Renewable Energy Stuff (was citizenship silliness) (fwd)

[Jim Choate <ravage@einstein.ssz.com>]

First, let me say (again) to everyone ....

Quit sending these responses to my private email. If you want to discuss it
keep it on the list. Any further such private submissions go into /dev/null
unread. This also means you don't need to cc: if you send it to the cpunks
list since I'm subscribed...;)

Now, back to more intersting discussion...

Forwarded message:

> Date: Thu, 10 Sep 1998 11:26:47 -0600 (MDT)
> From: Jim Burnes <jvb@ssds.com>
> Subject: Renewable Energy Stuff (was citizenship silliness)

> Apparently hemp hurd gassification yields a fairly sizeable, renewable
> amount of energy per acre.  Lemme see if I have the reference....

> Historically Hemp (Cannabis Sativa L.) has been a very high yielding plant
> (Haney 1975).  Assuming that hemp produces up to 4 tons/acre seed plus 10
> tons/acre stalks, Table 1 shows how many gallons of liquid fuel import could be
> saved by each of the following proven biomass fuel conversion routes.
> 
>        Table 1. Conversion technologies for hemp stalks and hemp oil
> 
> CONVERSION                                           CONVERSION GASOLINE EQUIV
> TECHNOLOGY                                             EFF - %    GAL/ACRE
> 
> 1  Ethanol from fermentation of hydrolyzed cellulose    20      200
> 2  Digestion of whole stalks to methane                 50      500
> 3  Producer gas from thermal gasification of stalks     85      1000
> 4  Methanol from syngas from gasification of stalks     65      750
> 5  Methanol from pyrolysis of stalks                    3       30
> 
> OIL SEEDS - 4 tons/acre
> 
> 6  Hemp Seed oil from Seeds, no conversion              100     300
> 7  Biobioesel premium diesel fuel from hemp seed        90      270
>     oil combined chemically with methanol

You're going to seriously claim that 1 gallon of hemp oil is equivalent to 3
gallons of gasoline? I don't think so. I've seen hemp burn and it don't burn
anywhere near that efficiently.

I also notice it doesn't mention what it costs to raise that 4 tons/acre...


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