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Changing Medicine Together
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~ Cannabis/Hemp Biofuel (Gasoline) ~
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Biomass Generator
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Hemp’s long history in civilization and the multitude of products that can be derived from this single plant has made it one of the most valuable and sustainable plants in the history of mankind. For the pioneer biofuel industry, hemp provided the biomass that Henry Ford needed for his production of ethanol before prohibition last century. Bast fibre crops include such species as Flax, Kenaf, Sun Hemp and Industrial Hemp. The “hurd” is the inner woody core of the bast fibre plant’s stem. In general bast fibre crops produce the greatest amount of usable bio-mass, over the shortest period, for the least amount of water.
Among the many uses of hemp: food, textiles, paper and even fuel. First, a bit of background on hemp and its biofuel qualities. In a blog post for The Guardian about alternative fuels, Giulio Sica explains the qualities that make hemp a good energy source:
[Hemp] has been successfully used for many years to create bioethanol and biodiesel, is environmentally friendlier to produce than sugar beet, palm oil, corn or any of the crops mentioned in the report and can grow in practically any temperate to hot climate leaving the ground in better condition than when it was planted.Growing hemp is easier than many other plants. The plant is efficient, bred to improve quality, yield, stress tolerance and decreased cost per ton. Furthermore, hemp grows quickly while also requiring less energy and fertilizer, and doesn’t require chemicals after planting. It can even help the farm by breaking the disease cycle of other crops. Sica considers it "a perfect crop to offset the carbon currently produced by fossil fuels."
Cannabis seeds, often discarded, contain the plant’s oils that can be turned into fuel. At the University of Connecticut, researchers found industrial hemp to contain viable qualities for producing biodiesel. Hemp biodiesel produced by graduate students at the school had a 97 percent conversion efficiency. It will be interesting to see the university’s role in this alternative fuel source, since it owns a patent on a biodiesel reactor system that can make fuel out of various inputs, including hemp.
Why aren’t we driving hemp-powered cars then? Well, sounds like they’re at least working on it.
Among the many uses of hemp: food, textiles, paper and even fuel. First, a bit of background on hemp and its biofuel qualities. In a blog post for The Guardian about alternative fuels, Giulio Sica explains the qualities that make hemp a good energy source:
[Hemp] has been successfully used for many years to create bioethanol and biodiesel, is environmentally friendlier to produce than sugar beet, palm oil, corn or any of the crops mentioned in the report and can grow in practically any temperate to hot climate leaving the ground in better condition than when it was planted.Growing hemp is easier than many other plants. The plant is efficient, bred to improve quality, yield, stress tolerance and decreased cost per ton. Furthermore, hemp grows quickly while also requiring less energy and fertilizer, and doesn’t require chemicals after planting. It can even help the farm by breaking the disease cycle of other crops. Sica considers it "a perfect crop to offset the carbon currently produced by fossil fuels."
Cannabis seeds, often discarded, contain the plant’s oils that can be turned into fuel. At the University of Connecticut, researchers found industrial hemp to contain viable qualities for producing biodiesel. Hemp biodiesel produced by graduate students at the school had a 97 percent conversion efficiency. It will be interesting to see the university’s role in this alternative fuel source, since it owns a patent on a biodiesel reactor system that can make fuel out of various inputs, including hemp.
Why aren’t we driving hemp-powered cars then? Well, sounds like they’re at least working on it.
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Carbon dioxide, the chief byproduct of fossil fuel combustion, is a potent greenhouse gas that remains in the atmosphere indefinitely. In the U.S., the burning of coal for electricity pumps more than 2.4 billion metric tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere every year, according to the Energy Information Administration. And that’s just electricity. What about cars? The average American passenger car spits out 11,450 pounds (5,194 kilograms) of carbon dioxide every year. There are 246 million cars in the U.S.
Biodiesel is a biofuel made from plant- or animal-based fats and can run in a regular diesel engine. In fact, Rudolf Diesel’s original prototype engine ran on peanut oil. Biodiesel uses a chemical process called transesterification to covert fats like vegetable oil and rendered animal fats into a clean-burning, biodegradable fuel.
Biodiesel packs nearly the same energy content as regular diesel, but burns much, much cleaner. Pure biodiesel (aka B100) produces 75 percent fewer emissions than regular diesel. Purchased biodiesel is as cheap as gas, but if you can find a donated source -- like recycled fryer oil from a restaurant -- it’s potentially free! One downside to fossil fuels is that farmland that could be used for food production is instead used to grow fuel. Another has to do with availability. For example, there are only 663 biodiesel filling stations in the U.S. and the country currently produces only 700 million gallons a year. By contrast, there are more than 160,000 gasoline filling stations in the U.S. That’s because fossil fuels -- though detrimental to the environment -- are plentiful and cheap. Read more about the pros and cons of fossil fuels on the next page. |
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Hemp seed oil has been used as lamp oil for thousands of years and has many historical links over many cultures. Bio-diesel is composed of methyl and ethyl esters. Any source of complex fatty acid can be used to create Bio-diesel and glycerin.
Peanut oil, hemp oil, corn oil, and tallow are used as sources for the complex fatty acids used in the separation process. Cannabis/Hemp produce's 3 to 4 times more fuel the runner up which is Corn. Vegetable oils were used in diesel engines until the 1920’s when an alteration was made to the engine, enabling it to use a residue of petroleum – what is now known as diesel #2. 30% hemp seed oil is usable as a high-grade diesel fuel and that it could also be used as machine lubricant and engine oil.
Bio-diesel remains in the political and economic arena and is playing a part in this process as the awareness of alternative fuel spreads through the consciousness of the general public.
Check out more @ Times Changing Global.
Peanut oil, hemp oil, corn oil, and tallow are used as sources for the complex fatty acids used in the separation process. Cannabis/Hemp produce's 3 to 4 times more fuel the runner up which is Corn. Vegetable oils were used in diesel engines until the 1920’s when an alteration was made to the engine, enabling it to use a residue of petroleum – what is now known as diesel #2. 30% hemp seed oil is usable as a high-grade diesel fuel and that it could also be used as machine lubricant and engine oil.
Bio-diesel remains in the political and economic arena and is playing a part in this process as the awareness of alternative fuel spreads through the consciousness of the general public.
Check out more @ Times Changing Global.
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With lot's of information on Biomass fuels, Gasification, as well other Alternative Energies, Alternative Health, Nature & Self information!
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