HEMP NEWS

Tue, 11/10/2009 - 18:08

Canada: Unconventional Crop – Hemp – Could Sprout New Industry

EDMONTON, AB — As combines mowed farmers’ fields across Canadian prairies this fall, there was a scene near Edmonton right out of a time warp: – a crew of workers actually using their hands to harvest plants.
The workers were taking down three-metre-tall hemp plants at a breeding nursery outside of Vegreville, AB. The plants, which dwarfed the workers, were being bundled, numbered, bagged and transported to researchers, who see a high-tech future for the ancient plant.

The Alberta Research Council (ARC) is working to help hemp find its way into everything from homes to cars to clothes. It’s part of a campaign to see our agriculture and forestry industries compete in the global push for sustainable products.

“ARC is evaluating hemp as a fibre crop for mature, large-scale industries looking for green products,” ARC crop and plant physiologist, Jan Slaski said. “Alberta’s soil and climate are perfectly suited for growing hemp crops.
“We analyze the seed and plant for biomass and fibre yield, as part of the breeding program for creating the perfect industrial hemp,” he added. ARC uses advanced breeding techniques to develop traits such as water- and nitrogen-use efficiency, with no useable trace of the psychoactive compound THC, which is found in marijuana. It is hoped the breeding program will ultimately lead to a stronger plant with a bigger yield.

In ARC’s Edmonton facility, advanced materials program leader John Wolodko picked up a boat part made from material pressed from hemp and plastic. “This is traditionally made from fiberglass,” he said. “Products made from biocomposites work as well as those made from conventional materials, with the advantages of being lighter and less expensive. The ability of environmentally friendly products to compete with non-renewable products like fiberglass makes for a competitive and promising future for the biocomposites industry.”

Slaski and Wolodko are part of ARC’s biofibre development team, the largest of its kind in Canada, offering solutions from “seed to final product.” Hemp is only one aspect of the biofibre program, but its unrivalled fibre and biomass yield make the fast-growing and versatile crop a potential biocomposite superstar. While wheat straw yields about three tonnes of fibre per hectare, hemp weighs in at 10 to 15 tonnes.

Slaski peeled a hemp stalk, held the outer fibre in both hands and yanked with force. The fibre is unrelenting. The peeled outer and inner layers each have different industry potential. Applications for the resilient, long outer (bast) fibre include car parts, textiles, reinforced cement and panel boards for construction. Hemp’s inner core (hurd) fibre, only a half-millimeter long, has recently seen an increase in demand. “It is appealing as an absorbent for the oil and gas industry or bedding for livestock operations, since it has no dust,” Slaski said.
Alberta’s new ally for the agriculture and forestry industries is the Alberta Biomaterials Development Centre (ABDC), a $15-million facility set up by the province to bring advanced products and sustainable solutions to market. “The hemp processing challenge is an example of where ABDC will fill technical gaps in processing biomaterials and business gaps to get products to market faster,” ARC business development manager Richard Gibson said.
ABDC offers access to expertise, test facilities, scale-up equipment, validation prototyping and customer-demonstration support. “Bio-industrial entrepreneurs will be able to test their business cases at ABDC,” Alberta Agriculture program leader and ABDC spokesperson Trevor Kloeck said. “Industry will have access to staff and specialized equipment, such as technology used to separate the different hemp fibres. Then the market applications are endless.”

ABDC’s resources work in tandem with those at ARC to form a bridge between the field and the final product. “We have a patent-pending decortication process. This technology produces 10 to 50 mm-length fibres, for biocomposite products and pulp and paper applications,” says ARC research engineer Laura McIlveen. “ABDC has slightly different technology: a long-line decorticator, which processes one-third-metre-length fibre at one tonne an hour.” Both technologies are available through ABDC for pilot scale market assessments.

