Hemp is already well established as a green product and beneficial to the planet; however, little has been discussed here as to using the product for biofuel. Biofuel has been used to generate power since it was first introduced at the 1900 World Exhibition fair in Paris by Dr. Rudolf Diesel. It originally consisted of vegetable oil. Wheat, barley and corn have also been used to create ethanol, so it is no secret that hemp can also be used to create a biofuel.
Biofuel is easily stored. It has been tested under the Clean Air Act and has met all the standards. The USDA has also found that it meets the requirements of the Energy Policy Act as a low-cost alternative fuel. Hemp fuel can yield around 200 gallons per two acres, which is four times higher than soybeans yield as a fuel. Biofuels are all made from biodegradable material and is a renewable resource, what was once considered the ‘waste’ product from a harvest can be put to another use.
This resource hasn’t been tapped into much in the United States due to confusing legal misinformation and lack of understanding hemp. Since the introduction of biofuel government regulations curbed much experimentation and research into the use of hemp as a fuel. A large problem was due to the cultural norms and confusion between cannabis and hemp, creating a taboo product to some farmers. Since the legality of the product is now widespread, so is the knowledge on the byproducts created from a harvest.
Hemp bioethanol/methanol can become a substitute for petrol and suitable for diesel engines, using the plants oil. The product is ten times less toxic than salt, it contains no sulfur and is 11% oxygen by weight. Hemp biofuel is a carbon-neutral replacement for diesel and ingests a more carbon dioxide than trees, which is a positive attribute to CO2 emissions. A lot of research has been developed over the past few years through universities and independent studies. A study through the University of Connecticut found that hemp biofuel has a 97% conversion efficiency. The professor from the study; Richard Parnas stated that hemp could produce enough fuel to power their entire university farm using the seed oil without much additional investment (Pedler, 2020).
If you’ve been already thinking about investing in hemp seed for a new crop, it would be extremely beneficial to research further into the potential of hemp biofuel. The quality will vary, but you have the potential to earn $40 or above per pound and at wholesale you could expect around $160 per pound. It can be an extremely profitable adventure given the low overhead that it takes to grow and harvest hemp.
