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Hemp Concrete: A Sustainable Green Material for Conventional Concrete

Article in Journal of Building Material Science · September 2021

DOI: 10.30564/jbms.v3i2.3189

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 Journal of Building Material Science | Volume 03 | Issue 02 | December 2021

Journal of Building Material Science

https://ojs.bilpublishing.com/index.php/jbms

REVIEW
Hemp Concrete: A Sustainable Green Material for Conventional
Concrete
Sudarshan D. Kore* J. S. Sudarsan
School of Construction Management, National Institute of Construction Management and Research (NICMAR) Pune,
India

ARTICLE INFO ABSTRACT

Article history Concrete is one of the most important building material and day by day the
Received: 1 May 2021 utilization of concrete is increasing to meet the infrastructure development
requirement. On one hand it is unavoidable but some alternative to be
Accepted: 21 May 2021 explored to reduce the global environmental impact caused by the concrete.
Published Online: 13 September 2021 To overcome this from the last decade the world is looking towards the
fact of sustainability due to rapid industrialization. The growth in the
Keywords: construction industry increased the demand of concrete as construction
Hemp material. This concrete produces significant amount of greenhouse emission
in the environment. There is a need to find an alternative solution to
Hempshiv minimize the greenhouse emission emitted from the concrete manufacturing
Concrete plant.
Sustainability Hempcrete is a building material prepared from hemp yarns, lime and
water. This composite material has several beneficial properties like low
in cost, easily available, thermal and acoustic insulation, low density and
sustainable cause of no adverse impact of carbon footprint on production.
In this study the properties and several benefits of the hempcrete were
discussed in detail.

1. Introduction one ton of cement approximately 0.98 tons of carbon

dioxide is emitted in the environment [2]. The emission
Rapid growth in the urbanization, industrialization and
of this gas lead to be the one of the major causes for
infrastructure activities in the world increased the demand
global warming. The issue of global warming attracts the
of the amenities in the developed and undeveloped
researchers to find a suitable alternative material as binder
countries. The increased demand in the infrastructure
amenities by people of the society is much more in later for construction industry which makes it economical and
1990’S. To meet this demand the construction industry sustainable [3]. There are various other materials found
uses concrete as construction material which is one of the by the researchers like waste from thermal power plant
popular material in the world. The concrete is prepared (Ash) metakaoline, Ground Granulated Blast furnace
by cement, fine aggregate, coarse aggregate and water. In Slag (GGBS), silica fume etc. [17,15,10]. For sustainable
today’s scenario approximately 25 billion tons per year development need to find some materials which does not
of concrete is being produced globally [18]. For production have any impact on the greenhouse gas emissions.
of concrete the main ingredient is cement. For production The recent advancement in the construction industry

*Corresponding Author:
Sudarshan D. Kore,
School of Construction Management, National Institute of Construction Management and Research (NICMAR) Pune, India;
Email: [email protected]; [email protected]

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 Journal of Building Material Science | Volume 03 | Issue 02 | December 2021

developed some new innovative materials which may be a respiratory structure that absorbs and desorbs moisture
called as ecofriendly, sustainable or green construction from its environment and controls sudden tempering and
materials. The various studies conducted by the past humidity changes in its environment. This ability of the
researchers explored the use of plant fibers and byproducts hempcrete allows the users to use to maintain healthy
in concrete as construction material for sustainable environment in arid regions [8]. Hemp is an agriculture
developments for example wood, hemp, sunflower, flax, product cause of this it is a carbon negative martial which
sisal [1]. doesn’t emit any carbon emission during the production
process [21]. The researchers claimed that per kilogram of
2. Emerging Trends on a New Challenge hemp shiv sequesters about 1.6 to 1.8 kg of CO2 [14,25].
Hemp is grown in the tropical regions of the world as From the past fifteen years the hemp is termed as
one of the popular crop in those regions. The biological green building material which was seen from the previous
name of this plant is Cannabis Sativa as shown in Figure studies. Hemp had significant papers as a fibre plant in the
1. The fibers generated from the hemp stack is used as a past, and already processed into cord and fabric in Egypt’s
building product along with lime and cement [12]. in the past dynasty 3500 years ago [24]. Hemp’s potential
for green growth in Europe has been rediscovered around
25 years ago [13]. Several European countries have changed
their laws to enable the production and processing of
manufacturing hemp ranges with a content of less than
0.2% in the higher part of the plant. Recent policy reforms
in favor of cannabis farming and manufacturing on a
global scale are only viable if they are combined with the
use of hemp.
Building is known to consume approximately 40% of
the total energy production, 25% of the world’s water,
and 40% of the world’s resources (UN Environment
Program, 2016). By substituting plant aggregates for
mineral aggregates, this consumption can be greatly
reduced [6]. This calculation not only locks CO2 within
the building envelope, but it also lowers operating energy
such as air conditioning, makes insulating hemp concrete
Figure 1. Hemp Plant
a very promising choice for fighting global warming [5].
Hemp is a quickly developing yearly yield (1.5 - 4 m Currently, about 5,000 tonnes of hemp material are used
tallness) which is mostly developed for its high rigidity for construction purposes in France, the country that
common fiber which develops in the shoot nearby the pioneered the use of hemp-based insulating construction
timbered center of the plant [27]. This timbered center of the materials in the early 1990s, followed by other European
plant is slashed up into little sizes (5-25 mm) (hurd/shive) countries, and has increased in popularity in the last 15
and blended in with lime, water and a little amount of years as a result of growing research in this area [4].
concrete (to speed up setting time) to shape of composite
blend called hempcrete [7]. The use of hemp fibers was first
trialed by France in 1990. The hemp fibers were used for
production of less weight concrete, making of protection
boards, mass-spraying of hempcrete respectively for the
production of lightweight composites [15]. Hempcrete is
obtained by adding the hemp shives or fibers along with
cement or lime in presence of water. It is having several
benefits such as low density, and acoustic protection
properties, and can passively regulate humidity in a
built environment [29]. Due to low strength and modulus
elasticity it cannot be used as structural concrete. It can be
used as filling material for construction of ecofriendly and
sustainable structures [3]. Pores in hempcrete can create Figure 2. Brick made from Hempcrete [16]

