Wanted StLouis Grad Student Paper Study

On the advice of a Florida Hemp Business that I have been in contact with about the remediation of the nuclear waste at the Bridgeton Landfill that is causing adverse health issues to the people living and working in the area.

UPdate: Fluke Personal and Field Radiation Testing System 12/10/2015 Added to the Hemp for Soil Remediation of Nuclear Waste + sustainable insulation see below.

It was suggested to find a St Louis Grad Student that would take on this enormous task of: writing a paper and joining the study on the way using Phytoremediation to rid the affected areas of the Manhattan Projects Nuclear Waste.

I am sure some graduate student would love to do that project.

Here are 2 email replies I've received recently and what has prompted me to send this request to the World.

I've been following whats going on a believe I have a possible solution to removing the radiation.  I have contacted a few of the greater minds who have been using Hemp for many things and have been getting a little feedback here are 2 of the latest emails.

The first reply:

• As it grows, hemp absorbs heavy metals including radioactive ones and pushes them into its leaves.  If you run a harvester over the plant tops, you can collect the leaves and sequester them.  You will have a large volume of material which must be dried to reduce the volume.  Then it must be bagged/baled for disposal.  I recommend a metal smelter for that.  For this work, the hemp need not grow longer than 75 days and you might get two crops a year.  Winter hemp has been done, but it is dormant in the winter.  Hard freeze kills hemp.
  Any coal-fired power plant produces radioactive fly-ash so it may be possible to send material there.  Fly-ash containment ponds are radioactive, probably no more so than your leaves.
  
  Hemp is being used in this way at Chernobyl to remove radioactive Cesium from the topsoil.  Fukushima is said to be studying the method for their solution too.  Notice that both of these are dealing with surface pollution, not buried pollution.  The method could remove any toxins or heavy metals.
  
  Hemp roots go down 2 feet, sometimes as much as 8 feet.  Below that level, I doubt the method would help.  You would have to study the root depth in your cultivar and soils.
  
  Paul Stamets is a noted mycobiologist (studies mushrooms).  His book, “Mycelium Running” available on Amazon describes in chapter 7 “Mycoremediation” how mushrooms do much the same thing so you might combine the two methods.  Use hemp to draw it up and use mushrooms to consolidate it from the dried leaf material.
  
  Paul’s book also describes Mycofiltration in Chapter 5 where he cleaned up a stream runoff, but that was manure.
  
  It depends on  how deep your material is, but you could concentrate on some water run-off from the land-fill or leachate pumped to a bed of hemp core bedding and mushrooms.
  
  

  I am sure some graduate student would love to do that project.

  
  The Federal Farm Bill of 2014 only allows “research farming” of hemp, but this is clearly a research project of many years’ duration.  I suggest you work with your department of agriculture and its research stations.  Sounds like the feds should pay for it anyway.
  
  This BTW, is a serious problem at Federal labs at Hanford, Oak Ridge and South Carolina so you might find some help there.
  
  Good luck in your efforts.

• The stalks might not be very contaminated and might be suitable for animal bedding or hempcrete so you might get something to pay for the work.  It must be studied to be sure.

The second email reply

• Thank you for reaching out. You are definitely on the right path as hemp has so many benefits. Growing Industrial hemp does help purify the earth it’s grown in. 

#Ferguson #BridgetonLandfill #UnaccreditedSchools #WestlakeLandfill#NuclearWaste #Uranium #Methane #ColdWaterCreek 

#ManhattanProject   #Bridgeton   #NuclearWaste   #EPA   #USARMY   #POTUS  #GinaMcCarthy 

 UPdate 12/10/2015 On the advice of an employee of Cleantech Open it was suggested that I enter the concept, idea, and process of removing the toxins from the soil with Phytoremediation.  

As of today I have the project entered into 2 Scientific Crowd Funding programs 

While promoting the Idea Scale submission of Hemp for Soil Remediation of Nuclear Waste + sustainable insulation I was contacted via a Google Plus post and it was suggested that I should also submit the information to the CleanTech Open that boasts -who finds, funds, the most innovative cleantech startups on the Planet.

If you are interested in learning more about the people and organization who are directly involved in bringing new technologies on the market that will assist in helping the planet and people as a whole in the fight against climate change.   

I have 4 verbal committments that support the project and havfe been in contact with Fluke Radiation testing meters for personal safety as well as for widespread field testing.

