Right now, CBD products are some of the most popular hemp-derived products on the market. However, hemp is extremely versatile and can be converted into many other types of products.
Yes, these other products can include things like fabrics or rope, but even these options just scratch the surface of what is possible. The Canadian hemp company Hempearth Group has initiated a project that really pushes hemp to its limits — the world’s first hemp airplane.
Hemp composites could revolutionize the aviation industry
This hemp plane is not a paper plane. This very real-sized plane has a wingspan of 36 feet and is designed to hold one pilot and four passengers.
Yet, it is being built almost entirely out of hemp. This includes the seats, the pillows, the wings and even the plane walls.
This project is possible because of hemp composite materials. This technology allows hemp fibers to be turned into materials that rival the performance of steel, aluminum and fiberglass.
According to a Hempearth news release, “These hemp aviation composites are unlike anything [that has] ever been done on the planet, and shall revolutionize the way many things are constructed, including aircraft, boats, [and] cars.”
The company explains that hemp “is pound for pound 10 times stronger than steel” and is also more flexible than traditional aviation materials. This means that hemp composite materials can bend much further can and can withstand a lot more weight before breaking. The strength and flexibility of this material are ideal for airplane construction, and could eventually be used replace fiberglass in conventional airplanes and other products.
The hemp composite materials are also reportedly lighter than the alternatives. This allows an airplane to transport more weight and reduce the amount of fuel it takes to fly.
However, fuel is not likely to be a concern with this airplane. Instead of typical jet fuel, this airplane runs on biofuel made from hemp.
Hemp offers eco-friendly alternatives
Air travel is reportedly one of the largest contributors to carbon emissions. However, this may not always be the case. Hemp composite materials and hemp biofuels have the potential to reduce the environmental consequences associated with air travel.
These materials come from a plant that requires less water than cotton and little to no pesticides. Hemp can grow quickly and sustainably. It does not require mining, and it can even leave the soil healthier than it was before the hemp was planted.
This makes hemp composites much less toxic and more sustainable than traditional aerospace materials, like aluminum, steel, fiberglass, carbon fiber and jet fuel.
Hempearth founder Derek Kesek reportedly appreciates how environmentally friendly hemp is as a building material.
“This is the kind of future we all want here on Earth,” he said in a release.
A little turbulence won’t stop this project
When the hemp plane is complete, it will take its first flight at The Wright Brothers National Memorial, in Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. However, it is unclear how long it might be until this occurs.
The hemp airplane has reportedly been in development for at least five years, and it seems Hempearth has experienced some difficulties along the way when trying to acquire the funding that the project needed.
Kesek even went as far as creating a GoFundMe campaign for the project in 2019 to raise the funds needed to complete the project. However, a release on behalf of the company noted that it refused to work with corporations like DuPont or companies associated with the Rockfellers, the Rothchilds or the Military Industrial Complex.
Media reports have not indicated whether Kesek’s GoFundMe campaign succeeded in raising those funds, but they do indicate that the project remains active. Multiple sources do note that Kesek is still optimistic about the project and even aspires to build a hemp spaceship in the future.
Kesek reportedly said, “Building a plane, especially out of hemp, and running it on hemp biofuel is not about the destination; it’s about the journey.”
Sources
[1] https://hempearth.ca/2020/05/06/the-worlds-first-plane-made-from-and-powered-by-hemp/
[2] https://bioplasticsnews.com/2020/01/01/hemp-airplane/
[3] https://www.theeducationmagazine.com/education-now/hemp-plane-develop-stronger-steel/
[4] https://www.unilad.co.uk/technology/inventor-builds-worlds-first-plane-made-entirely-from-hemp/