2 Distributed under creative commons license 4.0 DOI: https://doi.org/10.30564/jbms.v3i2.3189

 Journal of Building Material Science | Volume 03 | Issue 02 | December 2021

3. Hempcrete’s Characteristics being fireproof, non-toxic, sustainable, breathable, and

highly isolative.
Capabilities for dealing with moisture
Hempcrete’s vapor permeable walls enable dampness
to naturally move starved of the risk of condensation and
water harm [28].
It has a large potential for retaining moisture. With
permeable skins on both sides of the wall, moisture-
related problems are significantly reduced in any area.
It hurd contains a lot of silica, because when it’s
combined with lime, the hurd begins to mineralize.

Compressive Strength (CS)

According to Elfordy et al., [11] compressive strength of
hempcrete blocks varies from 14.5 psi (1.02 kg/cm2) to Figure 3. Walls with hemp clay bricks
420 psi (29.5 kg/cm2).
It helps to stabilize or harden lightweight partition
framing members. Hempcrete’s density ranges from 93.6
to 136.4 kg/m3. As a result, it is bright.

Thermal Efficiency
Hempcrete has exceptional thermal properties.
Hemp concrete has a R value of 1.5 to 2.0 per inch in
its steady state [26].
The density obtained in the combination, as well as the
binder/Hemp ratio, will affect the values.
It also passed the European burn exam, which is a
75-minute test [9].

4. Sustainable Building Material

Figure 4. Hemp lime concrete sprayed application
It can raise up to four meters tall in three months
without pesticides or herbicides, and hemp cultivation is 5. Environmentally Friendly Construction
quickly growing around the world [7]. Material
The recent growth in this sector is due to several
reasons, not the least of which is our collective sense that It’s probably safe to say that climate change poses
what we are doing with our world isn’t quite working out. the biggest threat to our future survival, and buildings
This sensation is growing in intensity, but it is at odds account for roughly half of all greenhouse gas emissions,
with our normal way of life. Hemp is a green building both during construction and in heating, cooling, and
material with a wide range of applications, and it is maintenance demands after they’ve been occupied.
expected to become a valuable crop in the future [28]. At any of these points, it has the ability to minimize
One of the most interesting the components of this emissions, making it a genuinely green building material.
hemp renaissance is the slow growth in the use of hemp as Plants engross carbon from the air as they grow, and
a building fabric [7]. hemp is able to lock up more carbon per hectare than
Hempcrete consists of hemp ‘shiv’, the woody almost every other plant, including trees, due to its rapid
middle of the hemp plant broken up into something as growth rate [19].
nice wooden chips, that’s then mixed with a lime-based Once this biomass is processed, mixed with lime, and
complete binder and water. incorporated into a structure, the carbon is locked up for
This arrangement sets hard to become an exceptional the life of the structure. Lime also balances the energy
padding for walls, floors, or roofs. It has numerous used in its production by removing CO2 from the air as it
benefits over supplementary building materials, including sets.

