Hemp may be the best plant fibre to create the biodegradable car of the future, Australian research suggests.
A team at the University of NSW is working to create a plant fibre-based material to be used to make cars.
Associate Professor Alan Crosky, of the School of Material Science and Engineering, said fibres such as hemp, coconuts and banana trees may hold the key to avoiding the growing problem of car body disposal.
Initial research indicated hemp was the best fibre available.
Professor Crosky said with the increasing cost of getting rid of cars, the development of an environmentally-friendly material was now a viable option.
"Disposal of old cars is a growing problem, especially in Europe," he said.
"It is only a matter of time before the expense of the disposal becomes the owner's responsibility and the consumer is forced to pay the full life-cycle costs of their car."
Professor Crosky said a plant fibre-based material would be renewable and biodegradable.
"It would also be light, which would be a huge advantage in environmentally-friendly battery-powered cars," he said.
The next step for researchers was to compare the strength of hemp grown in a controlled environment with that grown commercially for clothing.
"In theory, a plant-based material should absorb more impact than metal but we want to check the hemp to see if any weaknesses develop as it grows," Professor Crosky said.
Plant-based materials were already being used for building construction in the developing world, he said.
© AAP
