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Sun and clouds mixed. High 79F. Winds SSE at 5 to 10 mph..
Partly cloudy early with increasing clouds overnight. Low 61F. Winds light and variable.
Hemp rebar developed by two Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute professors in partnership with researchers could be an alternative to steel.
Hemp rebar developed by two Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute professors in partnership with researchers could be an alternative to steel.
TROY (TNS) — A pair of professors at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute are working with researchers to develop hemp-based rebar, which is typically made as a steel reinforcement, that can be used for cement.
The latest research is part of the team’s overarching effort to make construction more sustainable and introduce hemp to the industry as a carbon footprint-reducing material.
Rebar, short for reinforcing bar, is traditionally crafted as rods — made of steel — used to reinforce cement during construction.
The steel rods encased in buildings’ cement often rust over time due to the salt in the air, breaking the bond between the two materials and impacting the structure’s integrity.
The hemp rebar, however, provides an alternative that will not corrode and thus extend a building’s life in an eco-friendly fashion, the researchers said.
Dan Walczyk, a professor of mechanical engineering and director of the Manufacturing Innovation Center at RPI, said it’s important to note there are a variety of hemp plants that provide raw materials that are fibrous.
They’re using the plant’s stalks in combination with thermoplastics to create the rebar. The material looks like bamboo and is pliable while exhibiting a strength comparable to steel. The team hasn’t tested the material in cement yet because it is focusing on refining its cultivation process and the technology behind it.
But Alexandros Tsamis, assistant professor of architecture and associate director of the Center for Architecture Science and Ecology, said they can use engineering and science to predict how the rebar will “behave.”
”When we do that, it suggests that it’s going to work as well as the steel if not some of the other materials that are available,” he said.
Though first, the group needs to perfect their rebar-making process.
First, the fibers are harvested, then put through decortication and de-gumming during which the fibers are pulled out of the rest of the stalk and some of the compounds that hold it together like a natural glue are removed by bathing the material in a sodium hydroxide solution similar to Draino.
From there the fibers are run through a machine that pulls them through while melding them together with the thermoplastics.
The process may sound easy, but it’s not, because machines used in the process can potentially damage the fibers’ characteristics, Walczyk explained. That’s why the RPI team has designed a machine and procedure that provides the fibers needed without damaging them.
Walczyk said their mechanism is not replicable. He and his team are pursuing intellectual property to prevent it from being duplicated.
Tsamis believes the material could be utilized in infrastructure projects that require cement such as sea walls, pavements and highway ramps, and thereby reduce some of construction’s carbon footprint.
”This is a very good candidate material because it is environmentally benign and it can extend the life of structures,” he said.
While Tsamis and Walczyk believe their rebar can benefit the construction industry, they anticipate it may be problematic for the hemp business. They think the market will be too large for current hemp manufacturers to keep up with fiber production.
”They can supply fibers, but if it’s just crap, it’s not worth it,” Walczyk said.
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