Industrial hemp

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The hemp plant is from 15 to 20 percent fiber, and four percent organic glue called lignin. 78 to 81 percent of hemp as mention before is woody pulp, this pulp is 77 to 85 percent cellulose. In contrast a tree is 20 percent lignin and only 60 percent cellulose, cellulose can be used for making paper(18 ).

Cotton cellulose was used to make the first plastics in the 1880's and named celluloid(19 ). The problem with Cotton is it demands huge amounts of water of pesticides, herbicides and Fertilizers when compared to hemp(20). A technical report of the America Society of Mechanical Engineers in 1937 noticed the rapidly growing market for Cellulose, "especially in the plastic field, which is growing by leaps and bounds." It was predicted that hemp would meet "A good part of that need" in Feb 1938 popular mechanics called hemp the billion dollar crop(21 ).

It was reported in popular mechanics in 1941, that Henry Ford's Predicted that he would someday "grow automobiles from the soil. To further this dream he made prototype cars that, body panels where a mixture of 70% cellulose fibers, from hemp, wheat straw, and sisal, plus 30% resin binder. They withstood blows ten times as great steel could without denting(22 ). Also hemp fueled the cars Henry Ford grew, as reported in popular mechanics Dec. 1941(23 ).

Today we have the Xylan process that uses high pressure and heat to break down the lignin that holds the plant material together. The Xylan process is used to make food stuffs and dense plastic (24 ).

A company in France called Isochanvre using a patented nontoxic process that literally petrifies hemp. The finished byproduct can be used in construction as a replacement for concrete. Its light weight only one seventh the weight of concrete and is more flexible(25 ).

A company called the Linford Group is using hemp in construction "Since we first encountered the potential of using lime and hemp to create a new generation of more sustainable buildings, Linford Group has been working closely with Lime Technology and other partners on a range of projects." and continued "We are excited by the potential here, and confident that it won't be long before lime and hemp products will sit alongside other new materials which will transform the nature of buildings and the way they are built." (26 ).

An eco friendly insulation solution is available from Ecological Building Systems its called "Thermo Hemp" and its 100 percent hemp. It comes in mat and roll form. It's pollutant-free, has a high thermal resistance and good acoustic dampening properties. (27 ).

An acre of hemp will produce two to three times as many primary fibers as cotton or flax. Two and a half pounds of hemp can be spun into 600 miles of lace threads(28).

Hemp has a superior tensile strength. A better made strand of twine created from hemp would run 1280 feet per pound. Also hemp is not subject to as many kinds if deterioration as hard fibers, and non of them last as long in fresh, or salt water(29).