The built environment is responsible for 42% of all CO2 emissions with four major building materials – steel, cement, iron and aluminum – accounting for over one-third of the CO2 associated with the built environment. Accordingly, there is an urgent need to use construction materials with much less embodied carbon, and materials with higher inherent thermal insulation to reduce heating and cooling related operational energy, which will then lead to reduction in CO2 emissions associated with both building materials and building operations. As various initiatives explore low-carbon and carbon-storing materials in comparison to traditional construction materials, an emerging idea is the use of bio-based and crop-based materials. In this context, hempcrete or hemp-lime composites, a mixture of industrial hemp hurd as a bio-aggregate, lime as the binder, and water, is being recognized as a new and potentially carbon storing, lightweight construction material. Fully grown in less than four months, industrial hemp yields seeds, fiber, and hurd (the woody part of the stem left after the fibers are removed). While currently, hemp hurd is mainly used for animal bedding, its use in hempcrete represents a new and promising avenue, creating a new market for this versatile material where carbon removed from the atmosphere can be stored.
Currently hempcrete is being used primarily as an insulation material that can be a substitute to conventional fiberglass batt, cellulose, and mineral wool insulation or other types of rigid board insulation, such as expanded/extruded polystyrene, polyisocyanurate, and polyurethane. The main form of application of hempcrete in construction of walls is cast in place within temporary formwork and spray applied. Another alternative form is precast blocks, which can be used as non-load-bearing blocks for construction of exterior or partition walls. Given the inherent low compressive strength of conventional hempcrete, there is a need to quantify and enhance such physical and mechanical properties so that standards can be established for hempcrete not only as an insulation material but also as a load-bearing construction material. There is also interest in integrating hempcrete in panelized construction, which can open new opportunities for use of the hempcrete-integrated building components, which offer inherent thermal insulation, fire-resistance, sound insulation, weight reduction, healthy and non-toxic attributes among others.
The Alternative Materials Section in Frontiers in Sustainability considers contributions that address different aspects of hempcrete. For example, there is a need for expanding the applicability of hempcrete to assume a load-bearing role in addition to its inherent thermal resistance. There is great interest in knowledge sharing on developments in various aspects of hempcrete, such as material science, architecture, engineering, construction, innovation, and market and cost analysis. More specifically, contributions to the advancement of hempcrete for loadbearing applications, its use as a prefabricated panelized wall component, and its use in other building components such as floor slabs, architectural elements, and curved surfaces are encouraged. Interest also extends to papers related to the mechanical properties of hempcrete, including thermal resistance, fire resistance, moisture absorption/drying, vapor permeability, sound insulation, and air tightness. Furthermore, there is a need for studies demonstrating sustainability aspects such as energy efficiency, recyclability, life cycle assessment, indoor humidity control, and carbon capture.
Case studies on the design and construction of buildings employing hempcrete can be extremely effective in introducing hempcrete to the general readership. Such contributions might include cost analysis and performance evaluation of hempcrete buildings concerning indoor environmental quality, such as CO2 levels, relative humidity, thermal comfort, indoor air quality, and operational energy consumption through measurement and modeling using available software packages.
Of course, the use of hemp in construction is not limited to hempcrete. There are developments and some market availability in making products such as batt insulation from hemp fiber, hempwood from hurd and fiber, and rope from fibers. However, the scope of this Research Topic is focused on hempcrete.
Keywords:
Hempcrete, hemplime, sustainable, insulation, residential, home, building, construction
Important Note:
All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.
The built environment is responsible for 42% of all CO2 emissions with four major building materials – steel, cement, iron and aluminum – accounting for over one-third of the CO2 associated with the built environment. Accordingly, there is an urgent need to use construction materials with much less embodied carbon, and materials with higher inherent thermal insulation to reduce heating and cooling related operational energy, which will then lead to reduction in CO2 emissions associated with both building materials and building operations. As various initiatives explore low-carbon and carbon-storing materials in comparison to traditional construction materials, an emerging idea is the use of bio-based and crop-based materials. In this context, hempcrete or hemp-lime composites, a mixture of industrial hemp hurd as a bio-aggregate, lime as the binder, and water, is being recognized as a new and potentially carbon storing, lightweight construction material. Fully grown in less than four months, industrial hemp yields seeds, fiber, and hurd (the woody part of the stem left after the fibers are removed). While currently, hemp hurd is mainly used for animal bedding, its use in hempcrete represents a new and promising avenue, creating a new market for this versatile material where carbon removed from the atmosphere can be stored.
Currently hempcrete is being used primarily as an insulation material that can be a substitute to conventional fiberglass batt, cellulose, and mineral wool insulation or other types of rigid board insulation, such as expanded/extruded polystyrene, polyisocyanurate, and polyurethane. The main form of application of hempcrete in construction of walls is cast in place within temporary formwork and spray applied. Another alternative form is precast blocks, which can be used as non-load-bearing blocks for construction of exterior or partition walls. Given the inherent low compressive strength of conventional hempcrete, there is a need to quantify and enhance such physical and mechanical properties so that standards can be established for hempcrete not only as an insulation material but also as a load-bearing construction material. There is also interest in integrating hempcrete in panelized construction, which can open new opportunities for use of the hempcrete-integrated building components, which offer inherent thermal insulation, fire-resistance, sound insulation, weight reduction, healthy and non-toxic attributes among others.
The Alternative Materials Section in Frontiers in Sustainability considers contributions that address different aspects of hempcrete. For example, there is a need for expanding the applicability of hempcrete to assume a load-bearing role in addition to its inherent thermal resistance. There is great interest in knowledge sharing on developments in various aspects of hempcrete, such as material science, architecture, engineering, construction, innovation, and market and cost analysis. More specifically, contributions to the advancement of hempcrete for loadbearing applications, its use as a prefabricated panelized wall component, and its use in other building components such as floor slabs, architectural elements, and curved surfaces are encouraged. Interest also extends to papers related to the mechanical properties of hempcrete, including thermal resistance, fire resistance, moisture absorption/drying, vapor permeability, sound insulation, and air tightness. Furthermore, there is a need for studies demonstrating sustainability aspects such as energy efficiency, recyclability, life cycle assessment, indoor humidity control, and carbon capture.
Case studies on the design and construction of buildings employing hempcrete can be extremely effective in introducing hempcrete to the general readership. Such contributions might include cost analysis and performance evaluation of hempcrete buildings concerning indoor environmental quality, such as CO2 levels, relative humidity, thermal comfort, indoor air quality, and operational energy consumption through measurement and modeling using available software packages.
Of course, the use of hemp in construction is not limited to hempcrete. There are developments and some market availability in making products such as batt insulation from hemp fiber, hempwood from hurd and fiber, and rope from fibers. However, the scope of this Research Topic is focused on hempcrete.
Keywords:
Hempcrete, hemplime, sustainable, insulation, residential, home, building, construction
Important Note:
All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.