Laboratory tests on cement mortars manufactured with hemp wastes

The aim of this work is to assess the possibility of using wastes from hemp cultivation to obtain a lightened cement mortar. After evaluating the capacity of water absorption of hemp wastes, four mixtures are prepared with different percentages of hemp to be subjected to workability and mechanical tests in laboratory. The results show a significant decrease of workability for percentages of hemp addition higher than 2% and a decrease in both compressive and bending strength for the hemp mortar compared to the traditional one. In terms of ultimate displacement, a light increase is registered as increasing the percentages of hemp, showing an unaltered brittle behaviour. An interesting result is the possibility of further investigating the hemp cement mortar to produce lightweight blocks, as it shows compressive strength higher than that of traditional bricks.