured to package the hemp-based insulation material. 
     
     
         16 . A hemp-based insulation material, comprising:
 60-70% of the hemp fibers;   30-40% of the bonding fibers; and   2-8% of the fire retardant, by weight.