Company Puts Waste Flax Straw To Use

Company Puts Waste Flax Straw To Use Prairie Clean Energy (PCE) of Saskatchewan, Canada, aims to harness the millions of tons of unutilized flax straw residue across North America for innovative uses, including animal bedding and biofuel. “Our founder, Trevor Thomas, was driving from Regina to Calgary when he drove by burning flax straw. He started wondering if there was a better way to utilize that resource,” says PCE’s Chief Strategy Officer Brita Lind. “He began researching flax straw’s qualities and discovered it makes an excellent biomass fuel, among other benefits. Thomas launched Prairie Clean Energy in 2020 to buy flax straw from farmers and process it for sustainable uses.” Saskatchewan farmers account for close to a third of global flax production. “PCE has purchased over 16,000 tons of flax straw from prairie farmers in the past two years,” Lind says. “Our unique process decorticates the straw to separate it into flax fibre and shive. We have two patents pending on processing and pelletizing the flax shive, with more patents being applied for.” Likewise, PCE plans to open a straw processing facility in Saskatchewan in the fall of 2025, the first and only flax straw processing plant in North America. Flax straw is a waste byproduct of harvesting flax seed. It’s devoid of nutrients, hard to till into the soil, and has virtually no market value. Most farmers have little choice but to burn it in their fields. But PCE believes that’s an excellent opportunity for farmers, customers and the company. The straw burns clean and hot and has low ash content and moisture levels. The chemical composition is ideal for power and heat generation, as it has a high net calorific value, equivalent to wood. “If you’re using propane, electricity or diesel to heat your operation, consider switching to PCE flax fuel pellets and a biomass boiler process. You could regain your investment and start seeing savings within five years,” says Lind. Likewise, PCE’s other products, like flax-based animal bedding, have low dust, and their high absorbency means they require less mucking—typically every three to four days instead of daily. A lower pH improves the absorption of ammonia for significantly less smell and better animal health. It’s more effective than wood shavings and is fully biodegradable, like field compost. “PCE flax pellets offer a sustainable and superior animal bedding for barns, rodeos or farm shows,” she says. “We sell our horse/animal bedding and biomass fuel directly to consumers and plan to launch a cat litter product soon.” PCE currently has thousands of acres of flax straw under contract. The company buys flax straw directly from farmers, offering them double benefits as they profit from a waste crop and are spared the hassle of burning it. “If you’re interested in any PCE product or selling your flax straw to PCE, please visit our website,” says Lind. “Every year when we purchase flax straw, we start with the farmers who have signed Right of First Refusal (ROFR) sales agreements, then others on our list.” Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Prairie Clean Energy, Suite 203, 2221 Cornwall St., Regina, Sask., Canada S4P 2L1 (ph 844-978-3529; info@prairiecleanenergy.com; www.prairiecleanenergy.com).

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