Possible Graphene Alternative Made From Hemp Waste 212
MTorrice writes "A low-cost chemical process can turn hemp fiber into carbon nanomaterials. Researchers used the materials to make devices called supercapacitors that provide quick bursts of electrical energy. Supercapacitors made with the hemp nanosheets put out more power than commercial devices can."
According to one of the authors, "Hemp bast is a nanocomposite made up of layers of lignin, hemicellulose, and crystalline cellulose ... If you process it the right way, it separates into nanosheets similar to graphene." Perhaps the process could be applied to related plants (hops?) too.
Pot solves everything (Score:2, Insightful)
If only pot were legal, and free, we could all just sit around getting high all the time and the world would be a better place. Government will provide what we need by taking it from evil rich people.
Yay, free pot!
Re:Marijuana? (Score:5, Insightful)
Entire? Not quite. It's been discussed here plenty for you to already know that there are states that have enacted legalization.
Colorado even just recently approved the regulatory structure for stores selling pot products [denverpost.com].
You may certainly continue to believe what you want to believe, it's just fictional.
Ugh, potheads (Score:3, Insightful)
For all I know this is valid scientific research. But I can't even be bothered to find out because potheads have stigmatized hemp. "Dude, do you know hemp is 85% more efficient biomass than bacon?" "You know that hemp fibers can be turned into inferior yet expensive paper, right?" "Hemp-o-lene, it's either hemp biofuel or something you jump on." Which all are quite obviously thin excuses to grow more "medicinal"* hemp.
And hemp is a pretty great material, but every time I see an article that talks about a new industrial use I can't help thinking it comes from the same people who giggle when they hear "420" and snerk when they mention how they're into 'hydroponics'.
Seriously folks, if you want me to take you (hemp or pot smokers) seriously you need to clean up your game. Don't smoke a bowl on April 20th, instead bring to my attention how we really don't know the medical properties of cannabis because of government overregulation (or whatever, anything that has real promise to someone who has no interest in smoking pot.)
*Medicine is sold at drug stores, not in shadowy places with a bouncer at the door and punny names like "Grass Roots Clinic" or "Foggy Daze Dispensary".
The 1% wants to keep you down, man! (Score:5, Insightful)
So since William Randolph Hearst demonized Hemp and forever tied to to Pot, it's been illegal to grow in the USA. You do realize that in most of the free world, you can walk into a grocery store and still buy products made from Coca leaf?
And yet in the "land of the free" almost everything is banned. Except guns. And you need those in case the government "takes away your rights". I hope you see the tremendous irony there.
Re:Pot solves everything (Score:2, Insightful)
Dude, can you score me some of that paranoia and hallucination bud? I'm outa those Amsterdam "space cakes".
Seriously loads of religions around the time of modern mans emergence of conscience utilized massive amounts of cannabis. Even the Bible has been shown entymologically to give a recipe for psychoactive "anointing oil" . The widely accepted wrong translation of "calmus" yields what amounts to cannabis. If calmus were used for this oil, it would have produced a deadly, but briefly Ecstasy-like trip. If you accept cannabis as the ingredient, then the bible and the amount of hash eating,"incense filled tents" and anointing begin to make sense to what is marketed by organized religion as mystery.
Re:Pot solves everything (Score:5, Insightful)