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41,034
2024-10-01 to 2025-03-31
Feasibility Studies
**The UK Concrete and Cement Industry has laid out an ambitious roadmap to achieve and surpass net zero carbon emissions by 2050**. Although notable progress has been made since the late 1990s, the economic limitations of current low carbon concrete materials hinder widespread adoption. Existing technologies are financially burdensome for construction companies, necessitating innovative approaches to match the cost and structural performance of traditional carbon-intensive materials. A biocomposite (hempcrete) derived from hemp hurd combined with calcium hydroxide and pozzolana, presents a promising solution. This material not only **absorbs significant amounts of CO2 during hemp growth** (up to 22 tonnes per hectare in a 3-4 month period) but **also continues to sequester carbon through carbonation over the building's lifespan**, potentially reaching up to 150 kg of CO2 per cubic metre of hempcrete. Despite its potential, **hempcrete's adoption has been limited, primarily due to its inadequate load-bearing capacity**, which restricts its use to non-structural components. Since these components account for up to 30% of a building's total concrete usage, there is a substantial opportunity for further carbon savings through the development of structural hempcrete. **This feasibility project**, led by Rare Earth Global (REG) in collaboration with the University of Leeds, School of Civil Engineering, **aims to develop a low carbon hemp concrete mix made from the whole stalk tested for structural integrity.** No structural hemp concrete materials are currently available, though recent scientific studies have shown the successful stabilisation of natural hemp fibres in concrete, indicating potential of this project to use the entirety of the stalk (hurd and fibre) to produce a hemp concrete mix optimised for long-term structural stability and maximum carbon sequestration. By addressing technical challenges in formulation and production this project seeks to overcome barriers to the viability of widespread use of hemp ingredients in construction. The outcomes will be disseminated through academic publications, industry partnerships, and case studies to promote the adoption of this innovative material in the construction industry. This collaborative effort and study aims to demonstrate the viability of using a structural, low carbon hemp concrete mix, paving the way for a more sustainable future in concrete construction.