What Mom Never Told You About Hemp
by Luria Lee
Industrial hemp (Cannabis sativa) can be an environmentally friendly solution to many of our problems. It is environmentally friendly in the sense that it does not require much water and pesticides/herbicides to grow it. All parts of the plant can be used without waste. Dehulled seeds can be used as food, stems for fiber production, leftover plant matter as building material and biofuel, and extracted oil for culinary uses, cosmetics, and bioplastics.
This plant is not the same as it’s infamous sister plant, marijuana. In fact, they are morphologically different and the amount of tetrahydrocannabinoids (THC), the chemical that causes those psychoactive effects is drastically different. Marijuana is a short and leafy plant, and it requires very specific growing conditions. It can have a THC content of 5%-25% depending on the cultivar, and that is concentrated on the female flower buds. By contrast, industrial hemp is tall and mainly a woody plant stem. They can be grown almost anywhere and they are very hardy. They have a THC content of 0.3%-1.0%, the higher portion being concentrated in new leaves and flower buds. Since they are grown mainly for their woody stems, the flower buds are not commercially viable. A THC content of <1% is considered enough to start having effects, so hemp is safe to be manufactured into products without contamination.
Hemp stems were traditionally used in textile manufacture. In fact, this is probably why they were cultivated. It is processed like other bast fiber plants, such as jute and flax by retting it in water and combing out the useful fiber. It is one of the strongest plant fibers; in fact they were historically used as sailing canvas and rope because they were also decay resistant. Since they are sustainably grown, they are increasingly being used to make clothes.
Since the plant can grow everywhere and produce a lot of biomass, they are a prime source for biofuel. The process of obtaining usable fuel from plant matter involves the removal of lignin and the extraction of cellulose. Compared to other plants grown for biofuel, they have more biomass produced per acre than corn and other crop refuse. Hemp has low lignin content and very high cellulose content, making it even easier to extract into biofuel.
The oil extracted from hemp can be made into many things.This culinary oil can be found in health and gourmet stores, and are generally used as dipping oil or for personal cosmetic routines. Bulk hemp oil is increasingly being used in the cosmetics industry due to the demand for naturally derived ingredients. Hemp oil research finds that it contains a lot of quality tocopherols and protein, which is good for the human body.
Last but not least, leftover plant matter from all those processes can be used as construction material. Non-woody hurds leftover from textile manufacturing makes for superior building material. For animals that are allergic to straw, hemp bedding make a nice alternative to conventional animal bedding. The hurds can even be combined with minerals to produce biodegradable ceramic.
As you can see, hemp plants can be used to make many things. It is sustainable to grow hemp crops because they do not require a lot of water and chemicals. All parts of the plant can be utilized. For people concerned with getting high from it, you can’t. It’s the perfect multipurpose plant!
[Photo, Ball of Hemp Twine, by Emilian Robert Vicol licensed by CC-BY 2.0]
by Luria Lee
Industrial hemp (Cannabis sativa) can be an environmentally friendly solution to many of our problems. It is environmentally friendly in the sense that it does not require much water and pesticides/herbicides to grow it. All parts of the plant can be used without waste. Dehulled seeds can be used as food, stems for fiber production, leftover plant matter as building material and biofuel, and extracted oil for culinary uses, cosmetics, and bioplastics.
This plant is not the same as it’s infamous sister plant, marijuana. In fact, they are morphologically different and the amount of tetrahydrocannabinoids (THC), the chemical that causes those psychoactive effects is drastically different. Marijuana is a short and leafy plant, and it requires very specific growing conditions. It can have a THC content of 5%-25% depending on the cultivar, and that is concentrated on the female flower buds. By contrast, industrial hemp is tall and mainly a woody plant stem. They can be grown almost anywhere and they are very hardy. They have a THC content of 0.3%-1.0%, the higher portion being concentrated in new leaves and flower buds. Since they are grown mainly for their woody stems, the flower buds are not commercially viable. A THC content of <1% is considered enough to start having effects, so hemp is safe to be manufactured into products without contamination.
Hemp stems were traditionally used in textile manufacture. In fact, this is probably why they were cultivated. It is processed like other bast fiber plants, such as jute and flax by retting it in water and combing out the useful fiber. It is one of the strongest plant fibers; in fact they were historically used as sailing canvas and rope because they were also decay resistant. Since they are sustainably grown, they are increasingly being used to make clothes.
Since the plant can grow everywhere and produce a lot of biomass, they are a prime source for biofuel. The process of obtaining usable fuel from plant matter involves the removal of lignin and the extraction of cellulose. Compared to other plants grown for biofuel, they have more biomass produced per acre than corn and other crop refuse. Hemp has low lignin content and very high cellulose content, making it even easier to extract into biofuel.
The oil extracted from hemp can be made into many things.This culinary oil can be found in health and gourmet stores, and are generally used as dipping oil or for personal cosmetic routines. Bulk hemp oil is increasingly being used in the cosmetics industry due to the demand for naturally derived ingredients. Hemp oil research finds that it contains a lot of quality tocopherols and protein, which is good for the human body.
Last but not least, leftover plant matter from all those processes can be used as construction material. Non-woody hurds leftover from textile manufacturing makes for superior building material. For animals that are allergic to straw, hemp bedding make a nice alternative to conventional animal bedding. The hurds can even be combined with minerals to produce biodegradable ceramic.
As you can see, hemp plants can be used to make many things. It is sustainable to grow hemp crops because they do not require a lot of water and chemicals. All parts of the plant can be utilized. For people concerned with getting high from it, you can’t. It’s the perfect multipurpose plant!
[Photo, Ball of Hemp Twine, by Emilian Robert Vicol licensed by CC-BY 2.0]