Hemp is currently grown in Alberta for the high-quality oil niche market. But the case for using a new and improved strain of hemp for a broad range of products is becoming stronger by the day. “It also makes sense to include hemp in rotation with wheat and canola,” Slaski said, “since it can reduce the spread of disease and increase the life of the fertility of the soil.”
That could mean that scene out of the time warp will vanish, as hemp becomes a lucrative industrial crop, harvested with high-tech machinery to provide solutions for green products.

Source: http://www.troymedia.com/?p=4791

Fri, 08/28/2009 - 01:55 (By Daniel Flahiff, Inhabitat)

UK: Carbon Negative Hemp Walls

Buildings account for thirty-eight percent of the CO2 emissions in the U.S., according to the U.S. Green Building Council, and demand for carbon neutral and/or zero footprint buildings is at an all-time high. Now there is a new building material that is not just carbon neutral, but is actually carbon negative. Developed by U.K.-based Lhoist Group, Tradical® Hemcrete® is a bio-composite, thermal walling material made from hemp, lime and water. What makes it carbon negative? There is more CO2 locked-up in the process of growing and harvesting of the hemp than is released in the production of the lime binder. Of course the equation is more complicated than that, but Hemcrete® is still an amazing new technology that could change the building industry.

Good looking, environmentally friendly and 100% recyclable, Hemcrete® is as versatile as it is sustainable. It can be used in a mind-boggling array of applications from roof insulation to wall construction to flooring. Hemcrete® is waterproof, fireproof, insulates well, does not rot [when used above ground] and is completely recyclable. In fact, the manufacturers say that demolished Hemcrete® walls can actually be used as fertilizer!

Available for years in the U.K., Hemcrete® is only now finding its way into North America. The species of hemp used to manufacture Hemcrete® is illegal to grow in the U.S., making Hemcrete® an expensive option for U.S. builders for now. As pressure for more sustainable building materials grows, lawmakers are certain to revisit this and other similarly restrictive statutes, particularly if there is money to be made. And judging from the success of Hemcrete® in Europe and elsewhere, there is plenty to be made; it is so profitable overseas that Hemp Technologies, one of the biggest manufacturers of hemp products in the UK, is actively recruiting as many new growers as it can.

Learn more: http://www.lhoist.co.uk/tradical/hemp-lime.html

Source: http://www.inhabitat.com/2009/08/24/hemcrete-carbon-negative-hemp-walls-...

Fri, 08/28/2009 - 00:44 (By Aimee Pianosi, Canoe.ca)

Canada: Harvesting Hemp At Hartacre Farms For Biofuel

In a white cloud of pollen, 43 acres of hemp was harvested from Hartacre Farms last Tuesday. Herb Hart grew the crop in partnership with Performance Plants Inc. of Kingston, as part of a biofuels project for Lafarge Bath Cement plant, which is working on methods of reducing their reliance on fossil fuels.

According to Kevin Gellatly, director of biofuels business development and media relations for Performance Plants, this particular test plot faced some challenges.

“There were some tough conditions on the lower ground, it got rained out.” There were delays in planting, and then rain and more rain which soaked out some of the seeds.

Gellatly said they were hoping for four to five tonnes per acre, but final yield won’t be determined for a while.

Because it’s a test plot, the seed was provided to Hart, but he said the input costs for the entire season were much lower compared to corn, but similar to other crops. Based on soil tests at the beginning of the season, he added 100 pounds of potash, 25 pounds of 11-52-0 and 20 gallons of UAN. The test plot Hart used is a randomly-tiled field and he said “you can see the patterns of the tiles in the height of the plants.”

“I added no chemicals after planting and that’s one of the biggest savings right there,” he added.

One other positive impact of hemp is that it breaks the disease cycle of other crops, as it is added into a crop rotation, according to Gellatly.

Industrial hemp has been used for centuries for fine fibres, sail cloth, and rope. Some of the hemp Hart was harvesting was up to eight feet tall. Because of the length and strength of the fibres harvesting hemp is a special challenge, and Larry Palmateer of Tweed was brought in by Hart.

