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Energy and environmental assessment of industrial hemp for building applications: A review

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  • Ingrao, Carlo
  • Lo Giudice, Agata
  • Bacenetti, Jacopo
  • Tricase, Caterina
  • Dotelli, Giovanni
  • Fiala, Marco
  • Siracusa, Valentina
  • Mbohwa, Charles

Abstract

Buildings significantly contribute to global environmental pollution due to consumption of both natural and primary-energy resources as well as to emission of carbon dioxide in their life-cycles. Therefore, to enable construction of more sustainable buildings, it is important and urgent that new low-environmental impact materials are developed, mainly by reducing the use of non-renewable resources. In this regard, the recent advances in the development of natural fibres represent a significant opportunity to produce improved-materials and energy from renewable resources. For this purpose, assessments of energy and environmental performances are needed to support both the design and the production of the aforementioned materials so as to identify solutions for enhanced contribution to global sustainability. In this context, this study presented a review of the papers published up to February 2015 that have been focussed upon the assessment of the environmental and energy impacts related to the use of hemp-based materials for building applications. The reviewed studies aimed at testing and improving hygro-thermal properties and eco-friendliness of these materials for reduction of both embodied and operational energy, whilst preserving both indoor air quality and comfort. Doing so would enable limiting the use of energy resources and, as a consequence, their impacts to human health and to the environment, so contributing to making buildings healthier and more environmentally sustainable throughout their life-cycles. Based upon the findings of the studies reviewed, these materials have strengths and weaknesses and their use is strictly dependent upon the given structural situation as well as upon specific requirements of thermal, moisture, fire and sound protection. In particular, all studies concluded that the main strength in the use of hemp-based materials comes from the production phase because of the “green” origin of these materials, mainly associated with the carbon sequestration during plantation growth.

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  • Ingrao, Carlo & Lo Giudice, Agata & Bacenetti, Jacopo & Tricase, Caterina & Dotelli, Giovanni & Fiala, Marco & Siracusa, Valentina & Mbohwa, Charles, 2015. "Energy and environmental assessment of industrial hemp for building applications: A review," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 51(C), pages 29-42.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:rensus:v:51:y:2015:i:c:p:29-42
    DOI: 10.1016/j.rser.2015.06.002
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Chun Hua Julia Liu & Francesco Pomponi & Bernardino D’Amico, 2023. "The Extent to Which Hemp Insulation Materials Can Be Used in Canadian Residential Buildings," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(19), pages 1-31, October.
    2. Anja Hansen & Jörn Budde & Annette Prochnow, 2016. "Resource Usage Strategies and Trade-Offs between Cropland Demand, Fossil Fuel Consumption, and Greenhouse Gas Emissions—Building Insulation as an Example," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 8(7), pages 1-24, June.
    3. Jennifer Broadhurst & Tapiwa Chimbganda & Gregory Hangone, 2019. "Identification and Review of Downstream Options for the Recovery of Value from Fibre Producing Plants: Hemp, Kenaf and Bamboo," Working Papers copwp201903, University of Cape Town, Development Policy Research Unit.
    4. Trey Malone & Kevin Gomez, 2019. "Hemp in the United States: A Case Study of Regulatory Path Dependence," Applied Economic Perspectives and Policy, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 41(2), pages 199-214, June.
    5. Teodoro Semeraro & Aurelia Scarano & Riccardo Buccolieri & Angelo Santino & Eeva Aarrevaara, 2021. "Planning of Urban Green Spaces: An Ecological Perspective on Human Benefits," Land, MDPI, vol. 10(2), pages 1-26, January.
    6. Gigliola Ausiello & Luca Di Girolamo & Antonio Marano, 2019. "Sustainable Requalification: Hemp, Raw Earth, Sun, and Wind for Energy Strategies in a Case Study in Naples, Italy," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(21), pages 1-13, November.
    7. Federica Rosso & Arianna Peduzzi & Lorenzo Diana & Stefano Cascone & Carlo Cecere, 2021. "A Sustainable Approach towards the Retrofit of the Public Housing Building Stock: Energy-Architectural Experimental and Numerical Analysis," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(5), pages 1-19, March.
    8. Parvez, Ashak Mahmud & Lewis, Jonathan David & Afzal, Muhammad T., 2021. "Potential of industrial hemp (Cannabis sativa L.) for bioenergy production in Canada: Status, challenges and outlook," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 141(C).
    9. Mariana Abreu & Luís Silva & Belina Ribeiro & Alice Ferreira & Luís Alves & Susana M. Paixão & Luísa Gouveia & Patrícia Moura & Florbela Carvalheiro & Luís C. Duarte & Ana Luisa Fernando & Alberto Rei, 2022. "Low Indirect Land Use Change (ILUC) Energy Crops to Bioenergy and Biofuels—A Review," Energies, MDPI, vol. 15(12), pages 1-68, June.
    10. Teodoro Semeraro & Roberta Aretano & Amilcare Barca & Alessandro Pomes & Cecilia Del Giudice & Elisa Gatto & Marcello Lenucci & Riccardo Buccolieri & Rohinton Emmanuel & Zhi Gao & Alessandra Scognamig, 2020. "A Conceptual Framework to Design Green Infrastructure: Ecosystem Services as an Opportunity for Creating Shared Value in Ground Photovoltaic Systems," Land, MDPI, vol. 9(8), pages 1-28, July.
    11. Liu, LiFang & Li, HongQiang & Lazzaretto, Andrea & Manente, Giovanni & Tong, ChunYi & Liu, QiBin & Li, NianPing, 2017. "The development history and prospects of biomass-based insulation materials for buildings," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 69(C), pages 912-932.
    12. Gabriel Fernando García Sánchez & Rolando Enrique Guzmán López & Roberto Alonso Gonzalez-Lezcano, 2021. "Fique as a Sustainable Material and Thermal Insulation for Buildings: Study of Its Decomposition and Thermal Conductivity," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(13), pages 1-12, July.
    13. Silvio Matassa & Giovanni Esposito & Francesco Pirozzi & Stefano Papirio, 2020. "Exploring the Biomethane Potential of Different Industrial Hemp ( Cannabis sativa L.) Biomass Residues," Energies, MDPI, vol. 13(13), pages 1-13, July.

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