3D Printed “Hempstone” House Can Replace Cement for Greenhouse Gas Reduction

BY MICHELLE MATISONS 
Source: 3dprint.com

We have done a number of stories on how 3D printing can help fight climate change, and this is a very interesting application of the technology. Did you know that cement manufacturing is a climate change contributor that uses much energy and is emissions intensive because it’s produced using extreme heat? But 3D printing is positioned to help change all of that.

Right now, producing a ton of cement requires 4.7 million BTUs of energy, which is the equivalent of about 400 pounds of coal. More significant is that this process generates almost a ton of CO₂. Given these facts, reducing cement manufacturing will also reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Knutsen notes the design is intended to be similar to this structure

Chad Knutsen leads a team that has proposed to the MIT Climate CoLaba project that will reduce worldwide CO₂ emissions by 7-8% with the help of 3D printing. How? Knutsen is proposing a hempstone construction project as a replacement for cement. All “hempcrete”/”hempstone,” or hemp plastic or resin components, will be 3D printed in small manageable blocks in a skeletal form applying minimal material.

You can use stack these blocks together forming the body of the house, for example, and the blocks will include space for utilities and wiring in their design. An added benefit is that hemp can be grown and harvested worldwide, which can reverse damaging effects. (The US is the only advanced industrial nation that doesn’t allow industrial hemp farms.)  After a few years, the hempcrete petrifies —  evolving from plant into stone –which is pretty incredible when you think about the fact that this means more CO₂ will be absorbed than released during construction and petrification processes.

Knutsen’s team wants to build a home with hempstone, which is made from micronized limestone, and specially milled refined and very strong hemp fibers. The plan is to use a proprietary technology that breaks down materials and teases them apart along natural structural boundaries. (This utilizes resonant frequency and negative air pressure instead of heat and friction.) The hempstone will be poured into lightweight and easily shipped hemp resin or plastic 3D printed frames to create the house, which will also have other ecological features as well. The team proposes to outfit the house (rough sketch of house seen below) with other new non-commercialized environmental technologies, so they can give inventors a chance to showcase their innovations as part of the future hempstone house.

There’s also a series of other benefits to the idea of construction with low CO₂ emission hempstone instead of cement: current building methods are not durablecompared to hempstone. David Mosrie of Push Design was involved in building the US’ first hempstone home. He explained that it’s so attractive because it can stand the test of time:

“The durability is unlike anything we have seen, with the exception of stone, as perhaps even beyond that as there is no mortar joint failure possible. Studies in Europe have estimated about a 600-800 year life span for the wall system.”

Hempstone can be used to fix critical deteriorating infrastructure inexpensively and is long lasting. This makes sense when you consider that intact ancient Roman aqueducts and roads were built utilizing hempstone mortar.

The idea that 3D printed hempstone may be the wave of the green future for construction is exciting, and it’s a good idea to keep your eyes on this project as it is refined and hopefully realized. Is this a future plan you’d support? Join the discussion in the 3D Printed Hempstone forum thread over at 3DPB.com.

DAVID SEBER: HEMP, A SUSTAINABLE FUTURE

By Tim Strombel
Source: cashinbis.com

David Seber, President of the Hemp Shield Company LLC, wants to have a positive impact on the world. Years ago, while working in the redwood lumber business, he noticed that the amount of materials being extracted from mother nature was becoming more and more unsustainable over time. Fortunately, for a longtime businessman like David, every problem has a solution and, in this case, that solution is hemp. Realizing that he could make the same building materials at a fraction of the environmental cost, David co-founded Hemp Shield with hopes of giving back to mother nature. One of their first products, the Hemp Shield Wood Finish and Deck Sealer™ is unlocking the properties of hemp oil to offer significant improvements in finishes for exterior wood. This natural seed oil is much more readily accepted into wood fiber than other plant or petroleum sourced oils. Recently, Hemp Shield made an initial shipment of Hemp Shield Wood finish & Deck Sealer; to be used on the wood in the Giraffe section of a zoo in Denver, Colorado. Fortunately for us, David lowered his shield in time to sit down with us and share his mission.

What was the deciding factor for you to join this particular industry?

