Cropcentric Innovation

Cropcentric Innovation

Never before has “the way we live” been under such scrutiny

Drawing attention to how much our individual lives contribute to the warming climate

Focusing on the carbon footprint necessary to deliver the energy, transport, food, shelter and services we rely on

Materials underpin our lives but rarely do we give a second thought as to where they were dug up, how they were transported and how they were converted into the finished goods we use – all materials carry a history of emissions and energy consumption

Our process of “Cropcentric Innovation” aims to reduce the carbon footprint of materials we use on a day to day basis

Some materials combine unique chemistry and processing strategies converting crop to functional products branded as “Sourced from Hemp” which is unique to Hurd³

Capturing Carbon

Hemp captures & stores up to 2t carbon/acre/crop cycle with significant invigoration of the biosphere around roots benefiting year on year cropping
Compared to the 5 year grow cycle for wood, hemp requires only 6 months per grow cycle, with a possibility of 2 crop cycles per year in locations experiencing long daylight hours, making production highly sustainable and adaptable to market demand
Dried hemp carries significant embedded carbon equating to ~ 0.45 tonne carbon dioxide captured/tonne biomass
Integration and/or conversion of hemp into finished products which may necessitate the use of carbon positive materials, benefits from the carbon captured during growth, embedded carbon carrying through into finished products, reducing overall carbon footprint
Fibre crops open a door on carbon neutral climate compliant solutions which is key to Cropcentric Innovation

Cellulose polymer length found in grasses such as Hemp significantly exceed wood giving rise to new properties. We create new materials by pulling fibres apart, dispersing and recrystallising under our emerging “Sourced from Hemp” product range are a cornerstone to Hurd³ materials and applications. Binders – spanning novel ceramics to green all-biopolymer hot and cold-set materials.

Focus on Cellulose – the most abundant biopolymer and a major component of the crops of interest

Carbonised activated fibre and fibre to fibre bonding to form super-surface, shaped structures, noting Hemp fibre crop based carbons have highest specific surface in the plant kingdom mirroring the cell structure within the plant. Extendable to incorporate ceramics and metals. We are interested in novel approaches to Graphitisation which is key to access certain high value markets. New processing strategies enabling direct conversion of crop to valuable synthetic chemical intermediates.

Direct conversion to chemical intermediates – central to which is carbon

Innovation hot spots

Formulation and processing – drawing on a wide range of materials, the majority of natural origin, reprocessed to achieve specific structures, functionality and chemistry. Optimised to minimise carbon footprint, process steps and complexity; collapse cost, and lever simple or multiple function

Rheology – low to high viscosity materials to create stable emulsions and dispersions carrying truly green credentials. Enabling more efficient solid/liquid separation for product recovery and water treatment

2D & 3D – many materials are ultimately deployed as 2d or 3d structures. Made by simple compression, injection, pulp and other forming techniques. Micro to macro structures. Novel 3d printing approaches and integration of 2d & 3d structures in the same material

Become a partner

We are constantly expanding our “field of interest” – current applications ranging across: advanced composites, miniature components and sensors, architecture and renewable energy, horticulture, consumer and interior design, wearables and advanced materials