The future of hemp
Hemp is an environmentally friendly, degradable material. In the midst of the challenges caused by global warming, the need of the production industries to find green solutions may in the future also lead to the spread of new types of hemp usage that we cannot even foresee today…
In addition to their structural stability, hemp biocomposites have unique acoustic and mechanical properties, among which their fire resistance stands out. This makes hemp suitable for reinforcing rebar structures or even for use in vehicle construction. The Harley-Davidson-owned electric motorcycle maker uses such a hemp-based composite in the fenders of some electric bikes.
Bruce Dietzen, retired Bell executive, next to his car with a body made entirely of hemp-based elements.
Hemp is also used to make batteries, which could greatly increase demand in the age of the electrical industrial revolution. The carbon element production potential of industrial hemp lies in the chaff fibers, the long, strong fibers from the bark of the plant. The production and processing of this material is much more environmentally friendly than more common battery compounds such as graphite and lithium.
The hemp plant can extract polyfluoroalkyl pollutants from the soil. It is successfully used in Belgium for soil cleaning in several places, for example in the Lillo district of Antwerp to improve an area heavily contaminated with firefighting foam. This solution can also be useful in the fight against water pollution.
The use of hemp in electrical technology can also significantly reduce the amount of non-degradable waste from electronic devices in the future. Fully recyclable rigid PCB laminates based on natural fibers have a 60% lower carbon footprint compared to fiberglass and epoxy technologies.
An image of an aerogel bead in hemp-derived cellulose, taken with a scanning electron microscope. Some researchers are working on extracting cellulose waste from hemp fibers to produce aerogel materials that can be widely used in industrial applications.
