HEMP - The most versatile illegal plant on the planet

HEMP IS QUITE LITERALLY THE MOST VERSATILE, USEFUL PLANT KNOWN TO MAN. But in America it is "illegal" - why is this the case? Hemp was made illegal not because it was dangerous but because it was SO USEFUL. Please consider the following FACTS about HEMP: ONE ACRE of HEMP will produce 1000 gallons of Biodiesel (or methanol) - compare that to only between 300-423 gallons//acre for the currently subsidized corn. COMPLETELY NON-TOXIC Hemp seed oil can be used in bio-diesel engines. Methyl esters, or bio-diesel, can be made from any oil or fat including hemp seed oil. The reaction requires the oil, an alcohol (usually methanol), and a catalyst, which produces bio-diesel and small amount of glycerol or glycerin. When co-fired with 15% methanol, bio-diesel fuel produces CLEAN ENERGY that produces LESS THAN ONE-THIRD the pollution of petroleum diesel. 2) Energy and Fuel from Hemp Stalks via Pyrolysis Pyrolysis is a technique of applying high heat to biomass, or organic plants and tree matter, using little or no air. Reduced emissions from coal-fired power plants and automobiles can be accomplished by converting biomass to fuel utilizing pyrolysis technology. The process can produce, from lingo-cellulosic material (like the stalks of hemp), charcoal, gasoline, ethanol, non-condensable gasses, acetic acid, acetone, methane, and methanol. Process adjustments can be done to favor charcoal, pyrolytic oil, gas, or methanol, with 95.5% fuel-to-feed ratios. Around 68% of the energy of the raw biomass will be contained in the charcoal and fuel oils -- renewable energy generated here at home, instead of overpaying for foreign petroleum. Hemp vs. Fossil Fuels Pyrolysis facilities can use the same technology used now to process fossil fuel oil and coal. Petroleum coal and oil conversion is more efficient in terms of fuel-to-feed ratio, but there are many advantages to conversion by pyrolysis. 1) Biomass has a heating value of 5000-8000 BTU/lb, with virtually no ash or sulfur emissions. 2) Ethanol, methanol, methane gas, and gasoline can be derived from biomass at a fraction of the cost of the current cost of oil, coal, or nuclear energy, especially when environmental costs are factored in. 3) When an energy crop is growing, it takes carbon dioxide (CO2) from the air, and releases an equal amount when it is burned, creating a balanced system, unlike petroleum fuels, which only release CO2. When an energy crop like hemp is grown on a massive scale, it will initially lower the CO2 in the air, and then stabilize it at a level lower than before the planting of the energy crop. 4) Use of biomass would end acid rain, sulfur-based smogs, and could REVERSE the greenhouse effect. RENEWABLE HEMP COULD TOTALLY REPLACE COAL: Unlike petroleum reserves, America has enough coal to last 100-300 years, but burning it for electricity puts sulfur (toxic to every membrane in which it comes in contact, especially the simplest life forms - into the air, which leads to acid rain, which kills 50,000 Americans, and 5,000 - 10,000 Canadians, annually, and destroys the forests, river, and animals. Charcoal can be created from biomass through pyrolysis (charcoaling), which has nearly the same heating value in BTU as coal, virtually without sulfur. Biomass can also be co-fired with coal to reduce emissions. RENEWABLE HEMP COULD TOTALLY REPLACE BOTH ETHANOL AND METHONOL Ethanol is a water-free, high-octane alcohol which can be used as fuel to drive cars. Under current conditions, use of ethanol-blended fuels such as E85 (85% ethanol and 15% gasoline) can reduce net emissions of greenhouse gases by as much as 37.1%. Ethanol-powered vehicles do suffer in performance (barely), but ethanol is effective as a fuel additive because it helps engines burn cleaner. Once pyrolysis facilities are up and running, converting biomass into charcoal for electrical power plants, it will be more feasible to build the complex gasification systems to required to produce ethanol and/or methanol from the cubed biomass, or to make high-octane lead-free gasoline from the methanol using a catalytic process already developed by Georgia Tech University in conjunction with the Mobil Oil Corporation. Ethanol is currently being used as a fuel