BioResource Hemp was a symposium on cannabis hemp as a bioresource, held in the Exhibition Centre at Frankfurt, Germany, from March 2-5. The advance publicity for the event promised that several new hemp products and technologies would be on display, and that the event would serve as a chance for participating companies to reach a wide range of ecologically minded visitors.
I spoke to Gero Leson, a member of the Nova Institute and one of the people responsible for organizing the event. I asked him if he enjoyed himself, and he told me that as he had to keep the conference running for four days, enjoyment was not high on his list of priorities. He was however, pleased with the results of his work and deemed the event a success.
There were two major elements to the BioResource Hemp: a four day symposium and a trade show. Gero explained that each day of the symposium had a particular focus, and he outlined the highlights of each day's presentations.
The first day was allocated for status reports from the various countries represented at the symposium. These included Canada and the USA, as well as many European and Asian nations. Gero explained that many of the Eastern European countries were showing significant growth in their hemp industries, and that they were seeking both Western investors and purchasers to help them to revitalize and sustain their growth. They are in need of processing equipment but generally cannot afford the necessary technology without assistance.
The second day covered different aspects of the breeding and cultivation of agricultural cannabis. The aspect of this day that Gero enjoyed the most was that many of those who made presentations were in their seventies, and had been researching cannabis decades ago. They had seen their field of research go underground for a long time, and were now able to witness an unprecedented level of interest in their work.
The third day of the symposium was devoted to an overview of existing and innovative technologies for processing hemp fibres. Gero briefly described the new steam explosion process and ultra-sound separation process that were presented. Both were still at the pilot stage and required field testing and further modification, but they were both promising technologies. The steam explosion process allows more flexibility in the quality of hemp fibres that are extracted from the plant, so that hemp with the qualities normally associated with cotton could be produced.
There was also a presentation by the German Aerospace Research Institution which dealt with the use of hemp in the production of composite building materials that surpass the structural characteristics of fiberglass and other synthetic plastics, and are also cost competitive. A researcher from the Dutch Agricultural Research Institute made a presentation about a new chemo-mechanical process for producing hemp pulp paper at a price competitive with tree pulp paper.
The fourth and final day of the symposium was given over to a variety of different topics, including the use of hemp oil in laundry detergent and a discussion about the medicinal uses of cannabis.
The laundry detergents based on hemp oil had a high laundering power, as hemp oil reduces the surface tension of water more than other detergents, and it is also bio-degradable and non-toxic. This would seem to be a potentially important product.
The medicinal aspects of cannabis were spoken for by Lester Grinspoon, author of Marijuana, Forbidden Medicine. He discussed the medicinal applications of cannabis, and made a strong appeal for research into this area to be allowed.
Gero told me that he estimated about 250 people had paid their 600DM (approx $550 cdn) and attended the event, and he was glad that it was able to serve as a catalyst for the making of contacts and the exchange of hemp products and information.
In our next issue we will have a more in-depth look at some of the technologies that were presented at the BioResource Hemp symposium.
If you are interested in further information about BioResource Hemp then contact:
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