Consortium Formed to Pursue Purdue’s Hemp Innova
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Posted On: 11/04/2024 4:37:33 PM
Consortium Formed to Pursue Purdue’s Hemp Innovation Project
Last week, Purdue University launched the Hemp Products Utilization Consortium to help advance development and research of hemp-based products. Hemp farmers in Indiana, industry stakeholders, academic researchers, and others were present for this launch.
The consortium’s primary objectives are to develop marketing strategies to reach prospective consumers, optimize and fine-tune technology, and advance agricultural experimental trials.
Its initial focus will be superabsorbent biodegradable materials made from hemp bast and hemp hurd developed by Prof. Senay Simsek, in collaboration with Marguerite Bolt of the institution’s Agronomy department and Laila Hossain, a former Purdue researcher.
Bast and hurd are parts of the hemp plant that provide unique benefits for the development of sustainable materials, especially in absorption technologies. Bast is the outer layer of the plant and provides durability as well as strength, despite being less absorbent. Hurds are the inner woody core of the plant’s stalk. Due to their low lignin levels and high cellulose content, they are highly absorbent.
These hemp-based materials hold water in a more sustainable and cleaner way. These materials also have a lower environmental impact compared to conventional ones.
To ensure that the superabsorbent materials lived up to their hype, they were tested using standardized absorbency tests, then compared against conventional superabsorbent materials like products based on polyacrylate. The researchers observed that hurd demonstrated considerably higher capacity for absorption than both bast and many conventional materials. This, they explained, was due to its enhanced porosity and surface area.
In their report, the researchers noted that their findings highlighted the effectiveness of their technology as well as its potential to replace less sustainable options currently in use.
The consortium’s primary investigator, Dr. Simsek, stated that they were focused on addressing international needs and the challenges of climate change and increasing populations via sustainable solutions. Simsek, who’s also the head of Purdue’s Food Science department, added that while the initial focus was superabsorbent materials, they’d widen their scope as time went by.
She also discussed the consortium’s short- and long-term goals, revealing that, in the short term, the goal was to assess pilot conditions and test pilot-scale production. On the other hand, long-term goals included increasing production, customizing materials for different applications, collaborating with firms with intellectual property, and developing new marketing strategies.
The Office of Technology Commercialization, under Purdue Innovates, has applied for a patent to protect the intellectual property. Industry partners interested in the development or commercialization of the work should contact Assistant Director Dipak Narula at dnarula@prf.org.
Such consortiums are likely to widen the range of products that can be made from hemp, and enterprises like Software Effective Solutions Corp. (d/b/a MedCana) (OTC: SFWJ) focused on cannabinoid extraction will have other enterprises that can utilize the biomass left after the extraction process. This will reduce waste and promote a more circular economy.
NOTE TO INVESTORS: The latest news and updates relating to Software Effective Solutions Corp. (d/b/a MedCana) (OTC: SFWJ) are available in the company’s newsroom at https://cnw.fm/SFWJ
Please see full terms of use and disclaimers on the HempWire website applicable to all content provided by HW, wherever published or re-published: https://www.HempWire.com/Disclaimer
Last week, Purdue University launched the Hemp Products Utilization Consortium to help advance development and research of hemp-based products. Hemp farmers in Indiana, industry stakeholders, academic researchers, and others were present for this launch.
The consortium’s primary objectives are to develop marketing strategies to reach prospective consumers, optimize and fine-tune technology, and advance agricultural experimental trials.
Its initial focus will be superabsorbent biodegradable materials made from hemp bast and hemp hurd developed by Prof. Senay Simsek, in collaboration with Marguerite Bolt of the institution’s Agronomy department and Laila Hossain, a former Purdue researcher.
Bast and hurd are parts of the hemp plant that provide unique benefits for the development of sustainable materials, especially in absorption technologies. Bast is the outer layer of the plant and provides durability as well as strength, despite being less absorbent. Hurds are the inner woody core of the plant’s stalk. Due to their low lignin levels and high cellulose content, they are highly absorbent.
These hemp-based materials hold water in a more sustainable and cleaner way. These materials also have a lower environmental impact compared to conventional ones.
To ensure that the superabsorbent materials lived up to their hype, they were tested using standardized absorbency tests, then compared against conventional superabsorbent materials like products based on polyacrylate. The researchers observed that hurd demonstrated considerably higher capacity for absorption than both bast and many conventional materials. This, they explained, was due to its enhanced porosity and surface area.
In their report, the researchers noted that their findings highlighted the effectiveness of their technology as well as its potential to replace less sustainable options currently in use.
The consortium’s primary investigator, Dr. Simsek, stated that they were focused on addressing international needs and the challenges of climate change and increasing populations via sustainable solutions. Simsek, who’s also the head of Purdue’s Food Science department, added that while the initial focus was superabsorbent materials, they’d widen their scope as time went by.
She also discussed the consortium’s short- and long-term goals, revealing that, in the short term, the goal was to assess pilot conditions and test pilot-scale production. On the other hand, long-term goals included increasing production, customizing materials for different applications, collaborating with firms with intellectual property, and developing new marketing strategies.
The Office of Technology Commercialization, under Purdue Innovates, has applied for a patent to protect the intellectual property. Industry partners interested in the development or commercialization of the work should contact Assistant Director Dipak Narula at dnarula@prf.org.
Such consortiums are likely to widen the range of products that can be made from hemp, and enterprises like Software Effective Solutions Corp. (d/b/a MedCana) (OTC: SFWJ) focused on cannabinoid extraction will have other enterprises that can utilize the biomass left after the extraction process. This will reduce waste and promote a more circular economy.
NOTE TO INVESTORS: The latest news and updates relating to Software Effective Solutions Corp. (d/b/a MedCana) (OTC: SFWJ) are available in the company’s newsroom at https://cnw.fm/SFWJ
Please see full terms of use and disclaimers on the HempWire website applicable to all content provided by HW, wherever published or re-published: https://www.HempWire.com/Disclaimer
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