Hemp fibre mat reinforced polyester composites were fabricated using a conventional sheet moulding compound (SMC) process. The influence of fibre and CaCO3 filler content on strength and stiffness of the HF-SMCs is reported and compared with data for chopped glass fibre reinforced sheet moulding compounds (GF-SMCs). In addition the influence of alkaline and silane treatments of the hemp fibres ...

Polymer composites based on natural fillers are currently attracting great attention as alternative materials to glass or synthetic fibre reinforced plastics in several applications, mostly for automotive, appliance and packaging products. The main advantage of employing natural fibres is that these are biodegradable and renewable, and exhibit low cost, low density and high toughness. However t...

Hemp (Cannabis sativa) stalk fibres from industry residues were incorporated into polybutylene adipate terephthalate, a synthetic biodegradable polyester, to produce films and paper coatings. The lignocellulosic components the chemical composition of analysed, results highlight bioactivity due cannabinoids, alkanoids, lignin, among others, making attractive for active food packaging. incorporat...

After having abolished the prohibition of the cultivation of the species Cannabis sativa L. (so-called fibre hemp) with minor content of the psychoactive Δ-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), a wide variety of hemp food products is currently offered on the market. In this review, an introduction to the botany of the hemp plant and the current law situation in Germany and the European Union is presented...

Results of experimental investigation carried out to study the effects of addition of natural san fibres on the fracture toughness and impact strength of high-volume fly ash concrete are presented in this paper. San fibres belong to the category of ‘Natural Bast Fibres’, also known as ‘Sunn Hemp’. Its scientific (botanical) name is Crotalaria Juncea. It is mostly grown in the Indian Sub-Contine...

In plants there is no universal protocol for RNA extraction, since optimizations are required depending on the species, tissues and developmental stages. Some plants/tissues are rich in secondary metabolites or synthesize thick cell walls, which hinder an efficient RNA extraction. One such example is bast fibres, long extraxylary cells characterized by a thick cellulosic cell wall. Given the ec...

This paper evaluates a type of geopolymer concrete that uses hemp fibres as natural aggregate due to the various advantages offered by these woody materials. These include ease cultivation and processing their use in essential structure concretes used for green construction purposes. The sampling study was prepared using an environmentally friendly inorganic binder, based on geopolymerization r...

Gene expression profiling via quantitative real-time PCR is a robust technique widely used in the life sciences to compare gene expression patterns in, e.g., different tissues, growth conditions, or after specific treatments. In the field of plant science, real-time PCR is the gold standard to study the dynamics of gene expression and is used to validate the results generated with high throughp...

Cannabis (hemp and marijuana) is an iconic yet controversial crop. On the one hand, it represents a growing market for pharmaceutical and agricultural sectors. On the other hand, plants synthesizing the psychoactive THC produce the most widespread illicit drug in the world. Yet, the difficulty to reliably distinguish between Cannabis varieties based on morphological or biochemical criteria impe...