Hemp article in Your True Colours

This is the article I wrote that appeared in the latest issue of Your True Colours Magazine:

http://www.yourtruecolours.biz

Hemp is today a hard to get item. The consumer that once purchased items made from it now can get  clothes made from cotton, paper made from trees, medicine  made from manmade chemicals, and oil sourced from fish livers. Textiles, paper, medicine and edible oils are but a few of the products that hemp provides; it is a simple-to-grow plant that can be cultivated on all continents save the Antarctic. Part of the whole enigma is that hemp is a plant of great varietal variability, lending itself even to experimentation as the great Russian plant geneticist Vavilov proclaimed. Thus it can produce tall slender stems with high cellulose fibre, or it can grow short and branched with many flowers which can contain high levels of THC and other cannabinoids. These compounds make some strains valuable to medicine and also appealing to marijuana smokers; most strains do not provide much in the way of medicine of drugs, but there is such a volume of literature on the marijuana culture that the general public at times associates all hemp with marijuana. There is also a large body of literature on hemp as an industrial plant, spanning centuries.

 

In the not too distant past, entire nations, empires to wit, depended on its availability; Russia, the chief supplier in the 17th-19th centuries, sold to both the British and the American navies.  Britain and America themselves grew at that time no small amount, and both nation's legislators expressed alarm at the rate of expenditure on foreign hemp for their military. The superior quality and price of Russian hemp, however, ensured that Western powers relied on Russia's. Thus it was once the world's most traded commodity and cultivated nearly worldwide not only for its commercial value, but for the fact that many of its products, in addition to rope and sails, were necessary to survival; Thomas Jefferson, for instance, exhorted it be grown for the wealth and defense of the colonies. Over a century after his advice, the United States was eager to cultivate this crop and produced a film in WWII titled "Hemp for Victory." The threat to rope supplies in the Pacific prompted the legislature to make sure that American farmers were able and willing to plant hemp.

With the advent of metal ships running on steam and petroleum sails became almost obsolete, and abaca from the Philippines replaced hempen cordage on modern ships. Despite a dramatic downturn in demand in the maritime industry, this plant continued to be grown into the 20th century, providing a range of products from paper to food. It excelled in both of these categories, as its long and strong fibres interlocked perfectly for long lasting paper (the oldest existing fragment of paper is 2,000 years old and contains hemp) and its Omega 3,6 & 9 rich seeds full of all essential amino acids were excellent for food. Farmers also found the plant not only easy to grow in most countries of the world, but it acted as a natural pesticide (with one US cotton farmer sowing it on one third of his land at a time to rid the soil of pests).

Many changes in the law, however, in the 1930s to the 1960s in the US and other nations made hemp illegal, as these laws mistakenly lumped all forms of Cannabis sativa
in with high THC producing strains known as marijuana. A few nations continued to cultivate hemp; mainly China, which today profits from its policy. Western nations have
had a reawakening due to activists who struggled to make hemp not only legal but in some countries a subsidized species. These efforts have largely paid off, and there is presently a thriving hemp textile and hemp oil industry.

All of which might bode well for the US, as hemp, which was such a part of its history that the first US flag was made of it, can be grown in all 50 states. However, the present status of hemp is prohibitive, even with the recent ruling at the federal level that states may decide for themselves whether to allow its cultivation. So far, only two states have made cultivation legal: Colorado and Kentucky. Both were largely responsible for the change in the federal law, with farmers in the former sowing 60 acres of hemp in a field before the change; thus challenged, Washington lawmakers saw the gauntlet on the ground and  conceded. Soon afterwards, a complex battle in the Kentucky House ensued, perhaps an epic note  in American history, with both  Republican senators, Rand Paul and Mitch McConnell, supporting the hemp issue in Washington, while a Democrat  worked hard to keep it illegal. The governor promptly signed the bill, allowing the Bluegrass state, which was in the 19th and into the 20th century the hemp-basket of America, to regain  its heritage. 

 

While hemp is still illegal to cultivate in 48 states, and not yet produced in any quantity in Colorado or Kentucky, many American businesses manufacture hemp items, the largest sector being the hempseed oil industry, which sources its oil mainly from Canada, where farmers are profiting greatly from America's ban. A number of  other firms manufacture hemp clothing, such as Minawear in Texas, which started in 1998 in California when the hemp movement was still rather small. The years of manufacturing hempen apparel by this and other companies has brought hemp to the awareness of the general public and has helped to restore the crop to legality in the US.

