Industrial or Technical Applications

Technical grade hemp seed oil is used to make resins, varnishes, paints, and industrial oils. Technical grade oil comes from the same source as does the body products grade oil. The difference is age – once body product oil is a week old it is considered technical grade. It is then best for candle making, varnishes, paints, lubricants, inks, laquer, sealants, or as a fuel instead of diesel. Before petroleum and electric lightbulbs, lamps burning hemp seed oil illuminated homes around the world. Hemp oil improves the ability of paints, sealants and inks to penetrate surfaces, and hemp oil contains 20 percent linolenic acid which has strong drying properties making it particular appealing as a paint or varnish. Linseed oil is currently the main ingredient in industrial oils that require strong drying properties. Hemp oil would have to be price competitive in order to gain market share.

One hectare of seed hemp produces about 1000-1500 litres of hemp oil plus several thousand kilograms of cellulose-rich fibre.

Hemp provides two opportunities for fuel production – hemp seed oil and hemp plant biomass converted to methanol or ethanol. Hemp seed oil is very similar to petroleum diesel fuel, and produces full engine power with reduced carbon monoxide and 75 percent less soot and particulates. In 2001 the Hemp Car, a 1983 Mercedes that was converted to run on biodiesel, created from hemp seed oil, made a tour across the United States. The car produced 80 percent less greenhouse gases than a standard petroleum-burning car.