Bio-crete and hempcrete are both similar to traditional concrete, but replace the aggregates with plant fibre such as hemp fibre or rice husks, and use lime in place of Portland cement. The resulting material lacks concrete’s compressive strength and so requires structural framing.
Hemp is a versatile plant that can be made into hempcrete, sheet goods like wallboard, flooring, and fibrous insulation. Hemp’s advantages include insulating value of about about R-3.5 per 25 millimetres of thickness, moisture permeability, and fast rate of growth, sequestering carbon with low inputs of water and pesticides.
Greener Concrete Through Low-Tech and Hi-Tech Methods.
