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Possible Graphene Alternative Made From Hemp Waste
MTorrice writes "A low-cost chemical process can turn hemp fiber into carbon nanomaterials. Researchers used the materials to make devices called supercapacitors that provide quick bursts of electrical energy. Supercapacitors made with the hemp nanosheets put out more power than commercial devices can."
According to one of the authors, "Hemp bast is a nanocomposite made up of layers of lignin, hemicellulose, and crystalline cellulose ... If you process it the right way, it separates into nanosheets similar to graphene." Perhaps the process could be applied to related plants (hops?) too.
United States
Colorado [79], Vermont, and North Dakota have passed laws enabling hemp licensure. Both states are waiting for permission to grow hemp from the DEA. Currently,[when?] North Dakota representatives are pursuing legal measures to force DEA approval.[80] Oregon has licensed industrial hemp as of August 2009.[81] Hemp is not legal to grow in the U.S. under Federal law because of its relation to marijuana, and any imported hemp products must meet a zero tolerance level. It is considered a controlled substance under the Controlled Substances Act (P.L. 91-513; 21 U.S.C. 801 et seq.). Some states have made the cultivation of industrial hemp legal, but these states — North Dakota, Hawaii, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Oregon, California, Montana, West Virginia and Vermont — have not yet begun to grow it because of resistance from the federal Drug Enforcement Administration.[82]
They did in fact create a system that puts out more instantaneous energy per unit weight, but that is not the improvement that super capacitors need. They have improved gravimetric power density. The two measures that need improvement to make super capacitors more useful are gravimetric energy density (how much energy can it store in a given weight), and volumetric energy density. How much energy can it store in a given volume. Without significant improvements in those two areas, super capacitors cannot make significant inroads against batteries.
It should also be noted that super capacitors already have better power density than chemical batteries by a wide margin, and are more than sufficient to replace I.C. engines and gasoline in that respect.
I wish I had a good sig, but all the good ones are copyrighted
They're the same plant. Hemp (both industrial and medicinal strains) were banned because:
a) there was hysteria over growing opium addiction, and the confusion about hashish (which was, at the time, a foreign and relatively unknown substance) lead some people to believe it was a form of opium
b) it threatened the massive paper and fibre industries
c) the 'top' media entrepreneurs at the time had investments in (b) and used their media empires to stoke the fear surrounding (a) to see hemp banned in the US alongside opium; then other countries followed because of the pressure put upon them by the US government
A classic story of capital triumphing over Good Things.
And since all this process requires are the stalks, then for all intents and purposes, yes. It is the same plant.
The buds, which have recreational and medicinal uses aren't being used. The key word there is lignin. They're using the long, fiberous material not the buds.
And just like those two Canis Lupus Familiaris any two Cannabis Sativa plants will breed and are thus one species.
Actually hemp production focused far more on producing good fiber than reducing THC content. At least until very recently. The THC reduction was just a side effect no one cared about, not until we started having modern drug laws anyway.
Hemp's illegal because weed's illegal. But why's weed illegal; because someone long ago wanted to make hemp illegal. They had controlling share of an opposing market and wanted to eliminate the competition. Here we are decades later wishing to make hemp legal again, but we can't because apparently people still believe jazz musicians are trying to corrupt our white women. Forget the hempen trojan horse; I don't want pot legalized on a technicality. By default, pot should be legal unless someone can give me a valid reason to ban it. The reason it's illegal today is the same root reason it was banned in the first place: there's a powerful industry that makes money from pot being illegal. The paper/textile industries agenda has been replaced (and dwarfed) by our private prison system. "because we'll lose money" is not a good reason to impose regulation. I shouldn't have to defend pot because I've yet to see a valid attack.
You kind of glossed over the big issue (B). The issue was Dupont.(concerning hemp not marihuana) Dupont had just created the synthetic fibre. Dupont did not want competition. The same can be said for hurst and his wood pulp making venture. The fact that you can make as much paper on 1 acre of land with hemp yearly as it would take 30 acres of land a cycle of 20 years to produce the same amount of paper.
This is the big reason it was banned. Now they also used the "black will rape white women" and "lazy mexicans smoke pot" as an excuse in the media (re: reefer madness for a good laugh. It is a funny movie minus the fact that they actually believed it to be true when made)
have you seen my sig? there are many others like it but none that are the same