Assessing the Sustainability and Performance of Hempcrete

Aim: Traditional construction materials like cement, concrete, glass, asphalt, and steel require more energy in the manufacturing process, which results in high GHG emissions. Therefore, researchers from all over the world are focusing on solutions to tackle carbon emissions, with hempcrete emerging as a less polluting construction material. Hempcrete is a bio-composite comprising a woody core of hemp stem and hydrated lime. The objective of the study is to find out the physical and mechanical properties of hemp-lime concrete.

Study Design: The present research paper is part of the ongoing study on hempcrete at G.B. Pant University of Agriculture & Technology, Pantnagar, Uttarakhand, India. The present study chose an experimental research design.

Methodology: The study presents its results in two parts: performance and sustainability. The first part investigates the performance of hempcrete in terms of its physical and mechanical characteristics. The researcher conducted numerous trials to fix mix designs, focusing on their workability. Cubes of size 10 cm were cast manually for five distinct mix designs. The second part of the paper examines the sustainability aspect of hemp-lime concrete via a relevant literature review.

Results: During the specified time intervals of 28, 56, 84, and 112 days, the cubes exhibited a range in weight density from 506 to 674 kg/m3. In parallel, the compression test results demonstrated varying values, spanning from 0.510 Mpa to 0.810 Mpa across the same time points. Results show that there is a negative correlation between density and compressive strength and a positive correlation between density and water absorption rate.

Conclusion: The results pertaining to weight density highlight the lightweight nature of hempcrete, to the extent that the cubes have the propensity to float in water. Due to its relatively low compressive strength values, hempcrete is deemed suitable for non-load-bearing applications within building construction.