 

Another outfit in the same state  working in this field is Canvasland, which makes artist's canvas - which are not only archival quality but true to original material; the use of hemp for canvas is of such  longstanding practice that the very word 'canvas' derives from 'cannabis'; canape in Italian, chanvre in French. Hemp was a major crop in many Renaissance countries, including Italy and the Netherlands. Not only was the textile used in art, but also the oil, which is clear and long-lasting. This last mentioned use of hemp is one that is not yet available on a commercial level, but is being researched by artists with a view to only bottling hemp oil as an art supply but also in finding the best variety among the thousands of varieties of hemp for this purpose, with the possibility that in the future it will replace linseed and safflower oils, both of which are prone to some degree of yellowing. 

 

From the innovative to the well established, hemp has many uses, making it  an essential part of the economy, as well as being a top choice ecologically, given the fact that it needs less water than cotton and also far less pesticides. Since there  is no real reason not to cultivate it, and every reason to do so, it is the challenge of this present generation to reverse the mistakes of our predecessors  and restore hemp to its place in our fields and the marketplace, hopefully succeeding and earning the respect of future generations.

 

Kenyon Gibson

Author of "Hemp for Victory: History & Qualities of the World's Most Useful Plant"

Hemp Graphene

Just in from Beth Buczynski at Earth Techling:

Graphene has the potential to revolutionize nearly every energy-generating technology on the planet, from batteries to solar panels. It’s lighter and stronger than almost any other material on the planet. Here’s the problem: graphene is still extremely expensive to make, so while its potential is boundless its applications have been limited.
Now, researchers at the University of Alberta are working on a way to reduce the price of making a graphene-like nanomaterial using hemp fiber, an agricultural byproduct that’s usually sent to the landfill.

Image via Bogdan/Natrij

Graphene is an ideal material for batteries and supercapacitors, energy storage devices designed to deliver short burst of power. Because of its high cost, however, most manufacturers must choose commercial supercapacitors that use activated carbon electrodes instead.
University of Alberta chemical engineer David Mitlin knows that finding a way to make graphene cost-competitive with activated carbon could mean huge advances in technologies that create and store energy. So, Mitlin is working on a way to “transform waste from the cannabis plant into a carbon nanomaterial that had similar properties to graphene and with a much smaller price tag,” writes Katherine Bourzac for Chemical & Engineering News.
To do so, Mitlin and his team focused on a barklike layer of the hemp plant called the “bast”, a nanocomposite made up of layers of lignin, hemicellulose, and crystalline cellulose. “If you process it the right way, it separates into nanosheets similar to graphene,” Mitlin told CEN.
By super heating the processed bast, the researchers were able to produce a thin, porous materials capable of providing a quick path for charges to move in and out, an essential characteristic of any supercapacitor. Using this material as electrodes, Mitilin built a supercapacitor with more than twice the maximum power density of activated carbon.

INVITATION TO LIGNIN CONFERENCE

Just in from Michael Carus and Lena Scholz, an invite to a conference on lignin, tons of which are to be harvested from every acre of hemp. It is in the stalks, in both the bast and the hurds, but mostly in the latter. Other posts on lignin are found on this blog and will give context, including studies by the US gov on using lignin in paper and companies that research lignin use. Presently, it is a waste or by-product of cellulose production. Click on the tag for lignin to be taken to them.

(Lignin, by the way, is a macromolecule characterised by monolignols, the starting material being phenylalinine. It is common in trees and herbaceous plants, where is part of the cell walls, including the xylem fibres. After cellulose it is the most abundant organic compound, accounting for up to 33% of the dry mass of wood. It fills space between cellulose and pectin, giving rigidity, conducting water and providing defence against pathogens).

Dear scientists and experts,
we would like to invite you to the first worldwide event on sourcing and material use of Lignin, taking place in Toronto, Canada on the 17th and 18th of November. Nova-Institut is the European partner of the Conference.At the event, the relevant bio-based chemistry along with Lignin-based Products will be presented and discussed by leading experts in this field. Don't miss the most important Lignin-event of the year! Please find the attached agenda.For further information also visit http://www.bioautocouncil.com/conferences/international-lignin-biochemicals.aspxor contact directly: Ms. Vicki Leith (vleith@bioautocouncil.com) +1 519 827 1118. We look forward to seeing you in Toronto! With best regards,Michael Carus and Lena Scholz

UK HEMP REPORT

In July of 2005, Defra, the UK government agency charged with the environment, published a report they had commissioned to ADAS/The Centre for Sustainable Crop Management.

