LIME TECHNOLOGY DELIVERS CARBON PRICE BLOCKBUSTER!

A new range of hemp blocks that combine carbon neutral properties with conventional block performance has been launched by Lime Technology, the UK’s leading developer and manufacturer of lime and hemp based building materials.

The Hemcrete® blocks, available in structural or non structural form, are factory produced and the same size as conventional building blocks (215mm x 440mm). Unlike conventional blocks, however, Hemcrete® blocks are zero carbon rated.

Hemcrete® – a bio-composite material that blends hemp with a special lime based binder to create a zero, or less than zero, carbon rating – has been available for several years as a cast or spray applied on site application.

By creating a factory produced block, Lime Technology is offering its customers the sustainability benefits of Hemcrete® with the flexibility of having easy to lay, like-for-like blocks.

Hemp is a natural material that locks in carbon as it grows. Through its carefully measured use in the Hemcrete® block manufacturing process, the structural blocks have a zero carbon footprint.

This makes them the perfect sustainable masonry solution as part of a zero carbon house. The non-structural blocks have superior thermal performance and a negative carbon footprint. This means they can be used as a method of offsetting carbon from other areas of a building’s construction.

Hemcrete® structural blocks also offer better thermal insulation than conventional dense blocks. In addition, they have the ability to absorb and hold heat (thermal mass) during sunny periods when heat is not needed for internal living or work spaces.

Instead, the heat is released when it is required, such as during overcast periods or at night, to provide substantial energy and cost savings.

Lime Technology’s Managing Director, Ian Pritchett, said: “Hemcrete® is a proven method of substantially reducing a building’s carbon footprint, in terms of its construction and ongoing use.

“By offering our customers Hemcrete® in block form, we are adding flexibility to the material. This will appeal to today’s mass construction market where materials, such as hemp, have previously been considered too niche to be commercially viable.

“Hemcrete® blocks prove that traditional raw materials, such as hemp and lime, can offer one of the best value materials for low impact, sustainable construction.”

…ENDS…