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The project, led by the Centre for Advanced Technologies in Mechanics (CATMech) research group at UPC, aims to minimise the by-product waste in hemp cultivation through the development of a competitive industrial plant, reduce energy consumption, and increase comfort in buildings through research into innovative insulation panels in bioconstruction.
HEMPANEL will contribute to improving the energy efficiency of buildings by establishing the foundations for the future industrial development of innovative and efficient insulating panels, which will help mitigate both the causes and effects of climate change.
Hemp has garnered significant interest as a sustainable resource due to its broad spectrum of industrial applications. One of its recently investigated uses is as an insulating material in construction, where it offers significant environmental benefits, including negative CO₂ emissions and a prolonged lifecycle due to its recyclability. However, hemp cultivation generates a by-product that can represent up to 50% of the plant's total weight. This waste has been studied to add value, focusing on the production of thermo-acoustic insulating panels using recycled cardboard fibre for bio-construction.
The acoustic and thermal properties of hemp, which are comparable to or exceed those of conventional synthetic materials, make it a promising option for the sustainable construction sector. Additionally, incorporating recycled cardboard fibre as a binder further enhances its circularity properties, enabling the development of a composite biomaterial with competitive production costs and efficient manufacturing.
In this context, HEMPANEL focuses on achieving industrial manufacturing practices that minimise energy and water consumption as well as material waste, thereby reducing the carbon footprint.
The project is expected to result in the establishment of a pilot plant for the industrial manufacture of hemp-based insulating panels (utilising the by-product known as hemp-fiber) through research into innovative insulation panels that will help reduce energy consumption and increase comfort in buildings, and the creation of a new composite biomaterial using recycled cardboard fibre as a binder, which will reduce the amount of waste materials generated in hemp cultivation and contribute to the circular economy.
Specifically, the project will:
- Study the components and parameters of the pilot plant affecting the properties of the new insulating material, including mix fluidity, curing temperature, energy consumption, and water savings.
- Analyse the mechanical and insulating properties as well as the sustainability of the material produced, evaluate the pilot plant, and conduct a commercial viability study.
Budget and funding
The project has been funded through the Call for Knowledge Transfer Demonstration Activities under the PEPAC 2023-2027, by the Department of Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries and Food at the Government of Catalonia. HEMPANEL has a total budget of €49,743.25 and a duration of 28 months (February 2024 - June 2026).
Hemp insulating panel
Action under the PAC 2023-2027 Strategic Plan co-funded by:
Related Projects
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- A team from the Matrix Analysis and Discrete Potential Theory (MAPTHE) research group at the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya - BarcelonaTech (UPC), and the Department of Mathematics at CUNEF Universidad in Madrid, have participated in the development of MARIA, a prototype of a portable, flexible and radiation-free device designed to improve the early detection of breast cancer. The device can identify tumours through electrical conductivity, with the aim of enabling its future use in primary care settings.
- The Research Group in Smart and Sustainable Resources and Industries (RIIS) at the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya - BarcelonaTech (UPC) is developing the ZeroCarbonPave project, which aims to assess the feasibility of incorporating biochar as filler and/or as the fine fraction of granular material in bituminous mixtures, with the objective of reducing the carbon footprint associated with the manufacture and laying of road pavements.
