Global warming as a result of climate change has become a major concern. It will result in the extinction of numerous species and pose a threat to human health, food security, living environment and standard of living.
Possible solutions are being explored accordingly; regulations have been imposed in places binding green production practices, limiting the emission of CO2 and emphasis is given to renewable resources along with the search for alternatives to carbon-positive materials.
Hemp has received a lot of attention because of its multipurpose usability, short production cycle, low capital demand in cultivation, possibility of carbon-negative transformation and easy carbon sequestering.
As a very promising renewable resource with potential uses in paper, textiles, composites, biofuel, the food industry and more, raw materials of natural origin like hemp are attracting more attention in different industrial sectors.
With competitive physical properties compared to man-made counterparts and a higher capacity for carbon sinking, hemp has emerged as a highly successful commercial crop due to its carbon-sequestering property, higher biomass production and various end-use products.
Researchers believe hemp can be successfully used as a cover crop. Hemp can remediate contaminated soils through phytoremediation and be produced without pesticides.
Hemp residues can act as botanical insecticides or miticides and inhibitors to soil nematodes and pathogenic fungi. Hemp can replenish the soil by killing and displacing other tiny crops or weeds and absorb heavy metals from soils.
Hemp proves competency in the search for new sustainable resources because it is naturally resistant to disease and pests, conserves water, degrades quickly and produces environmentally friendly industrial products such as biodiesel, bio-concrete, bio-composite, paper, textile, and so on.
Original source: Hemp as a potential raw material toward a sustainable world: A review