HEMP

NCSU invites all interested parties to contact Dr. Lokendra Pal to receive an email invitation to join the organizational conference call. Lokendra Pal, Associate Professor, Department of Forest Biomaterials, NCSU, Raleigh, NC 27695. +1(919) 513 6622, lpal@ncsu.edu.

Background and Market Needs

The US, historically a major hemp producer, has reintroduced industrial hemp production to open up new economic opportunities for agriculture and farming communities through the US Farm Bill 2018. Furthermore, the landmark NC House Bill 992 established an NC Industrial Hemp Commission to evaluate a future economy for industrial hemp manufacture. As a result of this Bill, NCSU is one of two landmark Universities that have been identified as pilot research sites to support its directives. The future success of the industrial hemp industry will heavily depend on the research to not only extract more oil from seed cultivars, but also to utilize coproduct and waste biomass in consumer goods such as composites, packaging, tissue and hygiene, and molded products amongst others. Further reasonable and not overly restrictive regulations and a general change in public attitudes are expected to lead to a strong demand for industrial hemp growth and its multi-scale bioproducts, resulting in urgent needs for regulatory and business frameworks, that will go hand in hand with scientific, technological, and agricultural research at collective-scales at the local, regional, and global levels. The complex socio-environmental challenge of industrial hemp production requires contributions from basic, applied, and social sciences, in conjunction with integration of evidentiary and experiential learning using robust interdisciplinary frameworks.

Partnership Vision and Goals

Our vision is to be the catalyst for excellence in research, industrial development and global education in hemp engineered materials production (BRIDGE-HEMP) by connecting fundamental and applied research with market needs and opportunities. To achieve this, we will:

1. Push the innovation envelope by developing fundamental knowledge in the production, modification, and utilization of hemp extractives and biomass fibrous materials to meet societal needs in a circular economy in the short and long-term.
2. Develop fast-track commercialization by overcoming barriers to current industry/market needs, using advanced analytics and business intelligence tools as well as social barriers through comprehensive training and education

Therefore, overarching goals of this partnership are to broaden research, industrial development and global education in hemp engineered materials production (BRIDGE-HEMP) and consequently facilitate the dialogue of academic, industry, practitioners, public, and policy communities. We aim to build an interdisciplinary evidence-based and network focused on industrial hemp production and its bioproducts, building capacity for transformative change in agriculture technologies. We will center our research and capacity building around three themes: new process technology and product development research, techno-economic, environmental and social life-cycle analysis (LCA). Research is needed to A) determine the supply chain and economic value, B) identify which components of the plant have the best potential to provide value to farmers and to society, and C) develop and optimize novel, simple, low-cost processing methods for extracting those components.

Potential Partners

Growers, seed suppliers, farmers, educators, industrial liaison, policymakers, governmental agencies, NGOs, and related stakeholders.

Expected Outcome

The expected outcome will be a robust future industrial hemp economy in the NC and US that is centered on the valorization of both the extractives and agricultural biomass of hemp. Today, the most promising use of hemp are essential oils extraction, principally cannabidiol (CBD), a non-hallucinogenic cannabinoid that has substantial documented medical use and is in high demand as a pharmaceutical. However, the future success of the industrial hemp industry will heavily depend on the development of high value sustainable and functional co-product consumer goods such as fiber-based composites, packaging, tissue and hygiene, and molded products amongst others from agriculture biomass in a circular economy, addressing the global challenges of human health, food security and environment.

Description of Proposing Institution

North Carolina State University is the proposing institution. NCSU is a land grant university that serves ~35,000 students including ~7,400 graduate students enrolled in programs including engineering, natural resources, business and fiber technology. NCSU is in the Top 10 Universities in licensing technology. The BRIDGE-HEMP will be housed in the Department of Forest Biomaterials (FB), and supported by faculty in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences and other colleges. FB is one of the few departments of its type in the nation and is ranked highly among its peers. We have established a proven record of developing novel products from various woody and non-woody biomass. Forest Biomaterials occupies 51,000 square feet of laboratory and pilot plant space with an extensive and unique collection of equipment for bench- and pilot-scale fiber/pulp/wood processing. These operations include chemical and mechanical treatments of fibers, paper/tissue production, advanced characterization facility. The organizers have unique multidisciplinary skills is feedstock treatments, conversion processes, hygiene, packaging, and other industrial applications.

Industrial Hemp: A More Sustainable Option for the Hygiene Industry