Straw disposal
The flax crop generates large amounts of flax straw and the disposal of this by-product is a major environmental issue in flax-growing regions. Flax straw is poorly degraded and difficult to plough under, since the fibres wrap themselves around and/or plug disks, wheels and shovels. For that reason, flax straw is often burnt on the ground, which causes air pollution and health concerns (FCC, 2014; CLA, 2014). However, there are now many other uses for flax straw, such as turning it into an alternative fibre source, or as a biofuel feedstock, which may alleviate the environmental problems caused by this residue (Comeau, 2006; FCC, 2014).