Using liquid fuels to produce electricity for any other use than backup/emergency is not very efficient. The best source for electricity would be the dried biomass, sans seeds. ( ~16.8 million Btu per ton, 3 + tons per acre, 4,650 + kWh per acre). Heat would be the useable byproduct of the gasification (CHP - Continual Heat & Power).
Other alternative for the biomass is to implement pyrolytic conversion to manufacture methanol. That would amount to ~186 gallons of methanol per ton, or ~568 + gallons per acre. US DOE releases dated 1995 state a manufacturing cost of $0.20 a liter, with expectations of reducing those costs to ~$0.13 a liter. There literally is no other plant, save for perhaps algae (still in experimental stages), that can produce the same amount of biomass per acre in the same 90-120 day time period. Todd Swearingen ----- Original Message ----- From: murdoch <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <biofuels-biz@yahoogroups.com> Cc: <biofuel@yahoogroups.com> Sent: Monday, December 16, 2002 5:48 PM Subject: Re: [biofuels-biz] Why not? (On farm fuel from hempseed oil) > If these formerly waste materials are good for using as some > transportation fuels (such as in tractors) I wonder if they couldn't > also be used in generating electricity or heat. > > > > On Mon, 16 Dec 2002 16:12:43 -0500, you wrote: > > >Tim, > > > >No hemp farmer in Canada or Europe is expending $600 per acre in > >order to get a $600 return. > > > >When you look at those who are cold pressing the seed for oil, > >you find that there is an inordinate amount of sludge that gets > >separated from the readily filterable oil. Cold pressing does not > >give the luxury of high immediate yields (although it does offer > >the luxury of "solvent free") and due to the nature of the food > >grade oil business a great percentage of the oil is discarded as > >sludge. Eventually the sludge separates even further, leaving > >approximately 60% of what was discarded to be used for "less than > >food grade" purposes. > > > >This is the oil that would be used for biodiesel, not the > >intially pressed oil. > > > >At present, several of the oil producers in Canada are > >stockpiling their sludge. This has resulted in large quantities > >of hemp seed oil becoming available for fuel conversion. > >Considering the fact that this was once considered to be a "waste > >product," utilizing it as farm fuel is not an unattractive end > >use. > > > >As well, the fines that settle out of the sludge are a superb > >chicken feed - yet another free product of what was once > >relegated to the category of "waste." > > > >Todd Swearingen > > > >----- Original Message ----- > >From: Tim Castleman <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > >To: <biofuels-biz@yahoogroups.com> > >Sent: Monday, December 16, 2002 2:21 PM > >Subject: [biofuels-biz] Why not? (On farm fuel from hempseed oil) > > > > > >> From: "Appal Energy" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > >> Subject: Re: Hemp Fuel Conspiracy? > >> > >> Why not? > >> > >> > I also wonder about farming (i.e., if a Hemp farmer could > >make just > >> > enough to forestall having to go off-farm for fuel, if this > >could be > >> > worth it to him, just for his own fuel needs... probably > >not.) > >> > >> This is one of those impossible questions, the answer will > >never satisfy because the fact is hemp cannabis HAS been > >deliberately repressed, several million $ is spent each year on > >eradication efforts on feral hemp, for example. DEA drug warriors > >are emotionally and financially attached to their work, and so > >perpetuate many lies and place many barriers. Perhaps the most > >insidious of which are the divisions within the > >cannabis/hemp/marijuana culture itself. > >> > >> This repression has prevented development of the crop per se, > >thus leaving us with the familiar chicken and egg scenario. > >Bottom line, when petroleum stays at $30 bbl, a plant-based > >economy will emerge. > >> > >> Meanwhile, yes, a farmer could grow hemp, harvest the seed and > >extract the oil for on farm use, but why would he with all the > >other oil crops available that will produce much more oil than > >hemp? In a practical sense, and most farmers are practical to a > >fault, to spend $600 or so to grow $600 or so worth of fuel only > >works with government subsidies. He would rather just buy it and > >save himself all that work! > >> > >> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] > >> > >> > >> Biofuels at Journey to Forever > >> http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel.html > >> Biofuel at WebConX > >> http://webconx.green-trust.org/2000/biofuel/biofuel.htm > >> List messages are archived at the Info-Archive at NNYTech: > >> http://archive.nnytech.net/ > >> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: > >> [EMAIL PROTECTED] > >> > >> > >> > >> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to > >http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/ > >> > >> > >> > > > > > >Biofuels at Journey to Forever > >http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel.html > >Biofuel at WebConX > >http://webconx.green-trust.org/2000/biofuel/biofuel.htm > >List messages are archived at the Info-Archive at NNYTech: > >http://archive.nnytech.net/ > >To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: > >[EMAIL PROTECTED] > > > > > > > >Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/ > > > > > > > Biofuels at Journey to Forever > http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel.html > Biofuel at WebConX > http://webconx.green-trust.org/2000/biofuel/biofuel.htm > List messages are archived at the Info-Archive at NNYTech: > http://archive.nnytech.net/ > To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: > [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > > > Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/ > > > ------------------------ Yahoo! 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