Industrial Cannabis sativa: Hemp Plastic-Updates

This review paper updates the benefits of using hemp fibre for the production hemp plastic. Traditional fossil-fuel based plastic production emits massive levels of greenhouse gasses, and the material can take hundreds of years to break down. Traditionally, plastics are made from petroleum-based compounds, which release toxic gases into the atmosphere. Petroleum-based plastics and its by-product have a devastating effect on the land, water, and wildlife. Biodegradable plastics are produced using petro-chemicals just like conventional plastics except some additives are included in their manufacturing which helps them in there fast degradation. Hemp plastic is a type of biodegradable plastic made from hemp fibres, which has a sufficiently high cellulose concentration in manufacturing polymers. The resulting material is fully biodegradable and recyclable. It can then be processed into various products, including packaging, consumer goods, automotive parts, and more conventional plastics. Hemp plastic which is 100% biodegradable, can be a better alternative to synthetic plastic. Hemp plastic is also lightweight, with an impressively high density to weight ratio. This makes hemp plastic a potentially good material for making lightweight components in the car and aerospace industry. Conversely, hemp plastic helps to minimize the greenhouse effect. Hemp plastic offers great thermal, UV, and dimensional stability. Some types of hemp plastic are also resistant to flame. Hemp plastic is solely produced using the cellulose extracted from hemp plant and therefore, causes no toxicity during its production.