Paper has been a great part of our lives even in this digital era. Its needs do not wane with time. It is a versatile material that holds a lot of benefits. Hemp paper is a paper which is here from the centuries.
In this article, we are stating some facts and benefits Hemp paper offers. Let’s dive into the details.
What is Hemp Paper?
We’re familiar with paper made from wood pulp or tree paper. However, how do we come about paper products from hemp plants? The paper industry is a wide and global one. Despite being in the digital age, paper consumption continues to grow and has increased
Hemp paper is a type of paper produced from pulp obtained from the fibers of industrial hemp- hemp pulp. Manufacturers use it to make rolling paper, canvas paper, currency, hygiene products, and many more items. Hemp paper’s production process is quite similar to that of regular paper. However, these processes still possess differences. The most obvious is that hemp paper uses hemp pulp from hemp plants rather than wood pulp from trees.
Hemp Paper versus Wood Pulp Paper
Right now, the vast majority of the world’s paper is from wood pulp or fibers from trees. Does this make it better than hemp paper? Below are the comparisons between hemp paper and wood paper.
Recyclability
Recyclability is a crucial point to consider when comparing hemp paper and wood paper. Regarding recyclability, we can recycle hemp paper seven times, while we can only recycle tree paper three times.
Using more recycled paper has benefits like fewer greenhouse gas emissions, lower energy use, and less pollution. Here, hemp paper is preferable to wood paper due to the significant energy use of traditional paper mills.
Hemp paper uses fewer chemicals
The hemp papermaking process uses far fewer chemicals than tree paper production1. The tree pulp contains less cellulose but more lignin than hemp pulp. Hemp contains 85% cellulose and 5 to 24% lignin while tree contains 30% cellulose and 18 to 35% lignin.
Removing lignin to create white paper requires using hazardous chemicals during manufacture. On the other hand, manufacturers can whiten paper from hemp fibers with hydrogen peroxide, which is far less harmful.
Longevity
Owing to its pure, long, and strong fiber, hemp paper lasts longer. On the other hand, tree papers end up in poor shape because of their short fibers and acidic characteristics.
Also, tree papers readily react to environmental factors like sunlight, dampness, and heat, turning the paper yellow and brittle.
Higher yield
Hemp grows at a faster rate than trees. When comparing hemp paper with wood paper, it takes 20 to 80 years for a tree to reach maturity. In contrast, it takes hemp just 100 to 120 days.
While a new tree crop is in infancy, a hemp crop is ready for harvest, making it have a much faster crop yield. Therefore, a hemp crop can produce as much paper as 4-10 times a tree crop using the same amount of land. Hemp harvested for paper also produces a faster return, meaning companies can produce more paper from hemp than from trees in a shorter period.
Is Hemp Paper of Better Quality?
Hemp fibers are amongst the strongest natural fibers we have in our world. The bast fiber on the outside of the hemp plant’s stalk provides the strength that high-quality paper requires. As a result, hemp paper is durable.
Also, hemp papers’ ability to stand the test of time further enhances their quality. Paper from hemp fibers resists decomposition compared to tree paper or paper made from wood fibers.
As such, hemp can provide better quality paper than that made from wood fibers, given similar production processes.
Bottomline
Hemp paper is not particularly common, but it’s not new either. Paper consumption instigates the move to revive hemp paper as a sustainable choice in our world. Also, with people and companies being more environmentally aware, there is a growing consciousness of environmental conservation.
You’ll find that many sustainable companies incorporate this paper-type in their packaging, for instance. With hemp plants growing faster than trees and hemp’s lower use of chemicals, it presents an eco-friendly choice in the world. You can buy Best quality of Hemp paper from Hemptology in UK.
