How cannabis can restore soils contaminated as a result of human life
“If you plan to clean the environment and get a commercial product, you need to consider cannabis to achieve this goal. Using this plant you “kill two birds with one stone”. Those. Using cannabis, it is possible not only to clean the polluted soils, but also to obtain raw materials that can later be used as efficiently as possible for commercial purposes.
On the pages of the specialized electronic publication of Ukrainian hemp growers, attention was focused on the fact that since ancient times “ Hemp was a garden nursery ” and “ Technical hemp is the main asset of the“ green industry ”.
Before describing the deactivating properties of hemp, it is necessary to note the high environmental resistance of the plant. The idea of sustainability is to ensure development without threatening the sources of natural resources and without jeopardizing the foundations of life for future generations, striving for the greatest possible harmony between society and nature. According to specialists, hemp is the most suitable material, and is not comparable in its quality characteristics with any other traditional remediation options.
Gavin Stonehouse (Gavin Stonehouse) a graduate student in plant biology at the University of Colorado, investigated the possibility of growing cannabis in a special mixture of soil with different levels of selenium. This mineral in nature is found in most of the western states of the United States and is a very harmful environmental pollutant, so its high concentration in some cases prevented normal agricultural activities.
As part of the experiment, we managed to find out that hemp turned out to be extremely resistant to selenium. None of the plants that took part in the experiment died, and only those that were exposed to significant amounts of the concentration of this metal had certain signs of transferred stress.According to Mr. Stonehouse, “If you plan to clean the environment and get a commercial product, you need to consider cannabis to achieve this goal. Using this plant you “kill two birds with one stone”. Those. Using cannabis, it is possible not only to clean the polluted soils, but also to obtain raw materials that can later be used as efficiently as possible for commercial purposes.
Commentary of the Association "Ukrainian technical hemp"
Phytoremediation is a set of methods that use the ability of certain plants to absorb, accumulate, metabolize, vaporize or stabilize contaminants present in soil, air, water or sediments (such as heavy metals, radioactive metals, organic compounds, petroleum, etc. Purification offers numerous advantages over conventional physicochemical methods, such as their wide applicability, low cost, and above all sustainability.
As part of the work of the working group of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), which together with Ukrainian scientists investigated the possibilities of restoring the soil in the Chernobyl zone, it was concluded that “Hemp was one of the best phytoremediates that could be found in the course of carrying out a huge number of experiments. Among natural "soil cleaners" for which research has been conducted, hemp has extremely good phytoremediation characteristics. " The plant is also suitable for decontamination of soils subject to intensive radioactive contamination. As part of the experiments, it is calculated that cannabis grown on polluted soils (an extremely effective energy raw material) not only pays for the costs of its cultivation, but also makes a profit if it is burned in standard installations installed at traditional thermal power plants.