The 68 page work is titled: UK Flax and Hemp Production: The impact of changes in support measures on the competitiveness and future potential of UK fibre production and industrial use.

As a governemnt document, it is available on request from: Defra, Ergon House, Horseferry Road, London, SW1 2AL/Tel: 020 238 6166/ industrialcrops@defra.gsi.gov.uk

There is a claim that is is available on the defra website, but this may not be the case, or wasn't when last checked.

Contents of the report are as follows:

Executive Summary

Introduction and background

Change in support payments

Flax and hemp and the environment

Utilisation of flax and hemp and competition from other fibres

Agronomy of flax and hemp - scope for improvement

Future scenarios

Appendix 1: Flax Varieties approved under IACS

Appendix 2: Hemp Varieties approved under IACS

Appendx 3: Sturctural components of the hemp plant and their uses

Appendix 4: Approved used for flax and hemp

Appendix 5: Approved products for use on hemp

The report recommends hemp cultivation for the UK, asserting: "...the UK is arguably one of the best placed countries to develop industries based on the short flax and hemp markets." (p. 5)

A conclusion from the section in which that statement was made reads: "At current commercial yield, hemp is competitive with other common break crops after the removal of AAPS support and has a low environmental footprint." (p.9)

On the subject of biodiversity, hemp is found again to be beneficial (p.11); reference to the Linnet, Carduelis cannabinis, is made, as one of many seed eating birds that would benefit from hemp in the landscape. (It mentions the fact that the Linnet is one of the few birds whose young feed entirely from seeds).

Another reason stated for using hemp to increase biodiversity is the fact that this reduces the overall levels of pests and diseases associated with cereals and oilseeds. (p. 12)

An issue that the report touches on is the use of hemp in the paper industry: "Hemp fibre can replace wood fibre without changes to production equipment", is states (p. 23), and this has been borne out by individuals who have themselves made many tonnes of hemp paper in the UK, including John Hanson of Lyme Regis (whose paper is featured in Hemp for Victory).

When discussing paper there is always the mention of hurds, the inside part of the stems which by weight make up 70-80% of the plant. These have been used for paper in the US since at least 1915, when government testing proved them to be useful material, and in France, where they were sold off for medium grade paper pulp in the 1920s. The Defra report states: "The hemp hurds (short core fibres) may be processed into cellophane packing material or into low cost, compostable replacement for polystyrene." (p. 23)

The use of hurds as building material is also addressed, citing the cement made with them that is stronger than cement but five times lighter. (p. 23)

The textile market is looked at also, though there is littel infrastructure in the UK presently to weave and knit hemp cloth. Comparing hemp to cotton, it notes: "...hemp fibres are longer, stronger, more lustrous and absorbent and more mildew resistant." (p. 24)

Other application are also discussed, from seed oil to insulating material, and it is quite clear from the report that hemp is of economic value to the UK.

As Defra has commissioned this and has this information in its hands, it is only fair to query Defra ministers as to what they are doing about it. Further information on this agency and ministerial response will be available at the hemp for victory blogspot from time to time.

LIGNIN

Lignin is a macromolecule characterised by monolignols, the starting material being phenylalinine. It is common in trees and herbaceous plants, where is part of the cell walls, including the xylem fibres. After cellulose it is the most abundant organic compound, accounting for up to 33% of the dry mass of wood. It fills space between cellulose and pectin, giving rigidity, conducting water and providing defence against pathogens.

Lignin has both a negative and a positive side; it must be removed from plants when processed for paper and textiles, but is in fact on its own a very commercial compound. Studies of its uses began in 1927, when the Marathon Corp. in Rothschild, Wisconsin took an interest in it; since then this firm has been renamed LignoTech USA, and is owned by a Norwegian company, Borregaard.

The commercial uses of lignin and its derivatives include raw materials for use in vanillin, ethanol, humic acid, environmentally friendly dust suppression agents, dispersants in high performance cement applications, textile dyes and agricultural chemicals.

When burned, methoxy phenols are formed, of which guaicol and syringol are responsible for the flavour of smoked foods.