This hemp is destined for a furnace, so the strands were not preserved. Instead a special double ‘conditioning’ system on a disc-bine, notches the stalks at one inch intervals to aid in the drying.

“It’s the best machine we’ve found for hay and it helps condition it,” said Palmateer.

The mower is specialized to hemp because a normal mower would get gummed up by the long tough fibres. This is another of the cost factors that Palmateer, growers, and end users have to deal with. The same equipment used for corn and other grains can’t be used with the hemp.

In all, 20 hemp fields are being tested as well as a sterile corn variety. After its baled into square bales, it will be ground up to be fired at the same time as coal in the kiln furnace at Lafarge. There is a special grinder/chopper being installed on site at the plant.

According to Gellatly, there will be a test burn at Lafarge in October with all kinds of things being measured in the emissions, in the temperature of the burn, even the quality of the cement product using the alternative fuel source.

“Just making sure it’s a viable alternative to coal.”

Gellatly says all indications are that using biofuels will improve air quality.

“There’ll be no negatives, it will be very seamless,” he said.

To improve the hemp variety, which is called Anka, PPI uses an accelerated breeding program.

“We’re looking for any ways we can to increase the tonnes per acre,” said Gellatly.

“If you can increase the tonnage that’s going to decrease the price for Lafarge and still provide the farmers a good return.”

As well as all the tests at Lafarge, PPI will be conducting a three-year, detailed assessment of the impact of hemp cultivation on soil quality – a seed-to-flame life cycle assessment.
While Ontario is experiencing a wet summer, hemp crops grown in Western Canada will be good candidates for drought tolerance testing.

“When you’re trying to produce biomass, you just want it to keep growing and growing,” Gellatly said, noting that if suddenly Lafarge decides hemp is the way to go, tens of thousands of acres will be needed to supply the demand.

Gellatly said, “there is lot of pressure to reduce carbon emissions so they’re experimenting with replacing a percentage of coal with biomass.”
PPI is trying to improve the genetics of the hemp with increased yield, increased stress tolerance, and decreased cost per tonne.

“The whole objective for the biomass industry is to get to the price of coal,” he said.
Currently biomass is about the double the price. It also has other challenges such as storage. Coal can be heaped, can get wet, and can be stored in varied conditions. The hemp is sensitive to light and moisture.

Visit www.performanceplants.com.

Source: www.napaneeguide.com/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=1706700

Thu, 08/27/2009 - 23:31 (By Erik Siemers, Portland Business Journal)

Oregon: Hemp for Hanes - Portland Hemp Fabric Company Strikes Deal With Hanes

It took a decade to prove that hemp could be soft as cotton. Now Naturally Advanced Technologies is starting to draw interest in its product from big players.

After nearly a decade of working to prove that burlap-like hemp can be as soft as cotton, Naturally Advanced Technologies Inc. has caught the attention of some of the world’s biggest consumer brands.

Now it’s on the verge of generating revenue from its technology.

“The company is an eight-year overnight success,” said CEO Ken Barker.

The Portland, Oregon-based company this month announced a string of deals aimed at commercializing its Crailar Fiber Technology, which employs an enzyme treatment to make hemp and other organic fibers suitable for apparel and other uses.

The most notable is a joint development agreement with Hanesbrands Inc., which is among the world’s largest consumer apparel brands with $4.2 billion in sales last year.
Under the agreement, Naturally Advanced will retrofit existing Hanes dyeing equipment with the company’s enzyme process to study how its organic fibers can be entered into mainstream production.

If that phase is successful, the companies will work toward a marketing plan for Crailar in various Hanes categories and determine how it could be commercialized.
But whether hemp can rise above niche status to mainstream appeal will have a lot to do with cost.

