Prospects for the use of hemp biofuels in the UK

Research carried out in different countries of the world clearly demonstrates the excellent potential of hemp as a raw material for biofuels, but at the moment only the beginnings of businesses are visible on the market, based on the possibilities of using the plant in the energy sector of economically developed countries.

The editors of the specialized electronic edition of national cannabis growers regularly emphasize not only the fact that “ Hemp is an effective alternative to fossil fuels ”, but also “ How promising is the production of“ green hydrogen ”from hemp ”. The developments in this area of ​​modern cannabis growing in France , Finland , USA are demonstrated with a certain frequency., as well as a number of other economically developed countries of the world. Information about the developments in this area of ​​scientists from the UK attracted our attention not only by the fact that the British, having developed the appropriate technologies, are trying to bring them to the market, but also by the fact that in the materials of our colleagues the prospect of using the remains of the hemp plant after its use in the main areas of management is compared (food, textiles) with alternative crops that are traditionally used as feedstock for biofuel production.

Hemp has thousands of uses, with a significant number of market experts believing that the plant has long-term environmental benefits, and the use of hemp raw materials for biofuel production is one of the real ways to move the economies of developed countries towards a green future. So, for example, according to researchers from the UK, the remains of hemp seeds, fiber, as well as any other above-ground part of the plant can potentially be sources of biofuel. 

In the laboratory, hemp biofuels have shown promise. Researchers have found that hemp seed leftovers can be used to create cleaner diesel fuel. Hemp biodiesel, made up mostly of “low quality hemp oil,” could theoretically power any conventional diesel engine. In the study, 97% of the hemp oil was converted to biodiesel, which proves it has a “high conversion efficiency”.

In a process developed by British researchers called celluolysis, the harvested hemp material is crushed and chemically heated to release the cellulose. Enzymes are used to break down cellulose into sugars, which in turn are fermented to ethanol. Ethanol is purified and distilled into viable biofuel products such as biodiesel, which can be used as engine fuel or even in biomass power plants. It should be borne in mind that both ethanol and methanol can be produced from hemp raw materials.

However, in order to capitalize on this, hemp growers in England will be able to realize this kind of prospects if conditions arise for a national push to create an appropriate regional infrastructure to ensure the use of developed technologies.

In particular, Robert Pearce, Senior Lecturer at the UK College of Agriculture, Food and the Environment, Ph.D., argues that creating a biofuel ecosystem will be a huge step forward for farmers looking to enter the market. In his words, “such an infrastructure is needed because we have to deal with bulky biomass materials. The logistics of transporting hemp raw materials will eat up all the profitability for farmers if they have to transport this material far away. Therefore, we need regional centers located close to processing plants, to which agricultural producers will bring hemp raw materials left over from the main industries. "

In the UK, scientists are studying “double-sided” hemp varieties to determine the best biofuel potential by examining derivatives of the hemp seed and the fibrous part of the plant. Experiments have determined that “double-sided” grades have higher predicted economic returns than fiber-only grades. 

Jian Shi, PhD, Associate Professor at the Department of Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering at the College of Agriculture, Food and the Environment, UK, estimated the profit from grain sales and biofuel production at $ 1564 per hectare of one of the studied varieties and $ 1482 for the other.

Based on the experiments carried out, British scientists conclude that the potential for waste from the main production of industrial hemp is comparable to other bioenergy crops such as kenaf, millet and sorghum. Best of all, the plant demonstrates a higher yield of the remains of the fibrous part of the plant per hectare. The data obtained in the course of the experiments show that the energy intensity of only the remains of industrial hemp stalks per hectare is at the same level as the analogous indicators of millet and sorghum in general. Specifically, Mr. Shi argues that “For agricultural producers, hemp can be more profitable than other bioenergy crops because, in addition to energy raw materials, farmers are left with fiber and grain during cultivation. In turn, grain, as well as fiber, can be used to make food, paper, clothing, building materials and much more. "

When combined with traditional fossil fuels or other biofuel sources, converting hemp feedstock into fuel is a more cost-effective process, Mr Pearce said. He argues that “a technical understanding of enzyme processes is needed, and bioreactors are needed for this to happen on a large scale. Having small processing facilities on site will help solve transportation problems, i.e. it is necessary to create regional processing centers and manufacturers within a radius of 50 miles, delivering products to the processing center. "

Ideally, farmers would be responsible for storage and the same cutting and packaging equipment used to grow the hemp fiber, Pearce said. In his opinion, to create biomass on a large scale, significant volumes of hemp raw materials are required, and to optimize the process on an industrial scale, it will be necessary to develop additional varieties adapted to specific regions of the country. “With the current varieties, most of the grain is produced in the northern Midwest,” Pearce says. “We need varieties that are better adapted to the conditions of the south and southeast. The southeast would be an ideal location for biomass production because the area has a longer growing season. Then it is necessary to optimize the enzymatic processes in order to get the most energy from the hemp because we are competing with other biofuel sources such as corn and soybeans and other biomass crops such as local grasses. ”

Cannabis Growers Association executive director Jody McGuinness states that “Moving away from fossil fuels is in itself a tremendous achievement in modern science. Research by British scientists suggests that hemp biofuel burns cleaner and is less energy intensive than traditional fossil fuels or alternative fuels from any other biological raw material. As science is currently in its infancy on this issue, the same “agricultural basis” that other industries are using will be the key to the ultimate success of hemp biofuels. ”

Commentary of the specialists of the Association "Ukrainian technical hemp"

Most biofuels are currently produced from corn or sugarcane. Although the high sugar content of the above plants is a reliable source of ethanol, using them for fuel production can reduce agricultural producers' profit from food production. In turn, the residues from the main production of the hemp plant are waste raw materials and cannot adversely affect the profitability of growing the plant itself.

Research carried out in different countries of the world clearly demonstrates the excellent potential of hemp as a raw material for biofuels, but at the moment only the beginnings of businesses are visible on the market, based on the possibilities of using the plant in the energy sector of economically developed countries.