Anthony J. Gerst from Planetsave.com gives his opinions on hemp's suitability as a fuel source
Should we be adding hemp to the growing list of crops for alternative fuels that are better than our current use of corn for ethanol? That is an idea proposed by Anthony J. Gerst over at Planetsave.com. Anthony surmises that hemp could produce 600 gallons of methanol per acre. Methanol, being an alcohol, could be used as an alternative fuel, and is also used as a component for creating biodiesel from vegetable oil.
Other points of interest from the posting include the fact that hemp could save many trees from paper use, and is an excellent crop for the sequestration of CO2. What do you think? Should we consider hemp as a crop for use in alternative fuels?
[Source: Anthony J. Gerst / Planetsave]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Mike Z 11:38AM (3/18/2007)
What utter BS.
Methanol is produced from a reaction with Methane. The only ways to get that out of Hemp would be via a Digester (very slow and not practical on a large scale) or gasification, which is expensive--Never mind that both would work fine with any crop, only tonnage would matter.
There are other crops that have a higher yield. This is just another attempt by potheads to tell us all the virtues of the stuff. Funny, since we seem to get by fine without it.
Reply
Mike 3:22PM (3/18/2007)
If you want the most environmental good out of hemp you should just smoke it and walk to the store for some munchies.
Reply
Doug 7:09PM (3/18/2007)
Wow, Mike Z. I thought I wouldn't find ignorant comments such as yours here at ABG. You're spot-on about the methanol
You'd probably be surprised that the majority of those who push for the re-legalization of industrial hemp AREN'T "potheads", as you like to call them. I could waste plenty of time here explaining the benefits of industrial hemp while at the same time shooting down BS propaganda that breeds ignorant comments like yours. However, I realize your mind is probably dead-set on keeping those oh-so-harmful "potheads" from getting the demon-weed of hemp re-legalized. Never mind that all American farmers were once required to grow hemp. Never mind that hemp was outlawed at the hands of corporations that stood to lose millions. Never mind that industrial hemp has so little THC that you would die from smoke inhalation before even catching a buzz. Never mind that the US is the only industrialized country where hemp is illegal to grow. Just don't worry about those pesky little facts if they seem to get in the way of your anti-hemp opinion.
Reply
Mike Z 7:18PM (3/18/2007)
To recap: I'm spot on insofar as debunking the totality of the authors claims as far as methanol goes. However, based on this my conclusion that maybe the author's ill-researched proposal might hide an alternative motive is somehow ignorant?
Reply
Woodrow 7:04PM (3/26/2007)
First of all, check your O-chem. Methanol and ethanol are synthesized in almost the same way. A different catalyst and temp are used. Second: hemp does have some advantages in terms of where it can grow. It happens to be super resiliant, and requires far less attention than corn. And if these claims about it producing more fuel / acre are correct (sugar based ethanol produces more than corn) why not go with it. Its not a crop that would interefere with food production, which is somthing to note if we all want to eat and drive cars. We could save alot of trees by using hemp for paper products, so in terms of global warming and deforestation it could make a difference there aswell. Before going off on some anti- pot rant about the stuff, try setting aside your personal biases and think about the science. George Washington and the other founding fathers weren't pot heads -as far as we know- and they appreciated the agricultural value of the stuff.
Reply
hemp4fuel.com 4:07AM (3/31/2007)
There are other crops that have a higher yield. This is just another attempt by potheads to tell us all the virtues of the stuff. Funny, since we seem to get by fine without it.
Get on fine without it?
Mike you are a propagandist.Hemp is the most useful plant known to man & petro chemical industry is petro-fied lol of it ever being truly set free again.Maybe why the global warming hypocrites dont like to talk about it but rather invest money into crops that still pollute the earth.Cotton = pollution.Paper = pollution & deforrestation.Plastic = pollution.ALL caused by petrochemicals.ALL could be made from Hemp.Yes your goverment really cares & not using global warming as a tool to tax the poor.
Reply