I first became interested in the application of industrial hemp for building materials back in 1990. I was inspired by the book, ‘The Emperor Wears No Clothes’, and I wanted to repay the forest for giving me the chance to have a career that I loved.

What were you doing before?

I was in the redwood lumber business. I noticed that companies were taking massive amounts of fiber, lumber and biomass out of the forest and I wanted to see what I could do to lower that amount. I came across a thorough study, which revealed the only plant that could replace the amount of material we were taking from the forest, specifically in temperate climates, is hemp. My partner, William Conde, has been a long time cannabis activist, dating back to when I first met him in 1976. We formed C&S Specialty Builder’s supply in 1991 to develop hemp composites and building materials to replace wood. To us, wood was going to become a precious and rare commodity that should only be used where it could be seen or touched. It shouldn’t be concealed as structural members or behind a wall.

I think it is important to remember that the cannabis industry is still in the formative stage. Years from now it will look nothing like it does today.

We also realized that sustainability was a big factor in the future of building materials. It doesn’t make sense to take a tree, which can take anywhere from 200-3,000 years to mature, to make a product if that product might only last 50-75 years (like a house). Instead we could mature hemp over a 120-day span and build that same structure, which could last an equivalent amount of time (50-75Yrs). The latter process of the two is obviously more sustainable.

Once we realized this is the path we wanted to pursue, Mr. Conde and I hired W.S.U. Wood Materials Engineering Lab to produce the first modern composite panels; made with hemp fiber in order to demonstrate to the building materials industry, and the world, that hemp was as good or better than wood fiber in all construction composite applications. We succeeded in producing World Class MDF (medium density fiberboard – the “flagship product” of the composite industry). It was evident to everyone in the industry that if one could make MDF out of hemp, then all the other major applications (like particleboard, oriented strand board, etc) could also be made from hemp. The composite industry was the only world wide installed fiber manufacturing base that could use hemp fiber because the factories were already configured to use hemp as they are; requiring minimal changes.

The problem was and is one of scale in that the average composite plant uses 400-1400 DRY TONS of Fiber A DAY! All the current hemp being grown in North America, Europe and Russia combined wouldn’t be enough to run a composite mill for a few months. Since we are far away from the scale of production I was/am looking for hemp composite production, I am currently focused on Hemp Shield Wood Finish & Deck Seale and Hemp Shield Log Home Treatment. These products are revolutionary in their own area of stains and coatings while being the only modern building material, which contains hemp, commercially viable on the market.

All aspects of Hemp Shield products are both “state of the art” and revolutionary.

All aspects of Hemp Shield products are both “state of the art” and revolutionary. The hemp seed oil used in Hemp Shield has molecules that are smaller than all other oils. We use it in coatings so it penetrates the wood better than any comparable product while at the same time it generates a strong synergy amongst all the other components in Hemp Shield’s proprietary formulations. Simply put, Hemp Shield outperforms all other competing products in durability and anti-UV properties. Additionally, all of its components are the ”greenest”, the highest quality, and the highest concentration possible.

Right now, in what direction are you guiding your passion and energy?

The great focus of my energy is to take national market share of the wood finish & deck sealing market. Hemp Shield was consciously designed to be the first hemp-containing, “cross over” product to the general public. We want people to know that there is more to this plant than the medicinal and recreational aspects (although there is nothing wrong with those uses).

Describe your work ethic to me in one word.

Creativity

Who is a person that you consider as a role model? Maybe someone who has been a mentor to you? Why and how did this person impact your life?

I have had many mentors in my life; including William Conde, Alan Kapuler and others. However, two people stand out among the rest. First would be Tom Maloney, of WSU Wood Materials Engineering Lab, who taught me a great deal about composites science. Secondly, I would say that Steve Nisewander has had a big impact on me. Steve is a world-class paint chemist who co-created Hemp Shield with me.

What book have you read that you’ve been inspired by? Any particular read we should put on our list?

“The Emperor Wears No Clothes” – Jack Herer & “Particleboard and Dry Process Manufacturing” – Tom Maloney

Tell us about an esteemed achievement of yours.