Here is a link to a few of the Radiation Testers from Fluke 

RaySafe i2 personal dosimeter staff monitoring system

- See more at: http://www.flukebiomedical.com/Biomedical/usen/radiation-safety/Personal-Dosimetry/RaySafe-i2-personal-radiation-dosimeter-system.htm?PID=79051#sthash.Shf3fkQ7.dpuf

Overview Features Specifications Models and Accessories Knowledge and Information RaySafe i2 personal dosimeter staff monitoring system RaySafe i2 is an active personal dosimetry system that gives real-time insight about personal radiation exposure, as well as access to time stamped dose data. By providing easily accessible information about radiation exposure, RaySafe i2 allows medical staff to immediately change their behavior in order to minimize their radiation dose. Components of the system: real-time display 4 dosimeters cradle and storage rack dose viewer software mounting material Additional dosimeters, rack and the dose manager software can be ordered separately. Discover how the RaySafe i2 system is enabling clinic staff to "see" their individual radiation doses in real-time »

- See more at: http://www.flukebiomedical.com/Biomedical/usen/radiation-safety/Personal-Dosimetry/RaySafe-i2-personal-radiation-dosimeter-system.htm?PID=79051#sthash.Shf3fkQ7.dpuf

Everything Petroleum Does, Hemp Does Better

We are in an economic crisis. But don’t panic, there are always good things that come out of crises. It’s all a matter of being aware, being ready, and being educated.

Our economy, put simply, really sucks right now. But the United States is not alone. Other countries are facing the same pain. There are several factors that have had a hand in the decline.

Becca Wolford, Contributing Writer

Waking Times 

Here is a simplified example:

A country has good currency and a strong economy. It sees a population growth and economic growth. More programs are implemented (public works, healthcare, public housing assistance, welfare, Social Security, Medicare, Workman’s Comp., etc.), aiding in influence in economic issues and politics…and then the money and influence gets channeled into a huge military fund/presence. The military is then utilized, and enormous expenditures occur (funding wars). This transfer of money, or wealth, is the cause of economic pain for most of the population, and results in inflation and the declining value of the dollar.

(image from rickety.us)

Here are the main reasons for our economic state today:

1. Housing Bubble

2. Record amounts of debt

3. Oil

If you look at history about 100 years ago, when the big oil boom started, that is when the economy surged and the population started seeing an increase. And, when you think about it, almost everything you have is the result of oil. Clothing, food, homes, vehicles, transportation, electronics, household goods – all are/were dependent on oil, either in the manufacturing of those goods or the transportation used in getting those goods to you.

The United States uses 25% of the world’s daily oil supply, and imports 70% of that. (forestecologynetwork.org)

Oil is not a renewable resource, and it is a DECLINING resource. Easy, cheap oil is on the decline. Countries are seeing a decline in oil extraction, and there is a rush to find either new oil fields or alternate sources of energy. Again, at this point, it is the EASY, CHEAP oil that is on the decline.

Global oil production is declining at 8-10% per  year. And what does this mean? Higher prices. For EVERYTHING.

Now, this is not the end of the world as we know it. There IS a solution, and that solution is HEMP.

Hemp does everything that petroleum does, AND BETTER!

Extracting fossil fuels are harmful to the environment and to human health. Petroleum extracting and processing is a chemical-intensive, expensive process.  Hemp oil for fuel is simply a matter of growing, harvesting, and processing.

Petroleum-based plastics are not biodegradable. Hemp-based plastics are recyclable and biodegradable.

Fuel for transportation can be replaced with hemp-based biofuels. Hemp fuel is clean, efficient, and…if it spills it does not harm the environment, it is more like a fertilizer.

Everything, EVERYTHING, that petroleum does, hemp does. So, why are we feeling this pain from fossil fuels?

Why are we not allowing our farmers to grow hemp?  Well, we know the reasons – big oil, pharma, timber, and chemical companies do not want to lose their investment dollars; the military – using OUR dollars to fund wars, some of which have to do with…yes, you guessed it…OIL.

What would happen if in the next few years we, in the U.S., farmed hemp on a large scale? We would have no more dependence on foreign oil, we certainly wouldn’t need so much money spent on the military, we would have a clean, safe alternative, and every single factor in our lives when it comes to food, clothing, health, transportation, housing, etc. – it would all be thanks to HEMP. Our economy would start to heal. The government wouldn’t need to print new money, causing more debt (which, by the way, is NOT the answer to reviving a sucky economy).

So, what do we do now? We keep speaking, we keep educating, we work toward legalizing industrial hemp farming in the U.S. We put our energy into doing everything we can to rid ourselves of dependence on foreign and domestic fossil fuels. Will this happen overnight? No. Of course not. But we can begin taking steps NOW to take us in that direction.

About the Author

Becca Wolford is a writer, entrepreneur, artist, reiki practitioner, and hemp activist. She has experienced first-hand the nutritional and healing benefits of hemp and her passion is learning, writing, and educating others about the benefits of hemp – benefits that encompass nutritional health for humans, a healthy environment, and a healthier economy. Becca also distributes Versativa, an amazing raw, clean, hemp-based nutritional supplement and Restoration90, a raw, clean, nutritional product with marine phytoplankton, hemp, and essential nutrients for optimum health. Please support her at her excellent blog Hemphealer.com.

