Industrial Uses of Hemp - Research Paper Example

? Hemp is the of a soft fiber cultivated from the cannabis genus plant. With its linen like quality, hemp proves beneficial in many industries, for example, textile, biodegradable plastic, and fuel industries. Amongst other useful purposes, it is also used as a psychoactive drug. According to a study, hemp, or marijuana, has been in use as an addictive for centuries. Since then, its uses have been shifted from medicinal and religious to mere pleasure and unbearable addictions. The prepared drug out of hemp, hash, according to the UN, is the most widely used banned item in the world. Due to this reason, hemp cultivation has been banned by the federal law in the United States, with China being the largest legal cultivator of hemp for industrial use. This, surprisingly, is a great loss as hemp has great industrial uses. Hemp is used to make about 25000 different products. Apart from the traditional uses in well-known products like rope, twine, nets, canvas bags and carpets, the fiber from the hemp plant can also be used in the production of textiles for apparel, diapers, sheets, towels, tents, drapes, knapsacks and shoes. Surprisingly enough, the first Levi's jeans were made out of hemp fibers and were stronger and possessed better quality. Hemp oil possesses the property of oxidizing as soon as it comes in contact with direct air, and if not stored properly, can become rancid. The proper way of storing the oil is to place it in a dark glass bottle and refrigerate or freeze. Due to this quality, hemp oil is used in manufacturing oil-based paints. They help the paint to quickly dry out and yet have an oily/wet effect when sealed open. Linseed oil possesses the same quality and is used in the paint industry as a substitute. Hemp oil is also a great moisturizer, and is thus used in the production of moisturizing creams and is used in the cosmetic industry to make creams, lipsticks, foundations, mascaras etc. Its healing and inflammatory properties trigger its use in the production of lip balms and freckle, anti-blemish creams for facial purposes. Hemp is also used to create ropes of varying strengths. Hemp, in its natural form, appears very similar to the linen cloth. Its twigs are braided together to make ropes. The strengths of the ropes can be varied by changing proportions of the organic fibers being used in making the rope. Hemp happens to be a strong fiber and thus as its proportion is increased, the rope gains more strength. Hemp is also used to manufacture cloth, blending it with other fibers to like cotton and silk to add strength to the cloth and give it a more ever lasting effect. Hemp, in its neat form, with very little addition of other organic fibers, is used to make everlasting fabric, making it strong and difficult to tear apart. Hemp seeds are an essential for the animal/bird feed industry. According to a survey in 2003, it was discovered that more than 95% of hemps sold in the entire European Union is used as animal or bird feed. Hemp seed is also used by pharmaceuticals as it has anti-inflammatory properties. Its use dates back to the third millennium BC, where hemp was used as a healer to accelerate the healing of all kinds of burns; injuries from the use of fire or lifting hot sum and substance, strong sun burns due to excessive exposure to the sun, etc. It was also used to treat rheumatism, ulcers, asthma, insomnia, migraine and other health problems. Hemp also possesses high nutritional value, and includes high amounts of dietary fiber, calcium and iron. Another unique property of the plant is that it does not trigger any kind of allergies. Hemp oil can also be used as a supplement to those who are under-nutritioned, relieving symptoms of eczema and the seed contains a high content of omega-3. Surprisingly enough, hemp is also used to make building material, for instance, concrete-like blocks made out of hemp and lime are used as insulators in buildings. Very recently, The Renewable House in the UK, was made using hemp-based materials. Hemp also has the ability to be used as fuel. The oil harnessed from hemp oils, referred to as biodiesel, also known as hempoline, is a clean burning and non-toxic gas. In the plastic industry, hemp is used to generate biodegradable material and is used in the production of GPS units, smartphones, laptops, electrical points, cookware handles, lamps, toys, water supply material, gardening equipment etc. Also, for commercial use, bast fiber is the priority for use considering the price and availability of product. Hemp also has great cultivating properties. According to the United States Department of Agriculture, 10,000 acres of cultivated hemp produce the same amount of paper that 40,000 acres of wood will produce. Hemp is a fast growing plant that requires little or no effort in the form of pesticides and fertilizers. It is also used as a mop crop, to clear impurities out of wastewater, or mere unwanted substance or chemicals present on the cultivated land or in the water available in that area. Another benefit of cultivating the hemp plant is that it offers weed control. Sometimes, if a piece of land has been uncultivated for a long period of time, small weeds occupy the land, their growth scattered. The cultivation of hemp on such a farm helps to get rid of these because of its height, dense foliage and its high planting density as a crop, making the land fit for cultivation again. Today, hemp's use for industrial uses has declined sharply. Before the industrial revolution, hemp was a popular fiber because it was strong and grew quickly. The production of rope by using the hemp plant was replaced by Manila hemp. Burlap, made from jute took over the sacking market of the hemp plant, the paper industry shifted to using wood pulp, the carpet industry started using wool, jute and later nylon. Netting applications were taken over by cotton and synthetics. Thus, it can be concluded that now that hemp, or marijuana, is not being cultivated on that large a scale and is a banned item in most parts of the world, the industry has to face some problems as well. Because the hemp plant was used in the production of many unique items and even though the world has moved to alternate raw materials, the quality, basic cost of production or availability of raw material sometimes becomes a menace for the respective industries. Reference West D. P. Feb. 27, 1998: Hemp and Marijuana: Myths & Realities for the North American Industrial Hemp Council. Web. May 14, 2011. . May 2008 20:55 BBC: Cannabis laws to be strengthened. UK. BBC News. Retrieved Sept 20, 2010. Web. May 14, 2011. < http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hemp/>. A. Nelson (1995) The Great Book of Hemp. Web. May 14, 2011. . Bakalar J. Marihuana: The Forbidden Medicine by Lester Grinspoon (Yale University Press, 1993, 184p). Web. May 14, 2011. . Why is Marijuana Illegal? 12 May 2011. Web. 14 May 2011. .  Hong-En Jiang et al. (2006). A new insight into Cannabis sativa utilization from 2500-year-old Yanghai tombs, Xinjiang, China. Journal of Ethnopharmacology 108 Web. May 14, 2011. .  Jan 3, 2001 Bard used drugs for inspiration. BBC News (BBC). Retrieved Jul 7, 2001. Web. May 14, 2011. . Read More