Page 210 - Plant-Based Remediation Processes

202 M. Griga and M. Bjelkova ´

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thin and slender and with short top branching (Staud et al. 1997). Leaves are simple,
sessile, linear-lanceolate with entire margins. The inflorescence is a loose terminal
raceme or cyme. Flowers are borne on long erect pedicels, are hermaphrodite,
hypogynous and are composed of five sepals, five petals (blue), five stamens and a
pistil compound of five carpels each separated by a false septum. The fruit is a
capsule, composed of 5 carpels and may contain up to 10 seeds. The seed is oval,
lenticular, 4–6 mm long with a smooth, shiny surface, brown to light-brown in
colour. Root system of flax is shallow and it consists of a main root and many lateral
roots. The root is thin with fibrous branches with length 0.9–1.2 m. Main root is
straight and secondary roots are further branching (Gill 1987; Mojz ˇı ´s ˇ 1988). The
cross-section of flax stem is usually round to oval and stem width is 1.2–2 mm. The
height of flax plants is 1,200–1,500 mm. The linseed stem should be thicker,
shorter, with more robust top branching. Seeds contain 20–25 % protein and
35–45 % oil rich in unsaturated fatty acids (FA). Standard FA composition in
commercial flax and linseed cultivars is about 6 % palmitic (16:0), 2 % stearic
(18:0), 16–20 % oleic (18:1), 13–18 % linoleic (18:2) and 52–60 % α-linolenic
(18:3) acids (Gill 1987; Dir 94-10; Pavelek et al. 2011).
For both technological types—flax and linseed—there are partly different ways
of cultivation and use of main product and by-product. After scutching process, the
long fibre and tow is mainly used for the manufacture of tablecloths, bed linen,
decorative fabrics and as an additive to cotton or synthetic fibres. It has extensive
application in the technical use in the manufacture of solid yarns, twine, cordage,
hoses and tires. Wood (shives) is used in building and furniture industry. Flax seed
is used as food, pharmaceutical, as a component in compound feed and its oil for the
production of varnishes and paints. Linseed provides more options for use than
most other crops (Singh et al. 2011). The main product of linseed is seed. Linseed is
used whole or slightly crushed for the production of bread and rolls, adding to the
dough, making bakery products (Gambus et al. 2004). Furthermore, the seed is used
in the feed industry and the production of oil, which is used in the oleochemical
industry for the manufacture of soaps, paints, biodiesel (Lingaraju et al. 2012),
varnishes, slow drying lacquers, and also in medicine, where it is known for its
positive effect on the degradation of fatty acids and cholesterol (Kolodziejczyk and
Kozlowska 1993; Gambus et al. 2004). The components of feed mixtures are
pressed parts and cake, which contain mucilage dietetic substances and proteins.
Using linseed protects the stomach against agents that damage the lining of the
endocrine ulcers due to the content of mucilage. Linseed stem and fibre are products
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(Staud et al. 1997) for use as bedding for cattle fattening, and in many industries,
such as construction, paper, composite materials (Cappelletto et al. 1998; Bledzki
and Jaszkiewicz 2010; Kwiatkowska et al. 2012), packing cloth, twine, filter covers,
geotextiles and replacement of plastic materials. Shive is also used in the manufac-
ture of composite plates or pressing seed pots and packaging materials (Wedler and
Kohler 1993/1994). Stem may be utilised in combustion and heat energy production
in local facilities (loosely pressed larger packages) or modified into briquettes for
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small consumers (Staud and Bjelkova ´ 1997). Thus, flax/linseed as a multipurpose