This article is offered under Creative Commons license. It’s okay to republish it anywhere as long as attribution bio is included and all links remain intact.

Everything Petroleum Does, Hemp Does Better

Lawmakers push USDA to fund hemp research | AgriPulse

 A bipartisan group of lawmakers is appealing to Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack to award research funding for industrial hemp research. 

WASHINGTON, Nov. 20, 2015

“It appears that USDA has the authority to award competitive grants for the development of industrial hemp,” the lawmakers wrote. “Nevertheless, it seems the USDA has provided conflicting information regarding whether the agency is willing to exercise its authority to award existing federal grant dollars for the research of industrial hemp.”

The letter was signed by 37 House members and 12 senators, including Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., and Ron Wyden of Oregon, the top Democrat on the Senate Finance Committee. The House members included Tom Massie, a Kentucky Republican, and Jared Polis, a Colorado Democrat, who are co-sponsoring a bill to legalize industrial hemp nationwide.

The lawmakers said the 26 states with laws authorizing industrial hemp pilot studies or production have received conflicting information from the USDA as to whether their programs are eligible for federal grants under the 2014 farm bill and whether the funding is even worth pursuing. article continues at the following link Lawmakers push USDA to fund hemp research | AgriPulse

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Hemp and Kenaf Farm Images

Hemp and Kenaf Farm images from my latest Hemp Farm Connection that sells:

• Hemp Seeds for Fiber or Seed, 
• Kenaf Seeds, 
• Hemp Hurds in 3 different sizes for different applications and uses, 
• Hemp Fibers
• Kenaf Fibers

• Mobile and Stationary Equipment needed to process your Hemp or Flax into sellable and useable items.

And the best part is that this is a Family Operation!

Industrial Hemp is Four Crops

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$580 Million US Market in 2014 22% Market Growth

Seed

Bast Fiber

Core Fiber

Industrial Hemp is Four Crops

Greens

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24% 240,000 PPM

Mari- juana

Hemp vs Marijuana

It’s been said that all crows are blackbirds,...

but not all blackbirds are crows.

Marijuana is a man-made cultivar of hemp specifically bred to be high in THC.

Industrial Hemp has been bred for centuries to be low in THC - so low it is virtually not there.

Standard for THC in Industrial Hemp

The same can be said for industrial hemp and its hallucinogenic cousin marijuana.

0.30% Marijuana 3,000 PPM

is hemp, but Industrial Hemp is not Marijuana.

0.005%

0.001% 50 PPM

10 PPM

THC in commercial hemp oil

for Canadian Standard

hemp oil

Vote Hemp.

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A modified harvester can remove seed and stalk at the same time.

Hemp has been called the plant of 25,000 uses - as long as you don’t use it in the United States. Many of its traditional markets have shrunk or gone overseas since it was banned in 1937. It is unlikely they will come back.

But a new generation has discovered the powerful nutritional benefits and the new markets for biocomposites that make a strong case for hemp’s valuable contributions to our health, environment and economy.

The Hemp Seed is rich in Omega-3 oil and amino acids. In all the plant kingdom, nothing so matches the brain’s Omega oil profile as hemp seed.

Packaged Nut Hemp Milk Hemp Butter

Hemp Nut

Hemp is Highly Nutritious Food

Cracking

Shell

Oil

Food Fiber

Food Personal

Care

Industrial

Soap Shampoo Lotion Salad Oil EFA Supplement

Paints Lubricants Margarine

Bio Diesel

Pressing

Seed Cake

Animal Feed Protein Powder

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Scutching Hackling Carding Combing Sizing

Hemp is Two Fibers

Different Retting Methods

Ground Enzyme

Water Steam Different retting processes may be used to separate fiber from stalk

Retted stalks are baled and shipped for

Long

Decorticator

Decorticating

Plant Fibre

Fiber Waste (20%)

Core

Geotextiles

Fuel Pellets Insulation Cordage Textiles Paper Fiber Reinforced Plastics

Animal Bedding HempCrete Particle Board Wood Flour

The Long and Short of it

Pressboard, Fiberboard and Chipboard

Short Fibre

Breaking Sizing Cleaning Packaging

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Which Fiber Should be Banned?

Of the 46 pesticides used, 20 are moderately hazardous, 8 are highly hazardous and 5 are extremely hazardous

Hemp requires little input, but it loves nitrogen. It works well

Worldwide Everything

Cotton Else Combined Pesticide Market Share per Acre

in rotation with vegetables using their leftovers.

Hemp likes a good rain now and then. It can protect waterways by absorbing nutrients with strong roots to hold farm runoff.

Hemp is good for soil. Its roots go deep to find water and aerate the soil. Farmers leave the stubble as a soil conditioner.

