Carleton University Researching Low Carbon Building Materials

Recycled hemp biomass, water and lime. Cement, sand, fibres, plasticizers and water. Combine the first group of ingredients in the correct ratio and you can make hemp building blocks that perform exceptionally well as insulation and, with the right compression, could

BY Realty Plus
Published - Saturday, 09 Jan, 2021

Carleton University Researching Low Carbon Building Materials

Recycled hemp biomass, water and lime. Cement, sand, fibres, plasticizers and water. Combine the first group of ingredients in the correct ratio and you can make hemp building blocks that perform exceptionally well as insulation and, with the right compression, could also work as a structural material in walls. Mix the second set and tweak the formula properly and you can use a 3D printer to produce thin slabs of ultra-high-performance concrete. Both are building materials with the potential to reduce our carbon footprint — and both are being developed by master’s students in the Carleton Sensory Architecture and Liminal Technologies (CSALT) laboratory in the basement of the university’s Architecture Building. Hurd Solutions provides Papp with large amounts of hemp biomass — the byproduct of rope and fabric manufacturing, with virtually no THC content, that would otherwise be considered waste. He mixes it with water and lime and other natural additives and pours the resulting mixture into a 4-in. by 4-in. form, presses the material, and then removes the form to let it dry. Because the “hempcrete” is breathable, it works well as insulation. The students are also using a small hydraulic press to experiment with denser, stronger hemp panels that could be used as a structural material.