The transportation industry, engaged with the movement of all things, including humans, animals, and human-made produce, is an essential part of human civilization. To move from point A to B requires energy. This energy today is mostly driven by fossil fuels or human energy or animal energy. The amount of energy that is expended depends on the load to be shifted from point A to B. The lesser that load, the lesser the energy expended. Energy efficiency in this regard is the expenditure of minimum energy to get maximum work done. The transportation industry includes all kinds of vehicles - mass transportation and individual, both public and private. Railways, airlines, shipping, buses, cars, motorcycles are all involved in the transportation of humans and goods. There is constant research to build more energy efficient machines for this purpose. The burning of fossil fuels - petrochemicals, coal and gas - has been a matter of great concern in recent times, as this has resulted in significant human impact to the earth's environment. This concern is clearly in the consciousness of humans, and many steps are starting to be taken to address how one can reduce the consumption of fossil fuels. One of the areas that has been given enough focus, in terms of fuel efficiency, is how the reduce the load that needs to be moved, so that lesser energy is burnt in the process.
Fixed weight in this regard is the weight of the actual vehicle that is moving the variable weight - the humans, animals or goods. This fixed weight is the weight of the machine, comprising of all the parts that make it work. Most efforts, in terms of reducing the fixed weight, in recent times, has been in the direction of creating parts that are lightweight, but also strong, reliable and durable. Most parts created in recent times involve the use of metal, and increasingly, composites consisting of various materials. Most of the materials that go into the making of composites are products of the petrochemical industry, i.e. plastics, fiberglass, etc. So, in essence, the entire building up of the material that goes into the vehicles of the transportation industry is itself unsustainable, contributing to the increasing problems of environmental destruction. Metals need to be mined from the earth, and all composites involve the very same petrochemicals that we are all trying to cut back on. Besides the process of manufacture of these vehicles, their disposal once they have served their purpose, creates another headache. Most materials are not bio-degradable, and there is a need for sophisticated technology to eliminate them or make them reusable. The process of disposal hence also contributes to the growing problems of human-induced global pollution. Therefore, the entire process - from the creation of a transportation vehicle, to its running, and finally, its disposal - only adds to the problems that we are creating for not just ourselves, but also for the entire planet.
Hemp is a sustainable, renewable crop that is healing for the planet just by growing it. It rejuvenates the soil, sequesters carbon, requires minimal or no chemical fertilizers and pesticides, and grows in diverse climatic conditions requiring minimal water for growing. It has short growth cycles and can be planted more than once a year.
Hemp as a material is many times stronger and more durable than cotton. In earlier times, hemp was used extensively in ship building, with ropes and sails, among other things being made from hemp. Hemp was once one of India's foremost agricultural crops, with its use being primarily in the areas of medicine and intoxication. But with the banning of hemp, starting from 19th century India by the British, and then being extended globally through US prohibition from the 1930s, hemp quickly went out of the set of materials used for various industrial purposes. In recent times, hemp has been seeing a resurgence in industrial applications, driven by its extensive cultivation in China, France and the US. The US legalized hemp cultivation through the Farm Bill of 2018. Since then, in the US, hemp was reported to be the six most valuable crop in 2022,
just three years after its reintroduction into the economy by its
legalization through the Farm Bill of 2018. Globally, besides the US, countries that are key producers of hemp are France and China. China uses its hemp primarily in the textile industry, whereas the main uses of hemp by France is not clear to me.Some of the areas in which hemp is showing great potential is as bio-fuels, automobile parts, construction material, and supercapacitors. Hemp in bio-fuels, automobile parts and super-capacitors, means adding sustainability to the fueling, building and energy storage aspects of the automobile industry.
Here, in this article, the focus being on how to make the materials going into building transportation vehicle bodies, let us consider the impact that it could have. New Frontier Data reports that - 'Hemp could challenge fossil-fuel-based products in a range of areas: Innovations in hemp-based bioplastics and biofuels (spurred by falling production costs) will lead to hemp-based products’ challenging petroleum-based products, including (as is already being done) BMW vehicle interiors. Ever since TV host and comedian Jay Leno posted an online video of himself test-driving a 2017 Renew sports car (with a chassis fashioned from 100 pounds of woven hemp)' The BMW group appears to have taken a pioneering role in this aspect. Hemp Gazette reports that - '“the BMW Group and its partners have systematically further developed the use of fibres such as hemp, kenaf and flax, providing them with natural fibre lattice structures,” says the company. “Thanks to these support structures, it is possible to maintain their mechanical properties and avoid additional weight by reducing the amount of material needed,” says the company. BMW Group is also using biobased plastics and plastics reinforced with natural fibres such as hemp, cutting down on the use of oil based primary plastics. Its aim is to use thermoplastics with an average of 40 percent recycled material by 2030. The company’s overall goal is to reducing lifecycle CO2 emissions of its vehicles by more than 40 percent by 2030.'
It is not just automobile body parts that can be made from hemp, the same can be applied to every single category of the transportation section, be it trains, aircraft, buses, cars, motorcycles, ships, etc. Even if a fraction of the parts that are built with metal and non-biodegradable plastic was replaced with hemp-based material, that would have a significant impact on fossil-fuel based climate change. Various body parts made from hemp would mean that the vehicle becomes lighter, using less fuel to move.
Then, let us consider the problem at the disposal side of the transportation industry. Biodegradable hemp parts could be easily disposed, if their reuse is not possible, causing minimum harm to the environment.
