Cornell U Invests in Hemp Building Equipment

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Dec 12

*Builder Jeff Gagnon uses the Ereasy spray system - recently purchased by Cornell for community use - to insulate a basement in Ulster County with hemp lime, a composite of hemp hurd and lime binder.*

Originally Published in the Cornell Chronicle

According to builder Jeff Gagnon, a space that’s been insulated with hemp materials stays warm in winter, cool in summer, emits no toxins and is as quiet as snow.

“It’s really apparent when you walk into the space – it feels similar to when there’s a fresh snowfall, that embracing quiet,” said Gagnon, a design builder at Rondout Natural Builders based in Ulster County, New York. “Like other natural building materials, hemp can really transform our relationship with our environments and how we live within them.”

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Americhanvre

South Bend Industrial Hemp

Hillside Center for Sustainable Living

Sativa Building Systems

US Heritage Group

Silacote Mineral Paints

Earthaus Plaster

HempWood

In November, Gagnon was the first to use new equipment, purchased by Cornell, that sprays hemp lime – a composite of hemp hurd, processed from the stalks, and lime binder – onto or between walls as insulation.

Homeland Hempcrete

Verdant Structural Engineers

Right Coast Hemp (Copy)

Kanda Hemp Seeds

The system’s purchase launches a larger effort, funded by a $5 million investment from New York state, to build a hemp processing hub at Cornell, a “service center” where New York state businesses will be able to research, develop and prototype new hemp-based materials. The facilities and equipment will help farmers and businesses overcome barriers to the hemp industry’s growth in the state.

Bison Biocomposites

Healthy Hemp Homes

Riverdale Hemp Gin

Victura Hemp

“The biggest need is investment in processing facilities,” said Larry Smart, professor of plant breeding and genetics in the School of Integrative Plant Science in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, and leader of Cornell’s hemp research and extension and hemp breeding program.