Hemp Over Petroleum by Sarah S - 10 th January 2017 https :// www . hemphelps . org / singlepost / 2017 / 01 / 09 / Hemp-Over-Petroleum
Petroleum is a liquid mixture of hydrocarbons present in certain rocks that are buried deep into the ground . These underground rocks can be extracted ( called fracking ) and refined to produce fuels , such as gasoline , kerosene , and diesel oil , or oil .
Unfortunately , one of the most destructive and environmentally harmful industries on our planet is the oil industry . Oil became an integral part of the American economy during the Industrial Revolution when new inventions were on the rise and oil became the main source for fossil fuel . Not only is America still being fuelled by fossil fuels , but oil is also the world ' s primary fuel source for transportation . This includes cars , motorcycles , trucks , boats , buses , trains , airplanes , helicopters , ships , private jets , etc . Fracking is the main method used to get petroleum ( or fossil fuels ) out of the earth . It consists of injecting liquid at a high pressure into underground rocks to force open existing fissures and extract oil or gas . Fracking is supposed to give us cheaper and cleaner fuel , but in reality , it contaminates fresh water and emits an enormous amount of CO2 into the air .
According to the US Department of Energy , “ The burning of fossil fuels produces around 21.3 billion tons of carbon dioxide ( CO2 ) per year , but it is estimated that natural processes can only absorb about half of that amount , so there is a net increase of 10.65 billion tons of atmospheric carbon dioxide per year .” This emission of carbon dioxide enhances radiative forcing and contributes to global warming , causing the average surface temperature of the Earth to rise in response , which causes major adverse effects on the environment . The survival of humanity is in dire need of a global movement toward renewable energy . Hemp is the super-plant that can be processed into a biofuel and reduce global greenhouse gas emissions at the same time !
Hemp can be processed into two types of fuels : Hemp biodiesel ( made from the oil of the pressed hemp seed ), and Hemp ethanol / methanol ( made from the fermented stalk ). Hemp biofuel is the only alternative fuel in the US to complete EPA Tier I Health Effects Testing under section 211 ( b ) of the Clean Air Act ( hemp . com ). When an energy crop like Hemp is grown on a massive scale , it initially lowers the CO2 in the air , and then stabilizes it at a level lower than before the energy plant was planted — hallelujah !
Hemp produces the most biomass of any crop , which is why it is the # 1 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 . Each acre of Hemp could yield about 1000 gallons of methanol ( hemphasis . net ). Enough energy could be produced on 6 % of the land in the U . S . to provide enough energy for our entire country ( cars , heat homes , electricity , industry ) -- and we use 25 % of the world ' s energy ( hemphasis . com ).
Producing Hemp for fuel is simply a matter of growing , harvesting , and processing . Hemp can make local , clean , and safe energy while creating jobs and benefiting local economies . It is our time now to utilize the Hemp plant to create a more sustainable environment for all forms of life !
Keep supporting the Hemp Movement and spread knowledge about how Hemp can change our world ! ( If our government would just let it happen , but that ’ s different story ).
To learn more about the specifics of how Hemp is processed into a biofuel click here