Distributed under creative commons license 4.0 DOI: https://doi.org/10.30564/jbms.v3i2.3189 3

 Journal of Building Material Science | Volume 03 | Issue 02 | December 2021

Most traditional construction materials have a high kind of aeration or draught, the room heat drops rapidly,
embodied carbon content, which means they release forcing the regulator to cut in and reheat the room on a
large amounts of CO2 into the environment during their consistent basis. This, too, has strong negative effects for
manufacture. energy bills. Anyone who lives in a modern home and has
It typically absorbs more carbon than it emits during observed how easily the room temperature drops when the
production, rendering it a carbon-neutral material. To set heating is switched off is frustrated [20].
that into perception, m3 of hempcrete will restore around
110 kg of CO2 [17]. For the walls, an average sized house
will use about 50 cubic meters of hempcrete, resulting in
5.5 tons of carbon being locked up over the course of the
building’s lifespan [10,19].
In contrast, a typical new house of comparable size
will likely release 48 tons of carbon into the atmosphere
through its walls. This equates to a carbon reduction
of 53.5 tons per house constructed [5]. It’s clear that the
carbon balance isn’t even near, and that, despite minor
differences in measurement methods, building with
hempcrete will save you money.

Figure 5. Structural vault of hemp concrete

6. Insulation
The potential of this green material is to save carbon
and to act as an insulating enclosing material with two
Figure 6. Hemp Concrete as insulating material
main properties that help it minimize carbon emissions
and save money on energy bills: moisture management
7. Expertise and Experience
and thermal mass. These features, which are often ignored
by building codes, mean that hempcrete buildings use less There is a shortage of knowledge and experience
energy to have inhabitants warm and happy. within the hempcrete industry, if there is one at all. There
Its ability to absorb and desorb moisture helps it are a few businesses that are successfully constructing and
to control humidity in the house, allowing for greater renovating, but the majority of the structures are one-off
comfort at lower temperatures and lower energy bills. projects. The experience and skills needed for these one-
Hempcrete’s thermally massive properties cause the off projects are similar to, but not equal to, those required
building’s fabric to warm up and remain warm even when for large-scale construction.
the weather is modified [9]. This is in contrast to most Hempcrete buildings, like any other building, may
modern houses, where the lining layer in the partition is benefit from economies of scale, but scale necessitates
placed so close to the inner surface that the only thing that investment, and investment necessitates confidence.
keeps the space warm. At the moment, the numerous yet effective hempcrete
The biggest downside is that when there is some builders are not banding together to provide this evidence

4 Distributed under creative commons license 4.0 DOI: https://doi.org/10.30564/jbms.v3i2.3189

 Journal of Building Material Science | Volume 03 | Issue 02 | December 2021

in a crime manner. knocks.

 Better for filling in and repairing holes in existing
8. Potential Future plaster.
The raw material for hempcrete will become more  Spray applications save time and money by
eliminating the need for formwork.
readily available as hemp cultivation spreads around
the world and processing plants made easy [20]. If textile  The most popular approach is to add lime plaster
directly to hempcrete [22].
manufacturers can shift away from cotton and toward
hemp, the hemp market can grow quickly, allowing the 9.2 Form Packing
price of hemp shiv to remain steady.
The emerging infrastructure material manufacturing To maximize the insulating potential, it is tightly filled
industry has attracted a lot of investment, but due to near the surfaces and loosely in the middle.
outdated laws that make hemp farming difficult. The frame may be balanced or bent to one side. The
exterior is also finished with cladding.

Figure 8. Form packing of hempcrete

9.3 Precast Insulation Panels

Hemp concrete construction utilizes precast panels for
large structures.
Individually built residences that are assembled on site
may also benefit from precast panels.
The British Science Museum cast-off hempcrete boards
Figure 7. Construction with Hempcrete in an artefact storage room.
Any hempcrete building offers evidence for how we
need to design, and if we look hard enough, we will find 10. Hempcrete vs Concrete
proof that existing standard building strategies are failing In terms of design, concrete has a distinct benefit over
us. More concrete structures are quietly underperforming, hempcrete in that it can be used to create load-bearing
dumping even more carbon into the atmosphere. structures.
Hempcrete isn’t a commodity through a lot of Hempcrete, on the other hand, has obvious benefits in
unanswered questions. It’s a sustainable material of future its ability to withstand mould, bacteria, and damp, which
age, and it has the potential to help us develop in a more are common problems for homeowners in older buildings
ecological way, resulting in better building results. and can cause severe respiratory problems.
Concrete [23] and hempcrete are both fire-resistant,
9. Applications of Hempcrete maintain heat well, and are effective sound-proofing
9.1 Plastering materials. The initial cost of the materials, as well as
their suitability for a variety of large-scale construction
 Painted on the building’s interior or exterior projects, would likely determine any change in industry
surfaces. between widespread acceptances of concrete as a building
 Ideal for places that are prone to cracking and material versus hempcrete.

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 Journal of Building Material Science | Volume 03 | Issue 02 | December 2021

Hempcrete Concrete
[23]
Figure 9. Comparison of Hemcrete with Concrete

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