GREENING UP PLASTIC WITH HEMP

Using hemp fibre could make plastic more environmentally friendly.

Satya Panigrahi, from the University of Saskatchewan’s department of agricultural and bioresource engineering, said hemp fibres could replace up to half of the polymers in composite plastic.

“We know what to do with these kinds of fibres, but the bad news is we don’t have the fibre,” he said.

Hemp-based polymers weigh less, are durable and have more recycling potential, Panigrahi told the Saskatchewan Hemp Association annual meeting.

One problem is that the composite smells bad.

“We have to work on that,” he said.

Developing a plastics industry around hemp would require a consistent quality supply of the crop. It is another potential industrial market beyond paint, varnish and clothing.

Panigrahi said these types of plastics would be used in boats, car seats, air ducts and vending machines.

The idea is not new.

In 1941, Henry Ford built a plastic car made from hemp and wheat straw.

For more information, contact:

Fibre future suffers from lack of vision
Thursday, February 27, 2003
Karen Briere, The Western Producer