A while back I was asked, by Oregon State University, to participate in the creation of the world’s first university level course on industrial hemp. The ‘Course on Industrial Hemp WSE266’ is part of the eCampus for OSU’s College of Wood Engineering. That is an achievement that gives me great pride.

We want people to know that there is more to this plant than the medicinal and recreational aspects.

What’s the best advice you’ve ever gotten?

“It’s not going to happen as fast as you think.” – Tom Maloney

What is the most important thing for us to know now about the legal cannabis industry?

I think it is important to remember that the cannabis industry is still in the formative stage. Years from now it will look nothing like it does today. As the true power of American agriculture takes over the cannabis crop, not only will there be a major change in pricing, but recreational and medicinal uses will become side products of industrial hemp; which is “the true 800lb Gorilla” in the back of the room.

If we are sitting across from each other a year from now, how will our conversation about the ‘green rush’ be going?

“I’d rather smoke a “Bay Gold’ than a Camel anyway. Even if the cost is double that of tobacco.”

What do you think about hemp as a sustainable replacement for wood? Do you think it will ever be widely adopted? Join the conversation and comment below!

Are you a cannabis entrepreneur?

Cashinbis recognizes and highlights entrepreneurs in the legal cannabis and hemp industries. Contact us to be considered for inclusion in the upcoming cannabis entrepreneur publication.

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Would you give hemp ice cream a lick?

By WMNOVergnault 
Source: westernmorningnews.co.uk

Hemp ice creams may sound a bit woolly, but that's exactly what holidaymakers in a Westcountry seaside town are being treated to.

The unusual flavour is the brainchild of husband and wife team Peter and Mary Small who decided to offer visitors to their Ilfracombe ice cream parlour something more than the usual boring strawberry, vanilla and chocolate flavours.

The ice cream with a plant more associated with rope making, shirt weaving and with a specific strand of it - drug consumption, is one of many the couple have been experimenting with.

But fear not, punters will not risk being taken into a police cell any time soon for the hemp ice cream contains none of the chemical compounds found in cannabis.

Peter said: "I want to do unusual ones, I don't want to just do another chocolate flavour. We just started to think, 'how can we set ourselves apart from all the other ice cream shops?'"

The pair, who decided to create their own ice creams after 10 years of selling the stuff to tourists and locals alike in the North Devon seaside town, have also been testing anything from gingerbread, cream tea to jaffa cakes flavoured ice creams.

Unlike normal ice creams, Peter said all their creations are made in the "traditional artisan way" to create an Italian-style gelato, and are sold alongside a host of other gelatos at Joe Delucci's – which the couple also run.

He added: "What I'm doing here is complementary to Joe Delucci's. All their flavours will remain but we will have six of our own as well."

Peter said while the couple's latest creation was made from hemp seed it contains none of the properties of marijuana and can therefore be eaten without moderation.

He said: "Mary's mother is Dutch, so we thought we would have a bit of fun and make it for her. But we thought we would give it a go and offer it to the public as well."

Although Peter and Mary had split opinions about whether they liked the flavour, the new ice cream received a positive response from passers-by who stopped to taste the new creation.

McConnell inserts hemp provision into Senate farm appropriations bill

BY JACK BRAMMER
Source: kentucky.com


Martin Smith, CEO of United Global Co-opportunities, checked out a bale of industrial hemp Tuesday during a Kentucky industrial hemp pilot programs news conference at a G.F. Vaughan warehouse on South Forbes Road. State Agriculture Commissioner James Comer spoke at the event.

U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has inserted into the Senate farm appropriations bill a provision aimed at making it easier to process legally grown industrial hemp. The measure would help farmers transport hemp between states so the crop can be developed for commercial purposes.

"Kentucky's industrial hemp pilot programs continue to prosper, and I want to make sure our legal hemp producers can safely transport their crops between states, including to states that maintain processing facilities, so they can fully capitalize on the commercial potential for this commodity," McConnell, R-Louisville, said in a news release from his Washington office. The provision "re-emphasizes that industrial hemp from a farm bill research program is an agricultural commodity," he said.

State Agriculture Commissioner James Comer said the provision was vital to developing a thriving hemp industry in the state.

