Hemp Fibre & It’s many Uses
for Regional Employment
"Anything
that can be made from hydrocarbons,
can be made from carbohydrates."
Henry Ford with his hemp car.
.
Fibre:
Hemp
cloth is softer and warmer than cotton and has 3 times the tensile
strength. It is many
times more durable and does not harbour bacteria, which makes it a very
good plant for the health industry.
Hemp does not require the amount of pesticides and chemicals
needed for cotton. Properly
grown hemp can have a beneficial use for soil structure because of it
deep root system and production of biomass.
China, Russia, France and Chile are the world’s largest hemp
producing nations.
Paper:
Paper
made from hemp is stronger and less likely to tear. It has more wet
resistance than wood pulp and is 7 times as recyclable. It is also grown
from an annual plant thus saving forest resources. It can produce a
wider range of papers, whilst only using a fraction of the dangerous
chemicals. No dioxins are produced and less energy/water used. Cannabis
can be mixed with other fibre pulp for strength eg, Wheat, bagesse,
kenaf etc.
Building
materials:
Hemp
produces many times the cellular fibre of trees and is perfect for hemp
bricks, concrete framework and particle board, it is very long lasting
and highly flexible.
Fuel:
As Henry
Ford found – Hemp produces far more biomass suitable for conversion to
methane than almost any other plant. This renewable biomass fuel
contains no sulphur and whilst growing helps remove CO2 from the
atmosphere via photosynthesis.
The
Cannabis hemp seed is a complete source of easily accessible protein. It
is available in the form found in human blood plasma, the fluid portion
of blood that supplies nutrients to tissues.
Rope,
Fibre, Cordage, Canvas
& Farming Jobs:
Until
the 19th century about 80% of all rope and twine was made of
hemp until replaced by synthetic petro-chemicals. 90% of all sails were
made from hemp. The word canvas derives from a Greek word for Cannabis.
In Britain in the 17th and 18th Centuries it was
law that all farmers sow 10% of all arable land to hemp.
Paint
and Varnish:
For
hundreds of years all good paints and varnishes were made with either
hemp or linseed oil grown specifically for that purpose. This use has
been almost totally replaced by petro-chemical derived oils.
Hemp’s inner hurds yield industrial cellulose and is an
excellent basis for plastics and glues.
For more information email: hemp@nrg.com.au
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