Decarbonising Built Environments with Hempcrete

The building sector is responsible for approximately 40% of total anthropogenic greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and 37% of global energy consumption. 
 
Hempcrete is a bio-based construction material made from a mix of hemp shivs, lime, sand, and water. It is a sustainable alternative to conventional building materials, as the hemp plant sequesters CO₂ during its growth and continues to store biogenic carbon when processed into hempcrete. UTS research has shown that hempcrete has a lower carbon footprint, high sound absorption, moisture buffering capacity, excellent thermal insulation, and fire resistance, making it an environmentally friendly and energy-efficient choice for construction. 
 
In collaboration with industry partners Australian Hemp Masonry Company, and with funding from the Australian Research Council, researchers from the Faculty of Engineering and Information Technology have developed an integrated prefabricated hempcrete panel which consisted of using low-carbon options, including alkali-activated binders and biomineralization technology, with glass waste replacing natural sand. 

Learn more about hempcrete in this YouTube video

Current experiments involve conducting experiments to measure indoor environmental quality parameters of scaled-down structures including cast-in-situ hempcrete and prefabricated hempcrete panels. Measurements are made to compare the performance of hempcrete production alternatives in terms of indoor environmental quality, to demonstrate the importance of developing panels meeting the desired criteria. 
 
To optimise the design considerations of hempcrete production alternatives, the researchers are collecting information regarding the packaging, transportation logistics, installation, and disassembly at the end of life. This will contribute to scaling up the production of hempcrete which will promote the abundance of ‘green’ buildings and industrial hemp industry, with the results combined aimed at decarbonising the built environment.