Research & Development

An important component of Global Hemp Group and the Hemp Agro-Industrial Zone (HAIZ) is Research and Development. Intellectual Property created through the R&D Division will not only be utilized at the Company’s projects, but the goal is to create patented technology that Global Hemp is able to widely market.

GHG’s R&D team has a wealth of knowledge and expertise in these areas. Prof. Víctor M. Castaño heads the R&D Division and is a recognized international leader in Eco-Materials Science and Engineering. His work has included obtaining novel materials and compounds from natural sources, which include hemp, as well as many other plants such as rice, coffee, sugar cane that have been used to produce new materials and systems. Prof. Castaño is also a pioneer in Nanotechnology in Latin America and one of the most prolific authors on this subject in the region, and well known in the international Nanotechnology community. In addition to several articles, he holds a number of patents in nanoscience, including nano structures from carbon, such as fullerenes, nanotubes and graphene. A list of his publications can be found by clicking on the link https://bit.ly/VC-publications.

Initial Focus of the R&D Division

There are three immediate areas of interest that Prof. Castaño and his team will actively be focused on to develop Intellectual Property that can be patented and implemented in the hemp and/or building industry.

Environmentally-Friendly Construction Materials

Prof. Castaño and his team has over 30 years of experience in the development of novel construction materials from natural sources, particularly agricultural waste and/or byproducts, including many fiber-containing plants. The first product being developed by the R&D team is a novel building material utilizing hemp fibre that has been chemically modified to increase its mechanical performance and then combined with rice husks, an important agricultural by-product found worldwide, creating a product that could be used as a replacement for Medium-Density Fibreboard (MDF) in construction. As rice husks are not biodegradable, this is an ideal method for utilizing the waste from the rice industry.

An example of another patented technology in the Construction Materials space created by Prof. Castaño and his team is EcoHome, roof tiles made from rice husk and resins. This is an eco-friendly sustainable technology that is currently being marketed and installed in Mexico.

Nanofertilizers

Nanofertilizers are emerging as a promising alternative to chemical fertilizers in agriculture. Fertilizers are normally made from potash or from ammonia, which are important petrochemical products. However, the use of these chemicals has environmental consequences that are being discussed by the experts. The use of nanotechnology, including graphene and metal oxide nanoparticles, in which the team has over 30 years of experience, opens up a ground breaking areas of R&D, in which the nanostructures allow an increase of up to 20% in plant yield, while diminishing, by orders of magnitude the use of traditional chemicals, having a positive impact on the environment and the cost of farming.

Extraction of Cannabinoids from Hemp

This is an environmentally friendly procedure to extract CDB and other cannabinoids from hemp utilizing enzymes from natural products. The process has proven to be economical, while leaving no residual chemicals or solvents.