Originally Posted by
Kokopelli
Jim, I like your thinking. After reading the article in the DOK recently about using an invasive imported bamboo like plant for feedstock in ethanol production. I had been doing some research to see if hemp could also be used for ethanol production.
Here are some facts about hemp;
Cellulosic ethanol is the next generation of ethanol and hemp is a woody, fiberous, cellulosic plant that could be used for ethanol production. Filtered hemp oil can be used directly to power diesel engines. In 1892, Rudolf Diesel invented the diesel engine, which he intended to fuel "by a variety of fuels, especially vegetable and seed oils. The only problem hemp production is outlawed in the USA. Doesn't make any sense to introduce a new invasive, imported plant for ethanol production.
The world leading producer of hemp is China with smaller production in Europe, Chile and North Korea.
More hemp is exported to the United States than to any other country. Why are we importing something that used to be widely grown in the USA. Only a true politician could love that logic.
A mixture of fibreglass, hemp fiber, kenaf, and flax has been used since 2002 to make composite panels for automobiles. The Mercedes C-Class has up to 20 kg of hemp in each car.
Hemp can be used as a "mop crop" to clear impurities out of wastewater, such as sewage effluent, excessive phosphorus from chicken litter or other unwanted substances or chemicals. It wasn't that many years ago that Okla and Ark had a big lawsuit over excessive phoshorus in eastern Okla watersheds.
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