Farmers leave the stalks on the ground to dry and ret. The leaves fall off returning nitrogen and adding tilth.

Hemp grows so tall and dense it drives out weeds. Farmers employ it in rotation to remove weeds naturally for organic crops to follow.

24% of the world’s pesticides are applied to cotton, and only a quarter of that lands on target. Worse, it’s not much land.

Cotton is the world’s thirstiest crop depleting ground water and polluting river basins.

Cotton depletes the soil and heavy irrigation poisons the land with salts.

Cotton uses defoliants before harvest.

Cotton requires chemical weed control.

Hemp is called Evil. Cotton is called Natural.

Hemp vs Cotton

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Cars must eliminate their landfill requirement, increase their recyclability, reduce their weight and reduce their carbon footprint.

Hemp fiber added to bio-plastic resins does all that.

Lotus made the whole car of hemp composites.

The Mercedes C-class uses 20 kilograms of hemp to make reinforced plastic panels for doors, headliners, trunk liners, glove boxes and consoles.

Bio-Resin

Fillers Additives

Wood Flour Ground Glass Glass Bubbles

Mixer

A wide range of products are possible for Sheet Molding Compound.

Pultrusion Molding

Cord Belt or Sheet

UV or Heat Curing

Produces Rods, Strips, Sheets or Custom Profiles (eg. Decking)

Sheet Molding and Pultrusion are two plastic molding methods that are readily converted to Bio-Resins and natural fibers. At End of Life, the parts can be chipped and molded into large objects such as highway furniture.

BioResin

To

Warehouse

Bio-Composites Stronger & Lighter

Takeup Reel

Top Film

Chopper

Bottom Film

Sheet Molding Compound Machine

Hemp Fiber Roving

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Hempcrete is a biocomposite

formed with Lime and Hemp Shiv. It is renewable, recyclable and sustainable. It makes quiet, energy efficient housing (R30-R50 insulation) with no synthetic materials and an excellent 2-hour fire rating.

The walls breathe inhibiting the formation of mold and mildew causing no asthma or allergies. No “sick building syndrome” forcing premature demolition.

$65,000 of hemp shiv, lime binder and lime render were imported from England - money that could go to American farmers and producers. Approximately 4 acres of hemp were used.

Water, Lime and Shiv are lightly mixed in a conventional mortar mixer. The mixture is lightweight and easily skidded around the site.

When dry, a special lime-based hard render exterior is applied similar to stucco.

The brick face was specially designed to maintain breathability.

Annual energy savings is about $900 per year.

When dry, hempcrete is about a seventh of the weight of cement. It floats in water. Material is poured between forms and tamped down. It sets up sufficiently to pull forms in as little as an hour. The material is light and can be passed bucket-brigade fashion to workers on scaffolding.

With forms removed, the walls are protected from rain for a week and kept moist to control the curing.

Hempcrete can be applied as loose-fill insulation. The attic is filled 12” of loose fill. The mixture uses less binder, but the lime continues to provide the fire rating.

The curtains are removed and the walls are left to dry and cure.

Tarpon Springs, FL

The house absorbed about 14 tons of CO2. Hempcrete can last a thousand years sequestering carbon all the while.

Hemp Makes Healthy Efficient Houses

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Hemp for Phytoremediation

Hemp roots go deep to pull contaminants up into the canopy.

Hemp absorbs heavy metals like Lead, Cadmium and even radioactive Cesium.

The metals concentrate in the leaves. Stalks and seed are little affected.

Dried leaves can be crushed to reduce volume and trucked away for disposal.

Stalks can be processed in the conventional manner for fiber. Seed might be safe for animal feed.

Hemp is being used to remediate Radioactive Cesium at Chernobyl. Fukushima is also studying it.

America’s Hanford, WA site is not allowed to use Hemp.

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Containment Booms

Florida has experienced oil spills on our beaches just from shipping accidents in our ports. Many Floridians filed claims in the aftermath of the Deepwater Horizon Spill.

Hemp is very absorbent. The hemp core can be blown into simple netting material to make containment booms from all natural fiber for about a quarter of the price of synthetic booms.

Florida can produce enough hemp to make a hundred thousand miles of 12” boom - enough to surround many Deepwater Horizon spills. It can be stored and shipped on large reels and cut to size for the immediate need. It is lightweight and can be flown to disasters.

There is no reason barges of inexpensive boom material can’t be stored in all our ports ready for immediate deployment.

The used material can be incinerated or composted depending on the material contained. But Paul Stamets, a noted mycobiologist, has shown that the best way to remove oil is to plant wood eating fungii. Oyster mushrooms work the best, and hemp core is woody material. Paul uses hemp rope inoculated with oyster mushroom spores as the starter medium for his mushroom farm.

It’s possible you could eat the next oil spill. Or maybe you’d rather eat the last one...

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