(for related post, see note below on pectin)

PECTIN

Pectin is a heterosaccharide, found in the cell wall of plants. The term 'pectin' includes a number of compounds which vary in the order of the monosaccharides. Under acidic conditions, it forms a gel, most well known from its use in marmalade and other jams. In fruit it is a welcome ingredient, which breaks down during maturation to pectinic and pectic acids in the presence of the enzyme pectinose. In general, hard fruits contain more pectin than soft fruits.

In fibre plants, pectin is removed out of necessity so as to isolate the cellulose, which is the main compound in paper and textiles. Hot water is one way of removing pectin, which is why hot-water retting and boiling have been methods of the hemp farmer.

Today hot-water retting is being explored along with enzyme retting. The goal of researchers is the removal of pectin from the stem so as to produce a pure cellulose fibre, free from pectin and other substances, such as lignin.

ETHANOL, HEMP & THE PRICE OF CORN

As the price of a barrel rises these days, and let's review, it has risen sharply since September, 2001, other commodities rise as well; how I wish I had bought gold when it was cheap, at a mere $350 an ounce! Having missed such a golden opportunity, there is comfort in knowing there are other markets. In Iowa this month, the price of a more mundane item, corn, was up for discussion. While it had no such stellar rise as petrol and precious metals , it is nonetheless going up a notch, from $2.00 a bushel to $2.10 a bushel. OK, that's only 5%, but enough to encourage farmers to pick corn this year rather than soy, wheat or cotton.

Part of the rise in the price of corn is due to its cellulose content; cellulose is a carbohydrate which converts easily to ethanol, and for many people tired of paying lots of money for petrol, this is an important bit of information. Truckers have been demanding biofuel for years now in the US, as their incomes are shrinking as inflation rises. So the corn farmers are now able to sell what was once farm waste, the inedible parts of the corn plant, and do the country a service as well. Patriotism, without shedding blood.

However simple some things may be in life, there are always those who can get things wrong, and in the reporting of this in no less a paper than the New York Times, there were worried voices expressing concern about using a food plant to supply energy. Do these people really imagine that they are going to use all the kernels to make fuel? Do they not realise that the kernels are a fraction of the plant's weight, they are the seeds, thus they contain the proteins that make them valuable as a food; the rest of the plant can be dehydrated and fermented for biofuel. We kill two birds here for the price of one.

Sloppy reporting over the years about energy plants is not limited to the Grey Lady in the Big Apple; no less a rag than the UK's Independent will write articles about biofuel without an understanding of the whole picture. Recently, they wrote that it was unfeasible for the UK to farm energy as the rape crop would not produce enough ethanol from its stems. Right they are, but why are they talking about rape when Henry Ford, who certainly did know a thing or two about cars and energy, talked about hemp and farm wastes?

At least the NYT article (Matthew Wald, 16 January, 2006) took notes from those in the business, such as Robert C. Brown, a professor of mechanical engineering at Iowa State, who noted that the idea that using corn for energy was taking food from our mouths was incorrect. Benie Punt, also quoted in the NYT, is a manager of a plant in Siouxland, and he was also able to point out that the leftovers from the ethanol conversion are even used as animal feed.

The scare tactics, interestingly enough, come from the Washington based International Food Policy Research Institute, whose director, Joachim von Braun, warns that: "even a small shift could have big effects...the mouth of your car is a monster compared to your family's stomach needs." OK, one does not need to be a rocket scientist, or related to a former Nazi rocket scientist, to see that this argument is actually better suited towards two other goals - reducing driving and reducing dependence on foreign energy. For an idiot, it stands to reason that we better not use farm wastes to produce ethanol, unless we want a big raise in the price of food.

Actually, by harnessing the energy in farm wastes, the US would quite likely get back on its feet finacially, while providing jobs in the energy and agricultural sectors to its own citizens. If farm wastes were not enought to provide the country with its energy supplies, then certain crops could be grown to provide more, such as hemp, which is one of the fastest biomass producing plants in the world, ready to harvest in a season with little effort. Its stems are high in cellulose, and the seeds can be harvested for oil and cattle feed among other products.

The Founding Fathers grew hemp, so there ought to be little objection to growing this in the US, it can, by the way, be grown in all 50 states. With a little more education and the will to succeed we can. Recently, Sir Richard Branson put his money into ethanol production after listening to Al Gore hold forth on the subject in London. Sir Richard is using farm wastes, thus utilising what is already cheap and available. Little wonder that he became the billionaire that he did.