Canadian Biomass Magazine

Industrial hemp project will create biofuel

June 20, 2014
By Canadian Biomass

June 20, 2014, Marina Del Rey, Calif. - Discovery Minerals LTD. announced that the joint venture project, AB Agro Technologies Inc. has been granted Licence No. 14-A0068-C-01 and is now authorized to cultivate industrial hemp by Health Canada.

June 20, 2014, Marina Del Rey, Calif. – Discovery Minerals
LTD. announced that the joint venture project, AB Agro Technologies Inc. has
been granted Licence No. 14-A0068-C-01 and is now authorized to cultivate
industrial hemp by Health Canada.

 

AB Agro has secured a supply of pedigreed Hemp seed from an
accredited Health Canada seed provider in the Province of Manitoba. The CRS-1
cultivar, or variety, has been chosen for the inaugural growing season. AB Agro
has been advised by the Company’s agricultural consultants that the 160 acres
being licensed will require a seeding rate of 23 lbs. per acre for a total of
approximately 3,700 lbs. of Hemp seed. The typical seeding rate can commonly
range from 20-40 lbs. per acre depending on a wide array of variables. The
3,700 lbs. of CRS-1 Hemp seed is expected to be delivered within 2 days and
will be seeded as weather conditions permit.

 

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The CRS-1 variety was chosen specifically for its high
yielding, early maturity and medium height properties along with its exemption
from mandatory THC testing analysis in the Province of Alberta. AB Agro
believes that these particular attributes will provide an abundant amount of
harvested grain (seed for consumption), fiber and straw. The fiber and straw will
be used as the cellulose biomass supply for the forthcoming ethanol
fermentation pilot project with Syngar Technologies Inc. Additionally Discovery’s previous press on May 01, 2014,
provided the following information regarding their Joint Venture (JV) with
Syngar Technologies.

 

A research study concluded that Syngar's PLUSWave technology
increased ethanol production by an overall average of 26%. The PLUSWave
technology optimized the conversion of cellulose to sugars and enhanced ethanol
yield. The proposed pilot project will utilize an additional proprietary
technology to reduce costs and speed the pre-treatment of cellulose materials
to form a slurry suitable for fermentation into ethanol.

 

With the worldwide increase in demand for oil, concern over
the environmental impact of the use of fossil fuels and the challenge of
sourcing a sustainable crop to provide the cellulose needed for biofuel
fermentation, hemp may very well be part of the solution.

 

When compared to other plant species of active interest in
biofuel production, hemp derives 100% more cellulose than species under active
investigation. Production costs for corn-based ethanol is nearly twice that of
estimated production costs for hemp-derived ethanol. Hemp and its related
species provide denser cellulose content than corn, higher sugar content, and
derive higher ethanol yields per metric ton at lower costs.


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