Fill ‘Er Up…With Hemp Biodiesel

October 8th, 2010 by Tina Casey

Hemp could be on the verge of joining the growing number of weeds that could power your car. Researchers at the University of Connecticut have found that industrial hemp seeds could make an ideal feedstock for biofuel production. Slight hitch: growing hemp, industrial or otherwise, is still illegal in the U.S. However, given that medical marijuana is rapidly approaching mainstream status and some states are relaxing marijuana-related laws, the chances for an industrial hemp comeback look a little brighter.

Biodiesel from Hemp

A couple of things about hemp make it ideal as a sustainable biofuel. First of all, industrial hemp is not a food crop. Second, it flourishes in sub-quality soil with a minimal amount of water or fertilizer. The UConn research team found that 97 percent of the virgin hemp seed oil they tested converted to biodiesel, and this high efficiency of conversion offers good potential for commercial production. The team also found that hemp seed biodiesel could be used at lower temperatures than other biodiesels currently in use.

Plenty of Room for Hemp Biodiesel

With hemp production barred here in the U.S., the researchers hope their findings will prove useful in other countries where hemp is grown, since in most cases the seeds are simply discarded. In any case, as mentioned above, chances are that the ban will eventually be lifted, not only because of relaxing cultural attitudes about hemp in general but also because the U.S. military is going heavily in for biofuels, with camelina biofuel for Air Force and Navy fighter planes leading the way.

Image: Hemp ring by Vanessa Yvonne on flickr.com.

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Tags: Biodiesel, industrial hemp seeds, University of Connecticut

About the Author

Tina Casey Tina Casey specializes in military and corporate sustainability, advanced technology, emerging materials, biofuels, and water and wastewater issues. Tina’s articles are reposted frequently on Reuters, Scientific American, and many other sites. Views expressed are her own. Follow her on Twitter @TinaMCasey and Google+.

http://www.facebook.com/people/Andrew-Alcala/1649485447 Andrew Alcala

too valuable? it comes from a plant that is being mass marketed in 13 U.S states….valuable? no they just sell it for that much because people don’t realize the plant is doing its normal thing…fossil fuel is valuable. i take 1000 clones a day and harvest 300 a week, each could produce as many as 200 seeds per plant if given the right circumstances. this plant has no half life, as long as there is dirt, or even synthetic soil and nutrients the plant lives
Joe Wilder

This would be a good idea if hemp seed wasn’t the highest quality protein a vegan can consume. Hemp seed meal retails for about $18 per pound. It’s too valuable to use for fuel.
Rom

Scientists love to meddle with the nature of things. If they can make corn that secrets insectacide from it’s leaves, they can remove the drug component from hemp. That would make this plant usable by all who would put it to GOOD use.
- Daniel Essman
  
  Actually, Rom, the amount of THC in industrial hemp is so low that a person, so inclined, could smoke it all day and all night and not get any kind of high at all…no genetic alteration necessary. The brain dead zombies at the DEA have put out the proposition that growing hemp would somehow aid producers of illegal cannabis sativa and cannabis indica. Being both brain dead and zombiefied, they are, of course, unconcerned with all the positive products that come from hemp, including bio-diesel, paper, fabric, rope, cooking oil, medicines and more. The Canadians, on the other hand, have a more intelligent attitude and more intelligent policies re. hemp. I have one cavil with your post..my sister had cancer and the only pharmaceutical that would quell her post-treatment nausea was cannabis…rolled and smoked…the only pharmaceutical! It’s long past time for dialog, let’s grow the stuff and reap the very real profits.
MD

The tobacco companies should pull up their tobacco and plant hemp if the ban is lifted.