Trends of Hemp Research in Europe

Traditionally a fibre crop, hemp (Cannabis sativa L.) in the last decades has been cultivated in Europe as a dual-purpose crop: for the fibre and for the seeds. More recently the interest over non-psychotropic cannabinoids has paved the way for another commercial application of hemp biomass, and potentially for the cultivation of hemp as a multi-purpose crop. This option is being research in the frame of the EC project “Mutihemp” (http://multihemp.eu). This project aims at developing hemp genotypes with enhanced traits suitable for diverse cultivation environments and to provide improved feedstock for a wide array of innovative end products generated within an integrated biorefinery. Our aim is to develop a modular biorefinery in which market forces will dictate the flow of raw material into differing product options. The production of long bast fibre for technical textiles and high-quality composites is coupled to that of short bast fibre for injection moulded bio-composites and insulation products, as well as shives for low carbon construction materials, oil for health and personal care applications, protein for food and feed, and high value chemicals such as phytosterols, waxes, and essential oils. Innovative applications are being developed for the by-products from processing routes including: dust from fibre extraction, retting liquor from fibre degumming, flour (or cake) from oil extraction, and threshing residues from seed harvesting.

In this presentation objectives, ongoing activities and a selection of preliminary results of the Multihemp project will be presented and discussed.