{"id":3809,"date":"2022-01-16T08:34:15","date_gmt":"2022-01-16T13:34:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/havenearth.biz\/2022\/01\/16\/new-hemp-block-companies-rolling-out-in-2022\/"},"modified":"2022-01-16T08:34:15","modified_gmt":"2022-01-16T13:34:15","slug":"new-hemp-block-companies-rolling-out-in-2022","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/havenearth.biz\/2022\/01\/16\/new-hemp-block-companies-rolling-out-in-2022\/","title":{"rendered":"New Hemp Block Companies Rolling Out in 2022"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Hempcrete blocks created from CBD hemp bio waste. Photo courtesy DTE Materials. <\/em><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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By Elizabeth Lunt<\/em><\/p>\n

New hemp brick companies starting up this year in North America show that hemp is creating the building blocks of a new industry.\u00a0<\/p>\n

When hempcrete builder Dion Lefebvre of 8th Fire Innovations was building a hemp house in Alberta, Canada a few years back, he figured he was on to a good green building material. And then the half-constructed house caught fire, burning for seven hours. He recalls that the damage was minimal, amazing him with its strength and the low cost — $40 \u2013 to remediate the damage. \u201cI realized that\u2019s about the best real-world test I could ask for,\u201d he recalled. \u201cI was sold.\u201d<\/p>\n

Years later, Lefebvre has started up DiVita Hemp Block<\/span><\/a> and told HempBuild Mag it took him years to figure out why he didn\u2019t lose the house.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cIt slowed when it got to the wall,\u201d he said, and slowly absorbed the CO2 produced by the smoldering hempcrete which never ignited. \u201cHempcrete fought the fire for me!\u201d he marveled.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Hemp hurd was plentifully available in Canada, having been legalized in the 1990s,\u00a0he said. \u201cThis material was going to waste and I realized, \u2018hey, there\u2019s an opportunity there!\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

Lefebvre is working on a network of partnerships in North America to distribute his DiVitablocks, a system\u00a0 of precast hempcrete insulation blocks designed to be retrofitted into conventional framing.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Lefebvre said he\u2019s dedicated to widespread adoption through showing builders how easy it can be to switch over to hempcrete, and is planning a network of affiliates throughout Canada and the US (through partner American Standard) with the goal of 100% local materials.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Lefebvre sits on the International Code Council review panel and the ASTM hempcrete standards panel and says testing is underway for R-value fire ratings. Once these materials are approved, builders will feel more comfortable and adoption will be more widespread.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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Dion Lefebvre installs hempcrete blocks between wood studs. Photo courtesy of DiVita Blocks.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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Finished yoga studio with plastered hempcrete walls. Photo courtesy of Dion Lefebvre<\/em><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

DTE Materials<\/strong><\/p>\n

Jose Urizar had the same realization as a student at Cal Poly at San Luis Obispo in a concrete class required for his Civil Engineering degree. Urizar stumbled on hempcrete-as-insulation in his lab explorations and decided to look into it. \u201cWe discovered that bast fibers work great,\u201d Urizar told HempBuild Mag.<\/p>\n

Urizar is now creating a hemp block product at Fresno, CA-based DTE\u00a0 Material<\/span><\/a>s, a materials science company that specializes in bio aggregates made from agricultural waste. He considers himself \u201ccellulose agnostic,\u201d but is working with hemp because there is so much waste available from the burgeoning CBD market.<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u201cYou can use all the plant, not just the hurd,\u201d he says \u2013 although it was the hurd waste that got him interested. \u201cIts porosity is 25% higher than hard wood waste so from a thermal and insulation perspective it works well,\u201d he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Now DTE plans to work with a network of regenerative farmers in a plan to use all aspects of the plant, which in his calculation makes better sense than sourcing stalks alone. \u201cUsing CBD stalks\u201d \u2013 and DTE\u2019s proprietary clear wash method to process them \u2013 \u201cthere is so much more that can be done with the plant,\u201d he explained. And because of the regenerative nature of hemp, the price of building materials should be coming down soon with ready supply.\u00a0<\/p>\n

To get large production runs going, DTE is working with two large building companies helping them manufacture at scale, Urizar said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThe reason we are sourcing ag waste is so we can make the demand side legitimate for those beyond early adopters,\u201d Urizar stated. And once ASTM establishes a standard for hemp block, a process in which Urizar has been involved, he expects adoption to come quickly.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Lumber prices have nearly tripled in the past four months,\u00a0which the National Association of Home Builders estimates is raising the price of a new single-family home by more than $18,600. <\/p>\n

Builders and consumers alike are looking around for less expensive options. <\/p>\n

Hempcrete is not load-bearing, and is an insulation material only, but experiments with hemp and cement-materials are expanding. \u201cUltimately\u201d Urizar stated \u201cour costs will be far cheaper based on our ag sourcing model.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Ology Hemp Brick<\/em><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Earth Merchant<\/strong><\/p>\n

Gina Engel at Vancouver, WA-based Earth Merchant agrees that hemp insulation blocks are the way to go. \u201cWe are putting families in homes full of toxic materials, \u201c she lamented to HempBuildMag, \u201cand I believe that hempcrete will improve people\u2019s lives.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

She is forming\u00a0 a network of US farmers to produce biomass for production of their OlogyBrick<\/span><\/a> hemp blocks.<\/span><\/p>\n

Earth Merchant will roll out Ology blocks at the World Ag Expo, Jan. 24-Feb. 4, in Tulare, CA, to help show farmers how to start in hemp and how to take advantage of the upcoming carbon credit offset market. Some grower partners will be there, too \u2013 all are working together to create a carbon credit platform for their hemp supply chain. Earth Merchant has developed a proprietary platform as a service (PAAS) for the credits and will be working to decentralize production of the blocks into regions all across the country.<\/p>\n

Earth Merchant is creating a supply-chain program for hemp \u2013 \u201cand hemp only,\u201d Engel said. And with regional networks in the US, \u201cwe are not putting materials on barges, we are growing our own, processing and manufacturing all together.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u00a0The vision is that within about a 1,000 mile radius, all hemp will be grown (from supplied seed) processed and manufactured into bricks used regionally to reduce the transportation costs.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThe real true factor in my opinion for carbon sequestration is reducing emissions by reducing transportation,\u201d Engel said. The network will create a 100% US-produced product with carbon sequestration traceability.<\/p>\n

Engel is currently working on R&D through two government grants \u2013 one from the US Department of Energy\u2019s ARPA-e program in conjunction with Oregon State University. Earth Merchant will supply the blocks for a building and provide a supply chain of the materials.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The other grant was a $100,000 award from the US Environmental Protection Agency.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is such an incredible plant and there are so many opportunities,\u201d she said, adding that for the EPA grant she submitted a concept paper and a 25-page application on why hemp is a great green building material. \u201cThey gave me a hundred grand and said \u2018prove it!\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

Why so bullish on blocks?\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cNo builder is going to touch a project where they have to get a crew to mix and blend and pack the walls,\u201d Engel said. Ology bricks have a lip designed to go against the studs of a home, making them an easy installation. Engel\u2019s goal is to produce 100,000 blocks in 2022 and have a demo home available to show people all the different applications of hempcrete, hemp wood, and hemp spray insulation. \u201cWe really need to open the eyes of the consumers \u2013 and the farmers, for that matter,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n

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Gina Engel of Earth Merchant poses in a hemp field. Photo courtesy Gina Engel<\/em><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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