[fareesh]

Is it possible that due to issues of politics and optics that serious scientists / engineers are unable to work on solutions like "hemp plastic"?

Admittedly as a layperson I am guilty of wondering whether it is just one of those crazy ideas the marijuana enthusiasts are pushing, or whether it has any legitimate potential.

Has this material been given any serious consideration?

[xkcd-sucks]

Is this "hemp plastic" like polyethylene made from hemp feedstock, or is it something like reformed cellulose? And what makes hemp different from corn or soybeans in this application?

There's active development and use of biomanufacturing of common chemicals because it has the potential to be much cheaper and less complicated than existing processes.

For example, fermenting sugar directly into ethylene at room temperature/atmospheric pressure using engineered yeast is simpler and safer than converting ethanol into ethylene in a multi step process involving high temperature and pressure, hydrogen feedstock, platinum catalyst, etc. Assuming you actually have bugs that can do the one step conversion.

But if this ethylene is polymerized into polyethylene and made into 6-pack rings, those are going to kick around for a thousand years in the ocean shedding microplastics and choking birds regardless of whether they were manufactured in a biological or "traditional" process.

Likewise, if the input to a biomanufacturing process is roundup-ready soy ("worst of the best"), that could be worse for the environment than a "traditional" catalytic cracking process fed by recycled plastic ("best of the worst")

[BTCOG]

Quite a bit of difference from other plants. Hemp grows a very large woody stalk and can grow 6+ feet tall and resemble a small Christmas tree-sized pine tree in one season. Cannabis produces oils/sap much like a pine tree and these oils are super conducive to polymers. Soybeans do not, are tiny, and don't suck CO2 from the air like an air purifier.

[BTCOG]

It's very real and very much already exists. I've met a few biochemists who are manufacturing it in the Denver, Colorado area and it absolutely blows my mind that we are not growing thousands of acres of industrial hemp for both controlling CO2 and for all it's bioplastic, wood, and material products it can be making. Stop growing cotton. Stop using crude oil based plastics, and all products of the plant can be used in extracts for foods, oils, and stalk/pithe/flour can be made into paper products and hempcrete.

[chameleon_world]

I have only anecdotal sources claiming that hemp isnt a great alternative considering the land/water usage vs the product created, compared to say bamboo. Do you know anything about that?

[BTCOG]

Bamboo grows extremely slowly and can actually emit CO2 in hotter climates during the warmer season. Hemp grows extremely quickly and sucks down CO2 like a vacuum. Hemp doesn't require harsh chemical pesticides, and it doesn't require really high irrigation. It can fully replace cotton. While bamboo can be made into clothing (I do have a bamboo PirateBay T shirt) they just don't compare too well.