PROJECT OVERVIEW

Laboratory Evaluation and Testing of Erosion Control Blankets Made from Wheat Straw and Industrial Hemp

Mark Myrowich
ErosionControlBlanket.com, Inc.
(204) 797-3797

ARDI Project:

Total Approved:

Date Approved:

#00-405

$29,400

April 9, 2001

The North American market for erosion control blankets is estimated to be around 120 million square metres of blanket, with 95% of the market being in the United States. Currently, hemp is not used in the erosion control blanket market. Wheat straw is used for low velocity hills and channels, and coconut fibre is used for higher velocity channels. Coconut fibre is used for its inherent strengths, but comes at a high cost due to the importation of the fibre from India and Sri Lanka. If hemp straw proved to have sufficient strength to be successfully used in place of coconut fibre, there would be a good market for Manitoba produced hemp straw. ErosionControlBlankets.com is proposing to develop an erosion control blanket composed of wheat and/or hemp straw sandwiched between two layers of polypropylene netting stitched together in a blanket form.

Specifically, this project will attempt to design and ultimately manufacture four types of blankets using two types of netting and two types of natural Manitoba agricultural fibres (wheat straw and hemp). The four types of blankets to be designed and tested include: 1) wheat straw sewn with a light net on one side, 2) wheat straw with a light net on two sides, 3) wheat straw and hemp straw combination with light netting on one side and a heavy net on the other side and 4) hemp straw with a heavy net on two sides. Each product will be designed to have different performance characteristics and the costs associated with each product will vary depending upon the characteristics. For example, the first two products would be used to control erosion on slopes greater than or equal to 3:1 without overland flow reaching the blankets. Products 3 and 4 would be used to control erosion on slopes less than or equal to 3:1 in areas where overland and channel flow are expected. In order for hemp to be substituted for coconut, several tests must be conducted including a test matrix for blanket testing, performance testing of rainsplash on bare and blanket protected slopes, shear on bare and blanket protected soils, biodegradation of the blanket and germination with or without the blanket. This will ensure that the hemp blanket product will meet the criteria required in the industry in order to be used in place of coconut fibre.

This project builds on field research conducted with the assistance of IRAP.

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