Hemp details

[BratMan]

I'm sure this has been addressed elsewhere on the Net, but being that this is where I'd like to get my bio-diesel info, thought I'd start a thread here...[img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/biggrin.gif[/img]

I'm aware bio-diesel has been made from hemp, but in a technical sense, how does the crop compare to other methods of generating bio-diesel? Would one get more or less quantities from the same acerage as you would with soybean or other "legit" crops? How would the costs compare? Any difference in the production process?

Basically, I'm curious hot it stacks up to other crops for this use, should the political/legal hurdles be overcome.

[Ford_Forgotton]

well, I posted an article last week on using ALGAE to make biodiesel, and they claimed some forms of algae were up to 50% oil, which is WAY up there. I think hemp falls below that.

You'd have an easier time and get more oil growing algae then hemp. Its very simple to do, just need a shallow salt water pond, or sewage pond. some seeder algae and a way to process the algae, remove the oil, and dry out the leftovers for fertilizer.

EDIT:

Did some searching, it appears hemp is around 30% oil. Plus or minus a few points based on breed and cultivation.

[lemon boy]

Hemp is truely a wonder plant. [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

Only hemp product I've had that was just truely, completely awful was hemp cheese bleck! [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/vomit.gif[/img] [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/vomit.gif[/img] [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/sick.gif[/img] [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/sick.gif[/img]

Is there a nice site that details all the different crops and their oil production qualities?

[BobbySnider]

[ QUOTE ]
Hemp is truely a wonder plant. [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

Only hemp product I've had that was just truely, completely awful was hemp cheese bleck! [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/vomit.gif[/img] [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/vomit.gif[/img] [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/sick.gif[/img] [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/sick.gif[/img]

Is there a nice site that details all the different crops and their oil production qualities?

[/ QUOTE ]

There is a table from the Journey To Forever web site. I tried to include it here but was unable to format it well enough to be readable.

Journey to Forever Vegetable Oil Yields

[BratMan]

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There is a table from the Journey To Forever web site.

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Thanks for the link, very interesting data. But not having a farming bone in my body, I don't know how to interpret or analyze it.

For example - why is soybean so commonly used when it's so far down the list when it comes to yield/acre? Are the higher yield crops more expensive to farm, or do they just command a higher price as foods than would be feasible to pay for bio-diesel?

Also - are the listed yields per crop, or per a certain time period? I'm assuming some of those crops grow much more rapidly than others, with multiple harvests possible per year - which would skew the listed results if the yield is per harvest.

[Ford_Forgotton]

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Is there a nice site that details all the different crops and their oil production qualities?

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There is, I have seen it, but I cant google it to save my life. I did find this tho:

Seed Oil Content (%)

Almond 50% Castor 50% Cotton seed 30% Hemp seed 35% Linseed 40%

Olive 40% Peanuts (groundnuts) 50% Perilla seed 50% Poppy seed 50%

Rape seed (colza) 40% Sesame seed 50% Sunflower seed 35% Tung nuts 20%

Now this is if you GROW YOUR OWN and decide to use some form of mechanical press to extract the oil. Soy is not listed as it is only 20% oil, and is chemically extracted.

I still like the algae route, as algae grows anywhere, you can use sewer water, its 50% oil (some of them anywayz), and it grows REALLY FAST!!!!!

[Ford_Forgotton]

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But not having a farming bone in my body, I don't know how to interpret or analyze it.

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He linked to the wrong section. you want this link instead

http://www.journeytoforever.org/biod...ld.html#ascend

it lists crop and oil yield per acre of crop in ascending order.

Keep in mind the speed at which the crop grows, and how soon you can harvest and replant. Not to mention climate, difficulty of raising, pests, fertilizer and water.

[BobbySnider]

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For example - why is soybean so commonly used when it's so far down the list when it comes to yield/acre? Are the higher yield crops more expensive to farm, or do they just command a higher price as foods than would be feasible to pay for bio-diesel?

Also - are the listed yields per crop, or per a certain time period? I'm assuming some of those crops grow much more rapidly than others, with multiple harvests possible per year - which would skew the listed results if the yield is per harvest.

[/ QUOTE ]

As far as yields per crop, I would have to assume that the yield values are for a 12 month period.

The crop choice is going to be tied to climate and the cost to produce. Several of the higher yield crops are grown in the warmest climates. Soy beans can be grown in most of this country and I believe that the equipment needed is also used with most other seed crops.

