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Hemp instead of timber for paper
Name: Eric J
Status: Other
Age: N/A
Location: N/A
Country: N/A
Date: N/A
Question:
Why is it that hemp would be a more suitable replacement for trees in the
production of paper products?
Replies:
I can think of several reasons why hemp might be more suitable than pulp wood
in paper production. First and foremost, it is much faster growing, so you
could produce more fibre per acre of land (or hectare if your teacher insists
on the metric system) over a given period of time. Another reason might be
that stands of virgin timber are becoming increasingly rare, so the value of
pulp is rising, and species that rely on old growth forest habitats may be
threatened with extinction. When it becomes cheaper to grow hemp for fibre
than to harvest timber, fiber producers will probably bring pressure to
legalize the cultivation of hemp.
Mortis
One more thing that I feel should be added to the list of responses -- hemp
fibers are actually stronger and more durable than wood fibers, and so would
also make a pretty durable cloth. The only reason we cannot use it at the
moment is because it is basically uncured marijuana, which is not cool to have
around.
Woodsworth
Yes, there are lots of reasons why hemp may be a better industrial feed stock
for paper production that timber. Two more are that hemp is virtually acid-
free, which means the paper will last longer, and secondly, it would cause
less water pollution because the pulp would not have to be bleached with
chlorine, which can cause dioxin pollution. Another option would be to use
recycled newspapers and cardboard instead of timber or hemp. The National
Organization on the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML) can probably provide you
with even more reasons why hemp is a useful product.
Mortis
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Update: June 2012
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