Traditionally plastics were built from cellulose (plant) materials, cellulose sources were used to make the first eye-glass frames and celluloid films for the movies.
Over time these natural raw materials were replaced by fossil fuel derived chemicals products, which in many cases has not been good news for the consumer and the environment.
Hemp can produce large amounts of biomass annually and is therefore a great source of cellulose, hemicellulose and lignin material.
Hemp is now being used to make plastic and composite products. It is a filament for 3D Printing and hemp fibre is being used as a substitute for graphene in the production of super-capacitors.
Recyclable biodegradable plastics produced from an annual crop which soaks up Co2 as it grows, a win for the consumer and the environment.
Carbohydrates rather than hydrocarbons can fuel our economy.
Synthetic plastic products have only been around for 100 + years, in that time some 8,000 other chemical combinations have been brought to the market. This has caused farms to move away from crops and become more specialised as their traditional markets for fibre and biomass have been replaced by fossil fuel derivatives .
The demand for natural fibre for many plastic and composite uses is developing and these raw materials can come from sustainable annual crops like hemp.
Composite car parts on the Mercedes C Class