[94_turbo]

daryl--soybean oil is extracted by an extruding process--first the beans are smashed in a roller mill--then forced thru a small cone under high pressure--the beans come out hot and cooked--and the oil falls to the bottom--

[Ford_Forgotton]

Did another google on soybean oil extraction:

Solvent extraction

Solvent extraction is a more efficient and complete method of oil extraction, and is therefore the preferred method of large cooking oil manufacturers. During solvent extraction, nuts and seeds are cracked to expose the oil, and then combined with a chemical solution containing a solvent (typically hexane). The solvent pulls the oil from the nut or seed. The oil-solvent mixture is then heated to about 300°F (150°C) to evaporate out the solvent.

Mechanical (expeller) extraction

During mechanical extraction, an expeller press crushes the seeds, nuts, or vegetables to extract the oil. This pressing is done under intense pressure, and raises the temperature of the oil to 185 to 200°F (85–93.3°C). Typically, nuts and seeds are heated up to 250°F (120°C) before being placed in the expeller; heating makes the pressing more efficient. Some manufacturers produce “cold-pressed” oils—a term typically used to describe oil that was extracted without using additional external heat. This term is also used when cold water is run through the expeller, keeping the temperature of the oil from rising. However, there is no legal or binding definition of “cold-pressed,” so oils may be so labeled even when temperatures were quite high during pressing.

[Parrothead]

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why is soybean so commonly used when it's so far down the list when it comes to yield/acre? Are the higher yield crops more expensive to farm, or do they just command a higher price as foods than would be feasible to pay for bio-diesel?



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Until maybe a year ago, soybean oil was fairly inexpensive. The market for soybean meal was bigger than for the oil, so the oil was going for discount prices as a "by product", so to speak. So the biodiesel producers took advantage of that.

Over the last year the price of beans, meal and oil have soared because of several factors like insect infestations in the midwest soy belt and drought, and the Chinese have been buying huge amounts of American soy because of crop failures over there.

So more is going to be planted this year and soy prices are going to come down, and at the same time other oil seed crops are beginning to be planted especially for the biodiesel fuel market. Here in Colorado, a few thousand acres of a mustard seed crop have been planted to provide an alternate oil for fuel production. That'll tend to help with the cost. It's all ramping up.

That's my cut at it..

The actor Woody Harrelson has been running his diesel tour bus on hemp seed oil (as opposed to biodiesel). I saw it at a local Mobil Oil distributor last year. Apparently Mr. Harrelson has been a long-time proponent of legalizing marijuana (AKA illegal hemp ) so his diesel is used to promote both of his personal causes, renewable energy and legalizing pot.

I wonder about the exhaust smoke from his bus, though...


[img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/rolleyes.gif[/img]

[shoebear]

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why is soybean so commonly used when it's so far down the list when it comes to yield/acre? Are the higher yield crops more expensive to farm, or do they just command a higher price as foods than would be feasible to pay for bio-diesel?

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Also, a big proponent of biodiesel in this country is the National Biodiesel Board. They don't advertise this a lot, but they represent soybean farmers only. So they are pushing soy as the preferred oil for biodiesel to help the soybean farmers.

However, other US biodiesel proponents (like me) feel that this is shortsighted, because, as the table shows, soy is not an efficient oil crop compared to others. Also, it's a food product, and I think it's bad to have food and fuel crops competing with each other. When the price of soybeans goes way up, as it has this year, the price of biodiesel goes up too. If biodiesel is going to be a viable large scale product, it must use cheap oil with a stable price. That's partly why I like algae -- but I think mustard is a good compromise for now.

[jdkline]

[ QUOTE ]
The actor Woody Harrelson has been running his diesel tour bus on hemp seed oil (as opposed to biodiesel). I saw it at a local Mobil Oil distributor last year. Apparently Mr. Harrelson has been a long-time proponent of legalizing marijuana (AKA illegal hemp ) so his diesel is used to promote both of his personal causes, renewable energy and legalizing pot.

I wonder about the exhaust smoke from his bus, though...



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LOL, I can just see the teenagers trying to catch a whiff of that thing idling, rerminds me of something you might see on "Beavis and Butt-head"

[yaric008]

Another thing, or from what i hear, soybeans are cheaper and easier to grow than other crops. For example, soybeans are one of the very few plants that makes it's own nitrogen, all other plants require either someone to put fertilizer down or wait for lightning to break up nitrogen to be rained on them.