Hemp makes a surprisingly good fuel crop, and it can do it in more than one way. The plant’s fibers can be turned into ethanol, an alcohol that burns as fuel, and its seeds can be pressed for oil that becomes biodiesel. Two fuels from one plant.
The first big advantage is that hemp is renewable. Fossil fuels come from non-renewable sources that we’re steadily using up. Hemp can be grown and harvested over and over, which makes it a genuinely sustainable fuel source.
The second advantage is yield. Hemp produces a lot of biomass per unit of land, which makes it efficient and cost-effective as a fuel crop. Yield just measures how much of a crop you get per acre, and hemp scores high because it packs so much biomass into each acre.
The numbers make the point. A U.S. Department of Agriculture study found hemp can produce about 1,000 pounds of biomass per acre, while corn, a common biofuel crop, produces only about 600 pounds per acre. That’s roughly 66% more biomass per acre from hemp, which translates directly into a more efficient, more economical fuel source.
Yield isn’t the only thing hemp has going for it, either. It’s renewable, as noted, and it has a low carbon footprint because it absorbs carbon dioxide from the atmosphere as it grows. That absorption helps offset the emissions released when the resulting biofuel is burned, which softens the overall climate impact.
Add it up and hemp is an attractive option for anyone after a sustainable, cost-effective fuel. Its ability to produce so much biomass per acre makes it both efficient and viable for real biofuel production, not just a nice idea on paper.