Fibers sourced from hemp stalks are among the strongest plant fibers in tensile strength. Hemp stalks yield two types of fibers: long bast fibers and short hemp hurds or pulp fibers. Longer bast fibers come from the outer layer of the hemp stem while hemp hurds refers to the woody inner core.
It is possible to use both types of fibers for the production of hemp paper. Paper made from the long bast fibers is crumbly, thin, and coarse. Paper made from hemp hurds or pulp is thicker and softer. The production process of paper from hemp pulp is also easier.
Hemp paper like traditional paper needs the pulping of the fibers into a slurry. This is easier to do using hemp hurds. The first step is to separate the pulp from other plant matter. The next step is to soak the refined pulp in clean water and pound it to get a pulp slurry.
In industrial papermaking, some additives are used for the slurry. The next step is to remove the excess water from the slurry. The paper machine spreads the slurry on a mobile continuous screen for the water to be drained by gravity or vacuum.
Then the wet paper goes through pressing to be dried. The final outcome is a roll of paper. Cutting the rolls into different paper sizes using mechanized cutters is often a separate enterprise that paper mills do not undertake.
Sources
techlifetoday. ( June 10th, 2019). Take a tour of a hemp processing plant. Retrieved November 4th, 2020 from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nY3qZanPinY&ab_channel=techlifetoday
Singh, J. (2019). Explained – How Hemp Paper is Produced. Hemp Foundation. Retrieved November 4th, 2020 from: https://hempfoundation.net/explained-how-hemp-paper-is-produced/#:~:text=Hemp%20paper%20like%20traditional%20paper,to%20get%20a%20pulp%20slurry.