"The ability of Kentucky to research the full potential of industrial hemp through processing, marketing and sales is vital to understanding the future possibilities for industrial hemp," Comer said.

McConnell worked last month with Sens. Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., and Jon Tester, D-Mont., to insert language in the Senate Commerce, Justice and Science Appropriations bill to ensure that legal industrial hemp pilot programs, such as those in Kentucky, can continue without federal disruption.

The hemp provisions this year build on McConnell's work in last year's farm bill, which gave state agricultural commissioners and universities the federal authority to cultivate industrial hemp for pilot programs.

Read more here: http://www.kentucky.com/2015/07/16/3947532/mcconnell-inserts-hemp-provision.html#storylink=cpy

Read more here: http://www.kentucky.com/2015/07/16/3947532/mcconnell-inserts-hemp-provision.html#storylink=cpy

Hemp 101: What is Hemp, What's It Used for, and Why is It Illegal?

By Kentucky Hempsters
Source: leafly.com

Hemp is one of the oldest domesticated crops known to man. It has been used for paper, textiles, and cordage for thousands of years. In fact, the Columbia History of the World states that the oldest relic of human industry is a scrap of hemp fabric dating back to approximately 8,000 BC.

So what exactly is hemp, and how is it different from the psychoactive form of cannabis that we consume medicinally and recreationally? Let’s dive into some Hemp 101 so you can better understand this versatile material.

What is Hemp?

There are many different varieties of the cannabis plant. Hemp -- also called industrial hemp -- refers to the non-psychoactive (less than 1% THC) varieties of Cannabis Sativa L. Both hemp and marijuana come from the same cannabis species, but are genetically distinct and are further distinguished by use, chemical makeup, and cultivation methods.

What Can Hemp Do?

Hemp can be grown as a renewable source for raw materials that can be incorporated into thousands of products. Its seeds and flowers are used in health foods, organic body care, and other nutraceuticals.

Hemp fibers and stalks are used in clothing, construction materials, paper, biofuel, plastic composites, and more.

Last year, the Hemp Industries Association (HIA) estimated the total retail value of all hemp products sold in the U.S. at $620 million. Sadly, all of the raw hemp materials were imported from other countries. (More on that later.) Hemp is an attractive rotation crop for farmers. As it grows, hemp breathes in CO2, detoxifies the soil, and prevents soil erosion. What’s left after harvest breaks down into the soil, providing valuable nutrients.

Hemp requires much less water to grow -- and no pesticides -- so it is much more environmentally friendly than traditional crops.

What Can’t Hemp Do?

Hemp can do a lot, but it can’t get you “high.” Because hemp varieties contain virtually zero tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), your body processes it faster than you can smoke it. Trying to use hemp to put you on cloud nine will only put you in bed with a migraine!

Why is Hemp Illegal?

In 1937, the Marijuana Tax Act strictly regulated the cultivation and sale of all cannabis varieties. The Controlled Substances Act of 1970 classified all forms of cannabis -- including hemp -- as a Schedule I drug, making it illegal to grow it in the United States (which is why we’re forced to import hemp from other countries as long as it contains scant levels of THC -- 0.3% is the regulation for hemp cultivation in the European Union and Canada). As a result of this long-term prohibition, most people have forgotten the industrial uses of the plant and continue to misidentify hemp with its cannabis cousin, marijuana.

Can Hemp Make a Comeback?

The 2014 US Farm Bill allows states that have passed their own industrial hemp legislation to grow industrial hemp for purposes of research and development. Several states -- including Kentucky, Colorado, and Oregon -- are already conducting hemp pilot projects. Many other states are currently pursuing similar legislation and programs. After many years of prohibition, American farmers are finally reacquainting themselves with industrial hemp.

In January of 2015, The Industrial Hemp Farming Act (H.R. 525 and S. 134) was introduced in the House and Senate. If passed, it would remove all federal restrictions on the cultivation of industrial hemp, and remove its classification as a Schedule I controlled substance.

If the unwarranted federal prohibition of hemp is finally repealed, the world’s oldest domesticated crop will once again be available to serve mankind in a broad range of environmentally friendly ways. We love hemp, and hope that you will too. Look for a continuation of our series of hemp articles here on Leafly!

