Ever since the movie Reefer Madness was released in 1936, Americans have had a pathological fear of hemp. Because of it, the lowly hemp plant, which may have more uses than any other crop, has been treated with scorn. And yet, it could be a key component of future batteries, making them more energy dense and lowering their cost significantly.
One of the first researchers to delve into the benefits of hemp was Dr. David Mitlin of Clarkson University in New York, who lead a team that “cooked” hemp bark and turned it into artificial graphene. His work was published in the journal of the American Chemical Society in 2014.
Mitlin told the BBC, “People ask me: why hemp? I say, why not? We’re making graphene-like materials for a thousandth of the price — and we’re doing it with waste.”
Hemp In Texas
Fast forward nearly a decade, and Texas-based Bemp Research says it has…
Hemp For Victory! Researchers Make Better, Cheaper Batteries From Plant Waste
