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Midwestern ethanol plants use much less water than western plants, U of Minnesota study says
April 15, 2009Iowa uses 6 gallons of water to make one gallon of ethanol - California's 2,100 gallons
Ethanol production in Minnesota and Iowa uses far less water overall than similar processes in states where water is less plentiful, a new University of Minnesota study shows.
The study, which will be published in the April 15 edition of the journal Environmental Science and Technology, is the first to compare water use in corn-ethanol production on a state-by-state basis. The authors used agricultural and geologic data from 2006-2008 to develop a ratio showing how much irrigated water was used to grow and harvest the corn and to process it at ethanol plants.
Among the major ethanol-producing states, Iowa uses the least water, with about six gallons of water used for each gallon of ethanol. Minnesota, which in 2007 produced roughly a third as much ethanol as Iowa, uses about 19 gallons of water per ethanol gallon.
States where irrigation is needed to grow corn fared far worse than those where almost no corn is irrigated. California, which produces only a tiny fraction of the nation's ethanol but irrigates most of its corn, is the largest water consumer, at about 2,100 gallons of water per gallon of ethanol. South Dakota, with total production roughly equal to Minnesota's, uses about 96 gallons of water to produce one gallon of ethanol.
Water usage could be an important factor in policy decisions about where ethanol plants are built. The study "highlights the need to strategically promote ethanol development in states with lower irrigation rates and less groundwater use," the authors say. All the states with high water usage ratios are classified by the federal government as likely to experience water shortages in coming years.
"Both energy security and water security are too important; improvement of one of them should not be made at the expense of another," said Sangwon Suh, an assistant professor in the university's department of bioproducts and biosystems engineering and the study's lead author. "Understanding the dependence of biofuel on water and its spatial disparity will be critical in implementing the biofuel policy in the United States."
University of Minnesota
Among the major ethanol-producing states, Iowa uses the least water, with about six gallons of water used for each gallon of ethanol. Minnesota, which in 2007 produced roughly a third as much ethanol as Iowa, uses about 19 gallons of water per ethanol gallon.
States where irrigation is needed to grow corn fared far worse than those where almost no corn is irrigated. California, which produces only a tiny fraction of the nation's ethanol but irrigates most of its corn, is the largest water consumer, at about 2,100 gallons of water per gallon of ethanol. South Dakota, with total production roughly equal to Minnesota's, uses about 96 gallons of water to produce one gallon of ethanol.
Water usage could be an important factor in policy decisions about where ethanol plants are built. The study "highlights the need to strategically promote ethanol development in states with lower irrigation rates and less groundwater use," the authors say. All the states with high water usage ratios are classified by the federal government as likely to experience water shortages in coming years.
"Both energy security and water security are too important; improvement of one of them should not be made at the expense of another," said Sangwon Suh, an assistant professor in the university's department of bioproducts and biosystems engineering and the study's lead author. "Understanding the dependence of biofuel on water and its spatial disparity will be critical in implementing the biofuel policy in the United States."
University of Minnesota
Ethanol Current Events and Ethanol News RSSUT Knoxville and ORNL researchers turn algae into high-temperature hydrogen source
In the quest to make hydrogen as a clean alternative fuel source, researchers have been stymied about how to create usable hydrogen that is clean and sustainable without relying on an intensive, high-energy process that outweighs the benefits of not using petroleum to power vehicles.
Wet ethanol production process yields more ethanol and more co-products
Using a wet ethanol production method that begins by soaking corn kernels rather than grinding them, results in more gallons of ethanol and more usable co-products, giving ethanol producers a bigger bang for their buck - by about 20 percent.
Scripps team shows diet switching can activate brain's stress system, lead to 'withdrawal' symptoms
In research that sheds light on the perils of yo-yo dieting and repeated bouts of sugar-bingeing, researchers from The Scripps Research Institute have shown in animal models that cycling between periods of eating sweet and regular-tasting food can activate the brain's stress system and generate overeating, anxiety, and withdrawal-like symptoms.
UC Riverside Researchers Create First Synthetic Cellulosome in Yeast
A team of researchers led by University of California, Riverside (UCR) Professor of Chemical Engineering Wilfred Chen has constructed for the first time a synthetic cellulosome in yeast, which is much more ethanol-tolerant than the bacteria in which these structures are normally found.
Propolis has proved to be a product with ability to have beneficial effects for health
Growing concerns about health has caused the scientific community to focus their interest on investigating functional foods which contribute to boosting the prevention and reduction of the risk of suffering from certain illnesses.
Standards for a new genomic era
A team of geneticists at Los Alamos National Laboratory, together with a consortium of international researchers, has recently proposed a set of standards designed to elucidate the quality of publicly available genetic sequencing information.
0.2 second test for explosive liquids
Since a failed terrorist attack in 2006, plane passengers have not been able to carry bottles of liquid through security at airports, leaving some parched at the airport and others having expensive toiletries confiscated, but work by a group of physicists in Germany is paving the way to eliminate this necessary nuisance.
Report examines hidden costs of energy production and use
A new report from the National Research Council examines and, when possible, estimates "hidden" costs of energy production and use -- such as the damage air pollution imposes on human health -- that are not reflected in market prices of coal, oil, other energy sources, or the electricity and gasoline produced from them.
Tech researchers using nanotechnology in biofuel process to save money, environment
Dr. James Palmer, associate professor of chemical engineering at Louisiana Tech University, is collaborating with fellow professors Dr. Yuri Lvov, Dr. Dale Snow, and Dr. Hisham Hegab to capitalize on the environmental and financial benefits of "biofuels" by using nanotechnology to further improve the cellulosic ethanol processes.
Strategy outlined for growing bioenergy while protecting wildlife
A study described in the October issue of BioScience identifies diverse native prairie as holding promise for yielding bioenergy feedstocks while minimizing harm to wildlife.
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