Rapid test for developing high value hemp and other natural fibers

SummaryIndustrial hemp is a widely adapted specialty crop that is experiencing rapid growthacross the United States. Much of this growth can be attributed to favorable political dynamics.Hemp is a close relative of marijuana that is grown to provide a raw material such as fiber andoil for many industrial applications. Domestic hemp producers lack access to one of the mostlucrative traditional hemp markets the production of premium textile fibers. Dynamic FiberSystems LLC creates economic opportunity for domestic producers by opening access topremium textile manufacturing by supporting the production of textile grade hemp fibers.Hemp is a versatile crop and the domestic hemp industry is relatively young withexpanding opportunities. Established hemp fiber producing countries are able to produce aspinnable fiber that captures a premium as a raw material on spinning markets. During an NSF I- Corps customer discovery interview with the top hemp textile manufacturer in the United Stateswe discovered that spinning mills are unable to source even a single pound of domesticallygrown hemp. Spinning mills are willing to pay a premium for this fiber in order to meet customerdemands.Dynamic Fiber Systems LLS is licensing a patent pending technology from Texas TechUniversity that measures physical properties of natural fibers that affect manufacturingperformance and yarn quality at the mill. This device will allow hemp and other natural fiberresearchers to target the production of premium textile fibers. This creates economic opportunityfor rural farmers that want to include industrial hemp as a rotation in their farm management.The objective of our Phase I effort will be to develop a Minimum Viable Product basedon this technology. The MVP will be a device that is able to subsample different types of naturalfibers and present them to a sensor for evaluation.This device will initially be marketed towards hemp decortication plants the facilitiesthat manufacture fiber from the raw plant material and cotton breeders. The device will let themoptimize their processes in a way that leads to the production of a premium hemp fiber producedin the United States. We expect demand for the device to grow with the natural fiber industry.