Comment: 

JohnPaul Yoder · Arcata, California

From the very beginning Hemp was always the target not cannabis. Does that sound crazy, not if you follow the Money. Hemp makes a better quality of paper from a quickly renewable resource. SO if you're in the paper from trees industry you might see that as a threat . Hemp makes a longer lasting cloth from a quickly renewable resource. SO if you're in the cotton industry you might see that as a threat . Hemp seeds makes a better quality of oil from a quickly renewable resource.SO if you're a big oil company you might see that as a threat. 

There you have three large Special Interest Groups. This is what they do. I'll let you figure out Who let them do this and has allowed it to continue for 75 years.

Hemp is amazing. 75 years of innovation and productivity crushed under the heal of Special Interest Groups.

Indiana Hemp Industry Trying To Boost Its Profile, Separate Itself From Pot

By PAYNE HORNING
Source: wbaa.org

More than a year after Indiana lawmakers legalized a so-called cash crop, the coffers are still empty. Legislation that was signed into law in 2014 approved the commercial growth and research of the versatile industrial hemp plant, which is a non-intoxicating form of cannabis. But, lack of federal approval has stalled the state from moving forward.

Jamie Petty, the founder of the Indiana Hemp Industries Association (INHIA), says the plant could be a boon for Indiana agriculture and manufacturing.

“We have empty factories in Anderson and Kokomo that could be converted,” she says. “It becomes the hemp processing plant.” 

Her advocacy group hosted a Hemp History Week expo in Noblesville on June 6 to encourage a state market for hemp. Businesses displayed an array of products with hemp: soap, clothing, paper products, wine, crackers, salad dressings, pet toys and more.

Although the hemp products varied from booth to booth, the vendors share one thing in common: the challenge of obtaining it. They purchase the material from overseas because it’s illegal to produce hemp in the United States. That’s due to a common misperception.

“This is not marijuana, it’s industrial hemp,” Petty says. “It’s not about smoking it. It’s about using it to create materials – textiles or for nutrition.”  

Efforts like these are stalled because hemp has been outlawed since the 70’s when Congress bunched it together with its cannabis cousin marijuana.

But, Purdue Agronomy Professor Ron Turco says THC levels – the psychoactive element that produces a high – are very different between hemp and marijuana.

“If you smoked our entire field of industrial hemp, you would get cancer before you high,” Turco says. “There’s just not that much THC there.”

Turco recently received state and federal approval to conduct a three-year study on hemp. His team will research two varieties of the plant to identify its capacity for food and production material.

“We’re basically trying to create an Indiana hemp oil industry is what we’re trying to do,” Turco says. “Right now, they’re crushing seed brought in from Canada. Why shouldn’t we crush Indiana seed for hemp oil?” 

Turco’s team is waiting on the seeds to arrive, but he says planting could begin as early as mid-June. In the meantime, another study of hemp oil is set to take place in Indiana. 

The Indiana General Assembly tasked an interim study committee this summer with looking into the potential medical benefits of hemp oil. That’s after lawmakers diluted a bill during the 2015 session that could have approved hemp oil treatment trials at universities.

State Representative Don Lehe (R-Brookston), who authored the legislation, says hemp oil doesn’t have the psychoactive elements that medicinal marijuana contains. 

“There’s a few kids around the country that have a particular form of epileptic seizures and this extract is the only thing that will benefit these children,” Lehe says.

The bill also clarified that once federal approval is granted, all industrial hemp extracts, including oil, are legal. But, that language was removed following concerns that the THC in hemp oil could become concentrated during the extraction process.

“There was enough interest and enough concern that we were going too far to the medical marijuana side,” Lehe says.

Indiana State Chemist Robert Waltz, whose office is charge of regulating industrial hemp in the state, says the biggest question facing industrial hemp doesn’t concern the plant’s genetics. 

“It’s the marketing,” Waltz says. “What do you do with this stuff after you grow it? All of those markets that at one time existed no longer exist. They’ve been replaced by other products.” 

However, Petty from INHIA says that market does exist because the U.S. is the largest importer of industrial hemp.