additive, replacing toxic methyl tertiary ether (MTBE). Ethanol producers are currently providing only 1% of America's liquid fuel. Soon though, as new development processes are researched, and with the use of hemp, the plant worlds number one producer of biomass, the cost of this alternative fuel will give petroleum VERY STIFF competition. THIS IS WHY HEMP IS CURRENTLY BANNED. The OIL COMPANIES DO NOT DESIRE COMPETITION - and we ALLOW THEM TO GET LAWS PASSED PROTECTING THEIR SELF INTERESTS. Hydrolysis: A process whereby cellulose is converted to fermentable glucose, which holds the greatest promise for production and feedstock, because it could produce 100 gallons/ton. Tim Castleman and the Fuel and Fiber Company are researching this technology. Their method extracts the high-value bast fiber as first step. Then the remaining core material (mostly hurd) is converted to alcohol (methanol, ethanol), and then to glucose. Hydrolysis could produce 300,000 to 600,000 tons of biomass per year per facility, if each facility could process input from 60,000 to 170,000 acres. Gasification: A form of pyrolysis which converts biomass into synthetic gas, such as ethanol, and low grade fuel oil with an energy content of about 40% that of petroleum diesel. This process is good for community power-corporation and people seeking self-sufficient energy needs. A small modular bio-powered system is in place in the village of Alaminos in the Philippines, using gasification techniques for energy. Anaerobic Digestion: A process of capturing methane from green waste material (biomass). This process is toxic, but well suited for distributed power generation when co-located with electrical generation equipment. Boiler: Biomass can also be burned in a boiler, but this energy has a value of $30-50 ton, which makes it impractical due to the higher value of hemp fiber, unless used on a local small scale, and in remote rural applications. HEMP PRODUCES THE MOST BIOMASS OF ANY PLANT ON EARTH. Hemp is AT LEAST FOUR TIMES RICHER in biomass/cellulose potential than its nearest rivals: cornstalks, sugarcane, kenaf, trees, etc. Hemp produces the most biomass of any crop, which is why it is the natural choice for an energy crop. Hemp converts the sun's energy into cellulose faster than any other plant, through photosynthesis. Hemp can produce 10 tons of biomass per acre every four months. Enough RENEWABLE energy could be produced by ONLY 6% of the US landmass to PROVIDE SUFFICIENT ENERGY FOR OUR ENTIRE COUNTRY (cars, heat homes, electricity, industry) -- and we use 25% of the world's energy. To put which in perspective, right now we pay farmers not to grow on 6% (around 90 million acres) of the farming land, while another 500 million acres of marginal farmland lies fallow. This land could be used to grow hemp as an energy crop. AND THIS IS USING ONLY THE SIX PERCENT OF SURPLUS LAND. Imagine the results if the government subsidized HEMP INSTEAD OF INEDIBLE, GENETICALLY MODIFIED CORN. America would quickly become the premier supplier of energy TO THE WORLD. HEMP AS FOOD FOR CATTLE: Presently, we use inedible corn as the primary source of feed for cattle. This is highly toxic to the cow, and can kill a cow if fed an exclusive diet of corn for an extended period of time (greater than 6 months). HEMP, on the other hand, is actually GOOD FOR THE COW. Hemp fed beef is both healthier and better tasting than corn fed beef. If we replaced the now government subsidized inedible corn with HEMP, the result would be a healthier, safer meat for our fast-food starved America. Conclusion HEMP IS ONLY A THREAT TO ESTABLISHED AND ENTRENCHED CORPORATE PROFIT MARGINS. ANYTHING WHICH CAN BE PRODUCED USING OUR LIMITED RESOURCES OF HIGHLY TOXIC FOSSIL FUELS CAN BE PRODUCED FROM NON-TOXIC, RENEWABLE HEMP. We have allowed ourselves to be completely misguided by condemning this, the greatest plant on earth. We owe it to ourselves and our CHILDREN to REVERSE THESE LAWS and REMOVE ALL RESTRICTIONS from the research and use of the most valuable, nontoxic renewable resource known to man. If we would redirect this great country's resources to the full implementation of hemp, we would ELIMINATE DANGEROUS FOSSIL FUEL EXPLORATION and become THE WORLD LEADER in CLEAN energy production.