Hemp Oil Biodiesel VS Palm Oil Biodiesel
Hemp biodiesel may be used as an alternative to the highly controversial biodiesel produced from palm oil. (Source)
CO2 EMISSIONS FROM DEFORESTATION
- 140 million tons of carbon dioxide were emitted into our atmosphere from the land clearing that was done for the palm oil plantations. (Source)
- Indonesia is one of the largest greenhouse gas emitters due to it’s deforestation for the palm plantations. (Source)
- Indonesia was the world’s seventh-largest emitter of global warming pollution in 2009, and deforestation accounted for about 30 percent of these emissions.(Source)
CO2 EMISSIONS FROM PEAT SOIL DESTRUCTION
- Peat soils in Southeast Asia contain an amount of carbon comparable to the carbon stored in the above ground vegetation of the Amazon forest.(Source)
- When peat soils are destroyed to make way for palm oil plantations, this released the stored carbon back into the atmosphere and also prevents the soil from effectively storing carbon in the future.(Source)
CO2 EMISSIONS FROM INTENTIONAL LAND CLEARING FIRES
- Some of the world’s largest fires have occurred on drained peatlands, releasing hundreds of years’ worth of sequestered carbon. These fires are intentional because they are the quickest and cheapest way to clear land for agriculture.(Source)
LOSS OF ANIMAL SPECIES
Palm Oil Consumption: Energy and Food
Replacing Palm Oil Biodiesel with a more environmentally friendly alternatives can lead to a significant reduction to deforestation. About 61% of the deforestation that is done for palm plantations can be prevented. (Source)
Energy use of Palm Oil: 61% of Plantations
Replacing the use of palm oil is a different challenge due to the fact that many people use it for the taste and palm oil is the most popular cooking oil in the world.
How is Biodiesel made from Palm Oil & Hemp Oil?
Biodiesel is produced from vegetable oils, yellow grease, used cooking oils, or animal fats. The fuel is produced by transesterification — a process that converts fats and oils into biodiesel and glycerin (a coproduct).
How is Biodiesel used in cars?
- The most common of these blends are B100, B20, B5 and B2 which contain 20%, 5% and 2% respectively. Fuels are blended for various reasons such as environmental compliance. (Source)
Why even use Biodiesel for cars?
- Unlike diesel produced from petroleum, it contains very low level of sulfur, which produces sulfur oxide emissions when burned, a major precursor to acid rain. (Source)
- The carbon dioxide emissions released to the atmosphere when burning biodiesel is reabsorbed through photosynthesis. (Source)
- Biodiesel is a renewable energy. (Source)
- Biodiesel blends of 20% or lower do not require any modification to the diesel engine. (Source)
- Hemp plantations have been proven to be beneficial for our environment while palm oil plantations are notorious for causing environmental harm. Hemp is proven to absorb two to four times more CO2 than trees. (See below for breakdown and sources)
- Palm Oil biodiesel is similar to hemp oil biodiesel in terms of the performance properties for diesel engines. (Source)
- Hemp can grow in a variety of climates, compared to oil palm trees which are restricted to tropical humid climates. (Source)
Hemp Oil Biodiesel: An Energy Powerhouse
CO2 Sponge
- 1 hectare of trees absorb 10 tonnes of CO2 per year/hectare.
- 1 hectare of industrial hemp absorb 22 tonnes of CO2 per year/hectare.
Stack Farming
- The hemp plant can be grown in a stack farming set up that minimizes the use of land, prevents deforestation.
- A company called Gravitas Carboturo is already making this a reality.
- Hemp Stack Farming Explainer Video
Resilient
What is it that makes hemp such a resilient plant?
- It has the ability to grow on unfertile soil
- Hemp is prone to an insignificant level of diseases and insects.
- Hemp can grow in a wide range of climatic zones, see figure below.
Multipurpose Plant
- While the seeds are being used for biodiesel production, other parts of the plant have also a wide range of uses in a variety of industries, ranging from energy, to food and even textiles.
Hemp Seeds
- The hemp plant is capable of producing very nutritious and high proteins seeds which have become popular due to health benefits and support for muscle growth.
- These edible hemp seeds come under the name “Shelled Hemp Seeds”, this means that the shell has been removed.
- In it’s original format, the hemp seed has a hard outer shell.
Seed to Oil
- Hemp seed oil has become widely available in present day and can be purchased fairly easily in most countries.
Oil to Biodiesel
- Since the legalization of hemp, there has been a lot of interested in this plant’s ability to be used as a biofuel. This is primarily due to the amount of energy density of the oil.
- Just as most vegetable oils can be converted to biodiesel, hemp oil is turned into biodiesel through the same process.
Hemp Seed Biodiesel -VS- Palm Oil Biodiesel
Yield Comparison
Gallons per hectare equals to the amount of gallons of biodiesel that can be produced for each hectare of plant grown. The two highest yield plants on the list are hemp and palm.
Palm oil biodiesel has double the amount of yield compared to hemp seed biodiesel but hemp is still one of the highest ranking in terms of yield.
Calorific Value Comparison
Definition: The energy contained in a fuel or food, determined by measuring the heat produced by the complete combustion of a specified quantity of it.
This shows that hemp oil biodiesel has a higher calorific value (energy density) in comparison.
Palm oil biodiesel is 36,764 kJ/kg
Hemp oil biodiesel is 41,742 kJ/kg
Performance
The way an engine performs when being used with biodiesel fuels. A common biodiesel fuel blend is B20, in which 20% of the fuel is biodiesel and the 80% is standard diesel.
Palm oil biodiesel B20 blend is effective in it’s purpose and is commonly used in Asia. The Malaysian government is planning to implement a B20 palm oil biodiesel mandate by the end of 2022.
Hemp oil biodiesel B20 blend is proven to work in experiments with a standard diesel engine. It is capable of providing adequate performance without any engine modifications.
