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RE: Will Hemp Bioplastics Be A Game Changer For The Hemp Industry?

in #hemp7 years ago (edited)

Usually plastic from any biomass is very energy expensive compared to oil products.
Same with biofuels. The energy from the fuel must be at least 4-5 times the invested energy for processing it.

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Do you maybe have a source or link where I can read that 4-5 times the energy is needed?
I've looked but can't find it. I would appreciate it. Thank you.

Yes.
First the concept of Energy returned on energy invested (EROEI or ERoEI)
Link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Energy_returned_on_energy_invested
When you get any form of energy you want to invest as little energy as possible and get as much as possible. The oil has average around 15 so you invest 1 barrel and get 15 barrels. This explains why we are addicted to oil.
Biofuels are usually around 1 or useless in most countries except Brazil. They also compete for land with food production.

Link: http://energy-reality.org/biofuels/
“The net energy ratio (energy return on energy invested, or EROEI) for biofuels in general, and corn ethanol in particular, is abysmal. Various studies have estimated the EROEI of corn ethanol at between 0.8:1 and 1.3:1, meaning that we get between 0.8 and 1.3 joules of energy from ethanol for every joule of energy invested in producing that ethanol. The EROEI of gasoline, by comparison, is between 5:1 and 30:1, depending in part on the source of the petroleum.
Additionally, in recent years the ethanol industry’s huge purchases of corn as a feedstock for fuel production have caused corn prices to increase, raising the cost of basic food items for the global poor. In response, many ethanol advocates are optimistic about cellulosic ethanol (in particular, switchgrass), since it supposedly would not compete directly with food crops. But cellulosic ethanol also has low net energy, and carries the potential for increased competition for food-growing land.”

I just now realize the hemp plastic must be made out of the hemp oil.
I was still thinking it was produced out of another component of the plant.
Thank you for the reply. :)

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