In a conference call with investors, Barker said that because Crailar shrinks far less during production than cotton, the resulting savings could bring its final cost closer to regular cotton than organic cotton, which is 60 percent more expensive than regular cotton.
While Barker said it’s too early to guess how lucrative the Hanes deal could become, the partnership serves as “absolute validation that our technology is viable and capable of mainsteam apparel production.”

The deal was borne from successful tests conducted at North Carolina State University which, according to Barker, proved hemp can easily transition away from being a niche consumer fabric.

Matt Hall, vice president of external communications at Winson-Salem, North Carolina-based Hanesbrands, said the idea isn’t to replace cotton. But if Crailar can be commercialized, it would mean being able to produce organic fibers for everyday products at competitive prices.
Hemp grows faster and uses far less water than cotton, making it a favorite among champions of sustainable apparel, which was a $3 billion international market in 2007, according to a report last year by Packaged Facts, a division of MarketResearch.com.
Even so, Naturally Advanced is eyeing more than just apparel markets.

In what could be an equally sizable deal, the company in June signed a development deal with Georgia Pacific Consumer Products LP, which makes household paper products such as Brawny paper towels. Barker said he was prohibited from disclosing details of the agreement.

It also reached a spinning and trademark licensing deal with Patrick Yarns of Kings Mountain, North Carolina, a maker of industrial yarns, to produce Crailar products for denim, work wear, home furnishings and carpet markets.

The company’s also developing uses of the technology applicable to forestry pulping and as diesel fuel.

Until now the company generated revenue from HTnaturals Inc., a wholly-owned sustainable apparel company. Last week it announced second-quarter sales of $401,000, down from $580,000 a year ago.

But now the company is shuttering HTnaturals and expects to generate its first revenue from Crailar in the next quarter. The anticipated revenue—the amount of which Barker declined to release—will be generated through a manufacturing agreement with Philadelphia dyehouse G.J. Littlewoods & Son Inc., which will produce the fabric ordered by Patrick Yarns.

“As we introduce Crailar into the market and into the industry next year, we’ll start generating the revenue everybody’s been waiting for,” Barker said.

Erik Siemers writes for the Portland Business Journal.

Image: Cathy Cheney | Portland Business Journal

Source: http://www.portfolio.com//companies-executives/2009/08/17/portland-hemp-...

Thu, 05/28/2009 (By Stemergy Renewable Fibre Technologies)

Ontario: Stemergy Secures $3.3 Million Commitment for Hemp Processing Technology from Ontario Government

Stemergy Renewable Fibre Technologies, a leader in the renewable biofibre sector, has secured a $3.3 million commitment from the Ministry of Research and Innovation to scale up the Company's BioFibeRefinery(TM) technology.

Stemergy was formed in 1994, and in that same year became the first company to grow industrial hemp since the 1940's. The Company has successfully operated a large R&D facility at Delaware, Ontario since 1998. The BioFibeRefinery(TM) technology is the culmination of years of work for making biofibre materials from plants such as hemp and flax.

In the era of record oil and energy prices, using plants to efficiently and quickly convert solar energy and green house gases into valuable materials makes economic sense.

"We are in a new environmental and economic paradigm and renewable materials will continue to replace non-renewable resources in wide ranging applications. Our BioFibeRefinery(TM) technology is a complete system from plant genetics through to wide spread distribution of our biofiber materials."

"We source locally grown plant stems, that are fractionated and refined using our technology, and the resulting biofibres are supplied to large global markets which include replacing plastics and fiber glass for making composites. Stemergy's future growth prospects look extremely positive."

commented Geofrey Kime, P.Eng., Stemergy's President and COO.

The bioproducts industry is expected to exceed $125 billion in revenues, globally, by the year 2010.

The total project budget is $10 million, and Stemergy is pursuing the balance of the funding from financing partners interested in participating in the fast growing renewable and bioproducts industry.

For further information: Geofrey Kime, Telephone: (519) 652-0440,

website: www.stemergy.com