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Abstract
The cultivation of varieties of hemp with no mind-altering properties already allows the marketing of a number of products. For example, hemp fibres are used for cloth or insulating material, while hemp seeds provide oil for both cosmetics and food. Hemp shavings (that comes from the core of the stalk), however, are not considered useful and are mainly used unprocessed as horse-litter.
Since 1992 a Swiss craftsman has been using an agglomerate consisting of these hemp shavings mixed with slaked lime, plaster and water to construct (poured between form panels) non load-bearing walls. The first scientific research into this subject established that, in spite of some weaknesses in hand production, this agglomerate is an ecological material with good thermal insulating properties.
The purpose of this present study was to evaluate the possible use of such an agglomerate for the production of elements to be used in the building of load-bearing and insulating walls.
We were first able to significantly improve the resistance of the agglomerate and then carried out tests on an industrial production line. We were able to judge the improved agglomerate's compatibility with equipment originally intended for casting concrete bricks. We then tested the main mechanical and physical properties of both the bricks and the walls constructed with them, and compared these with those of traditional materials.
Our study demonstrated that the agglomerate of hemp, in its new improved form, is compatible with industrial equipment and is sufficiently resistant for use in the construction of low load-bearing walls. As far as its thermal insulating qualities are concerned, however, it is not as yet sufficiently competitive to allow marketing of the product.