So, the introduction of hemp into the picture will have a positive impact on the end-to-end lifecycle of the transportation sector - through manufacturing using a renewable sustainable material, through energy efficiency while operating through lightweight vehicles that increase fuel efficiency, and through the reduction in environmental pollution when it comes to the disposal of these transportation vehicles.
To make the shift to hemp requires policy changes on a global level. This requires the backing of both the transportation industry and lawmakers across the world. The legalization of hemp globally is the most important change to make. This will enable its extensive cultivation across the world so that it can form the raw material for the transportation industry. The transportation industry needs to show accountability and responsibility for the state of the planet. It needs to do so by pushing research and innovation into the introduction of hemp materials in as many areas of vehicle design and manufacture as possible. This may mean a short term pause in the profits, though I sincerely doubt that this will be the case. Considering the overall costs that come from procuring, manufacturing and disposing unsustainable materials, I am sure that the introduction of hemp materials will only make the manufacturing of transportation materials more cost and energy efficient. Every company involved in the transportation sector, for all kinds of vehicles - land, air and water - need to do what companies like BMW say they are doing. The positive impact to the planet that sustains all of us need not be further emphasized. To do all this, the biggest challenge will be the petrochemical industry and the mining industry that supply the current plastics and metals that go into its manufacture. There are two of the world's most powerful industries today. They are also two of the most environmentally damaging industries today. It is a chance for these two industries to turn sustainable, if they took the lead in producing the necessary materials that go into the transportation manufacture industry using hemp as the basis. That may not be likely. But the imperative is on every single stakeholder in the transportation sector to reinvent themselves to try and save the planet. Hemp offers salvation. Will it be embraced is one of the key questions facing humans and the planet fighting for survival today. At a time when we must try and incorporate every single potential solution to the climate problem today, we cannot afford to ignore such a significant one.
Related Articles
The following are some of the articles related to the subject.
'“the BMW Group and its partners have systematically further developed the use of fibres such as hemp, kenaf and flax, providing them with natural fibre lattice structures,” says the company.
“Thanks to these support structures, it is possible to maintain their mechanical properties and avoid additional weight by reducing the amount of material needed,” says the company.
BMW Group is also using biobased plastics and plastics reinforced with natural fibres such as hemp, cutting down on the use of oil based primary plastics. Its aim is to use thermoplastics with an average of 40 percent recycled material by 2030.
The company’s overall goal is to reducing lifecycle CO2 emissions of its vehicles by more than 40 percent by 2030.'
https://hempgazette.com/news/bmw-vehicles-hemp-hg1519/
'The U.S. hemp-derived CBD market alone is projected to reach $450 million by 2020, and China's cannabis market could grow to 100 billion yuan by 2022 (approximately $14.5 billion). Hemp is already interwoven into the futures of the automotive, construction, energy, environmental mediation and technology industries. Once fully utilized and legal, this plant could impact the global economic positionings of North America, China and Africa.'
https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbestechcouncil/2018/10/23/the-age-of-hemp-global-advanced-industrial-applications/
'What exactly is hemp used for? The better question is what can't it be used for. Hemp is a durable material that can be fashioned into everything from food and beer to clothing to beauty products. Hemp can also be used to make plastic, an alternative biofuel, cars, and an estimated 25,000 other products.
Is it difficult to grow? Nope, hemp is a farmer's best friend. It's good for the soil, helping to remove toxins. It grows well with little fertilizer, no pesticides, and less water than many other crops. It's also extremely dense, which means it takes less valuable farmland. It's relatively profitable (Canadian farmers are reporting $300 per/acre profits). And it grows fast—that's where the name weed came from.
So I've heard it's good for combating climate change. Why's that? While not a silver bullet for climate, hemp is one of many possible agricultural solutions for a variety of reasons. Hemp actually absorbs more CO2 than trees, needs less water than plants like cotton, and can also be used to make a sustainable biofuel.'
https://www.sierraclub.org/articles/2019/01/whats-fuss-about-hemp
'Hemp could challenge fossil-fuel-based products in a range of areas: Innovations in hemp-based bioplastics and biofuels (spurred by falling production costs) will lead to hemp-based products’ challenging petroleum-based products, including (as is already being done) BMW vehicle interiors. Ever since TV host and comedian Jay Leno posted an online video of himself test-driving a 2017 Renew sports car (with a chassis fashioned from 100 pounds of woven hemp), fewer potential participants have been willing to get left behind;
Hemp cultivation in less-developed countries across Africa, Asia, and Latin America will provide a high-volume, low-cost source for CBD, posing a considerable challenge to higher-cost producers in North America and Europe. Nevertheless, given the nascent hemp production in the developing markets, need will persist for the transfer of significant knowledge, technology, and capital for such emerging nations to develop the requisite processes and quality standards to sufficiently serve international markets.'
https://newfrontierdata.com/marijuana-insights/global-hemp-poised-to-make-its-impact-with-a-post-industrial-heyday/
'For years, hemp has had a lousy reputation. Often confused with its cousin, marijuana, it's in fact a different variety of cannabis, with the main difference being a considerably lower THC (tetrahydrocannabinol) level. Michael Lewis and Rebecca Burgess know the difference. They know that the United States has a history with industrial hemp, from colonial times all the way to World War II, and that it can be used to make thousands of products, including textiles, health foods, and car parts. Could growing hemp revive an entire industry? This short documentary by Patagonia follows Lewis and Burgess as they collaborate to reintroduce industrial hemp to the U.S. landscape.'
https://video.nationalgeographic.com/video/short-film-showcase/turning-seeds-into-an-american-icon-a-history-of-hemp-in-the-us
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