What Is Hemp Fuel?
Hemp fuel is the name given to many different types of biofuels derived from industrial hemp, including bioethanol and biodiesel. Hemp biodiesel is made from the oil extracted from hemp seeds. Hemp bioethanol can be made by extracting the cellulose present in the plant.
The cellulose undergoes a chemical process to ferment the sugars and turn them into ethanol. A biomass power plant can also run with hemp biofuel. After hemp is harvested and processed, the stalks and leaves can be burned as hemp biomass fuel.
Benefits of Hemp as A Fuel Source
There’s an ongoing discussion regarding biofuels, mostly because some of those are not exactly environmentally friendly. Many experts say that most biofuels are not sustainable and can make food prices rise. However, that is not the case with all the types of hemp fuel. The hemp plant absorbs high amounts of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere when it is growing, comparable to large trees. Here are the other benefits of adopting hemp as a fuel source:
Hemp Is A Versatile Plant
There are countless uses for the hemp plant. Even if a farmer produces hemp only as a fuel source, they can still make use of the entire plant. The rest of it can become animal feed or bedding, fiber for ropes or clothing, or raw material for hempcrete.
An Alternative Biofuel Source That Won’t Impact Food Crops
The most common plant-based fuel sources nowadays are corn, soy, and sugar cane. We’re using plants that could be food to become fuel, which can increase food prices. The part of the hemp plant used for fuel is not a nutrition source, differently from other food crops.
Hemp Grows Faster and Can Be Used in Rotation
Hemp also grows faster than other plants used as a source for fuel. As hemp plants can be completely mature in only four months, farmers can use it in rotation with other food crops. Hemp has properties that enhance soil quality and regenerate it. Thus, rotating hemp with food crops is highly beneficial for the yield of the latter.
Hemp Biofuels Have High Efficiency
Hemp’s yield is higher than other crops such as soybean, peanut, or sunflower. Hemp biodiesel can also efficiently run in any conventional diesel engine. Hemp biodiesel provides better thermal efficiency and also has reduced CO2 emissions. What about hemp fuel vs. gasoline? A chemical engineer found out that an acre of hemp can produce power equivalent to a thousand gallons of gas.
Final Thoughts: The Future of Hemp Fuel
Hemp biofuel is a carbon-neutral renewable resource, and its use won’t impact food prices. So why aren’t we using hemp fuel for cars and other vehicles globally? There are so many hemp products, but there aren’t enough people growing hemp for fuel in the United States yet. Hopefully, as this crop grows in interest, we can certainly expect to see positive changes in the foreseeable future.
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