Hempcrete as a sustainable building material: A viable alternative to conventional concrete

Construction industry is one of the main sectors contributing for the growth of countries economy and also it is one of sector releasing huge amount of carbon emission in the atmosphere. Several measures are taken in this sector by adopting new trends in the construction industry with respect to the use of evolving material such as low carbon cement, fast setting concrete, Self-healing concrete and more, has left us with a high need for research in the area of sustainable materials. As most of the building material used in construction like concrete and cement are high carbon dioxide emitting material that can be a hazard (in a longer run) to the environment and people working in such buildings. To overcome this situation an alternative sustainable material has to be used for the construction of eco-friendly buildings. Hempcrete is a bio composite material and also it is one of the prospective materials to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. It can be used in Construction and Insulation activities by Hemp hurds and lime. Hemp plant grows faster by nature and falls in the category of plants with strongest plant fibre and due to its fastest and rapid growing nature it can lock up more carbon in it. This has been used in France since the 1990s for construction of non-weight bearing insulating infill walls. A meter cube of hempcrete has the capability to absorb 165 kg of carbon dioxide and has excellent fire resistance. Resistance to crack under movement being the core property of hempcrete makes it most appropriate for use in earthquake-prone areas. In this research, an initiative was taken up to check the feasibility of hempcrete as an alternative to conventional concrete. Few feasibility studies were carried to highlight application and access the properties of the same. The main aim to suggest the application of hempcrete with admixture like fine aggregate and testing of its strength under Universal Testing Machine (AIMIL) make. Though, Hempcrete does not have adequate strength as par with the conventional concrete but can be used for the construction of substructure. It can be concluded that it can be highly beneficial for non-load bearing structures for its property like lightweight breathability, energy efficiency etc.