Kanèsis Looks to Bring Hemp Filament to Market for 3D Printing Hemp Drones & Much More

BY EDDIE KRASSENSTEIN 
Source: 3dprint.com

Cannabis has been in the news quite a bit lately, mostly for issues related to marijuana. Whether it has been the use of marijuana for medical purposes or for recreational use, there has been much political debate lately over whether or not it should be legalized. No matter what side of the argument you stand on, it’s pretty safe to say that when it comes to hemp use, the debate is not nearly as two-sided.

Hemp is another variety of cannabis, containing negligible levels of the psychoactive drug compounds found in marijuana. Instead, it is harvested mostly for its oil, fiber, and seeds, and is commonly refined into foods, waxes, resins, cloth, paper, fuel, and mulch. As opposed to many inorganic, non-renewable resources that we as humans tend to waste, hemp is a completely natural and renewable resource which many people have been encouraging an increased use and production of.

For two Italian men, named Giovanni Milazzo (23) and Antonio Caruso (27), they are looking to bring this naturally grown product into the 3D printing space in quite an interesting way: via 3D printer filament. That’s right, they are looking to sell hemp as a feedstock for 3D printing products through their company, Kanèsis.

3D printed out of Kanèsis Hemp Filament

“The idea of Kanesis was first conceived by Giovanni one year ago,” Antonio Caruso tells 3DPrint.com. “Day by day, the project has grown significantly until in January I met Giovanni and we decided to continue the project together. We both could have our own job, but we firmly believe in this project and for this reason we are investing, literally everything we have, in Kanesis.”

Milazzo, who is a hurdles jumper for the Italian National circuit, graduating in Industrial Engineering, and Caruso, who was a financial analyst for Citigroup, realized that the 3D printing market as well as the the 3D printing materials space were growing at a rapid rate. They decided it was time to grab a piece of the pie, in a means which would benefit our environment and society as a whole. So what exactly are the benefits to 3D printing with hemp?

“The basic hemp filament has considerable technical advantages,” Caruso tells us. “The objects molded with hemp plastic do not seem like simple plastic objects, and what is even more extraordinary, they do not seem objects printed in 3D, since the difference between each layer is not relevant. It is lighter than conventional petrochemical plastics and therefore it is particularly suitable for building technological objects like small drones for example.”

Are 3D printed hemp drones on the horizon? They very well may be, if Caruso and Milazzo have their way.

The filament they have created is made up of 100% vegetation, formed by the residues of two plants that together with a thermoplastic resin make the material suitable for extrusion from a 3D printer’s hotend. It prints at a temperature very close to that of PLA filament, just slightly higher at 210 degrees Celsius.

As for what 3D printed end-products look like, you can see some examples in the photo provided, but Caruso tells us that it is extraordinarily light in weight and provides an outstanding finish, “completely natural to the touch.”

The plan is to officially unveil this new material at a conference and expo in Milan on August 8-12, 2015. They then plan to launch a crowdfunding campaign to raise funds for production sometime this fall. The two men hope that they will be able to bring the filament to market sometime in the beginning of 2016. Pricing has not yet been determined but we are told that it will be priced within the “elite range of specialty filaments.”

“As it has a considerably lower density than other materials used to make filament, it will take more volume; a [spool] of 0.500 Kg will be equivalent to a ‘normal’ filament spool of 0.750Kg,” Caruso tells us.

The upcoming crowdfunding campaign will also aim at developing other hemp-based industrial products such as bio-fuels, bio-polymers, and other bio-composites that are already in advanced stages of development.

“Kanèsis is not a product, but it is the name of an ambitious project that puts the most receptive and creative Sicilian minds together,” says Caruso. “Our purpose is to give a future to our land not based on oil/petrol. We can develop all the products we need from the fields, and this is our aim. Developing bio-fuels, paper, bio-bricks, bio-composites from earth, thus generating thousands of jobs in a country where 70% of the land is currently abandoned: this will be the crux of our crowdfounding campaign!”

What do you think about the potential that Kanèsis could provide? Would you be tempted to purchase 3D printer filament made of hemp? Discuss in the Kanèsis Hemp 3D Printer Filament forum thread on 3DPB.com.  Check out the video below.