A hemp field in Kentucky. Soon, fields like this will supply “engineered wood” that could replace hardwoods like oak. (Image courtesy of Matt Barton, University of Kentucky.)
After the U.S. government made it legal to grow industrial hemp late last year, a startup has announced that they’re building a factory to turn hemp fiber into “wood.” The factory, located in western Kentucky, will start turning hemp fibers into flooring and blocks by the end of the year.
HempWood is an impressive display of hemp’s versatility, but it’s not the first time the much-misunderstood plant has been used in building. Despite the legal challenges, people have been building with hemp for thousands of years.
What Is Hemp?
Hemp is the common name of a particular strain of Cannabis sativa grown specifically for industrial use. Although its cousin plants are harvested to produce marijuana, hemp plants have a far lower concentration of THC, which is the main psychoactive component of marijuana (approximately 0.3 percent). “You could smoke a telephone poles worth of our stuff and still not get high,” Ken Anderson, whose company uses hemp in building, told the New York Times.
What it lacks in recreational value, it makes up for in usefulness. Hemp makes two different kinds of fiber: the fine bast, which is used for paper and fabric, and the woody hurds of the inner stem. The hurds (also known as shives) are strong enough that they can be used in building.
Hemp has other…