Biofuels Journal - January/February 2008 - (Page 72)

Enough Water? National Research Council: Biofuels Could Strain Water Supply Increased biofuels production could strain water supplies in the Midwest according to the findings of a report published in October by the National Research Council, “Water Implications of Biofuels Production in the United States.” “Growing and processing biofuel crops to meet America’s energy needs will alter how the nation’s water resources are used,” the report says. “However, the water implications of biofuels production are complex, difficult to monitor, and will vary greatly by region.” High Plains Aquifer One area the study indicates where water is already significantly strained is the High Plains or Ogallala aquifer which extends from west Texas up into South Dakota and Wyoming. Since the 1940s, the aquifer’s water level has decreased by 100 feet. “In the Ogallala aquifer, growing crops is more of a threat to the water supply than biofuels production,” said Jerry Schnoor (319-335-5649) an environmental engineer at the University of Iowa, and chairman of the committee which produced the report. While crop production poses a more multi-state threat, Schnoor said, biofuels plants could pose local water supply issues. “While irrigation may be coming from a variety of wells over a larger geographic location, a biofuels production plant could create a local problem,” Schnoor noted. “For example, if a plants uses an aquifer,” Schnoor continued, “it could cause a cone of depression that would impede the water availability for its neighbors.” He added that this is no different from any large industrial water user. (See story on page 73 on an ethanol plant’s actual water use as calculated by the report). This 2007 map shows the planned and existing ethanol plants in relation to the nation’s major aquifer locations. Map courtesy of United States Geological Survey. Water for Crops According to the report, some parts of the country require more water for corn, others less. “Corn generally uses less water than soybeans in the Pacific and Mountain regions, but the reverse is true in the Northern and Southern Plains,” the report says. “Therefore, farmers switching from soybeans to corn will need more water in some regions and less water in others.” In addition, cellulosic biofuels plants would be utilizing crops such as switchgrass or miscanthus, grown in parts of the country which receive more rain. The report concludes that in the next five to 10 years, increased agricultural production for biofuels will probably not alter the national aggregate view of water use. “However, there are likely to be significant regional and local impacts where water resources are already stressed,” the report says. Variable Subsidy “The study’s findings suggest that the United States should consider a variable crop subsidy program,” Schnoor said. “For example, when it is profitable to make ethanol from corn and prices are high, the subsidy might decrease,” Schnoor noted. “The money saved from decreased subsidies could go to research to develop biofuels that have a better environmental performance like cellulosic ethanol and/or support farmers using the best management practices.” 72 BFJ | JAN/FEB 08

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Biofuels Journal - January/February 2008 Contents Biofuels Safety Lockout/Tagout Managing Safety Ethanol Incidents Hot Work Safety Arresting Falls Firefighting Foam Confined Spaces Natural Fiber Clothing LifeLine Foods - St. Joseph, MO Sen. Richard Lugar, R-Indiana A New Energy Era POET - Portland, IN Company Profile, OPW State Ethanol Promotion State Report: Nebraska Anti-Lignin Beetles Sequential Extraction Developing Energy Crops Stover Logistics Cellulosic Ground Covers DDGS to Feed Fish Miscanthus: Energy Crop Webinar Series Launched New Fractionation Process Tropical Maize Ethanol Synthetic Fuel High Starch Corn Testing Abengoa's Cellulosic Ethanol Plans Credits and Incentives POET Cob Harvest High Oil Corn SunOpta Steam Explosion Process Enough Water? Ethanol Water Use Seth Snyder, Argonne National Laboratory Continuous Fermentation ACE Blend Study Wood Waste Ethanol Fodder Beet Ethanol Monthly Ethanol Production Ethanol Terminal Wood Feedstock Carbon Credits Bio Motor Oil Ethanol Bacteria Ethanol Pipeline Ethanol Plant Construction - Canada Cellulosic Ethanol Plants Under Consideration Cellulosic Ethanol Plants Construction Map In the Pipeline Ethanol Blending History Ethanol World Calendar Profile: Zabler, Pine Lake Corn Processors Industry News Western Dubuque Biodiesel - Farley, IA Profile: Winkel, Central Iowa Energy Biodiesel Construction List Biodiesel Plants Under Construction Map Wet vs. Dry Biomass Storage Book Review Green Earth Fuels - Houston, TX Biodiesel News Alternative Feedstocks Glycerol as Feed EPA Requires Standards Mustard Biodiesel Sun Grant Initiatives Biodiesel Jet Glycerol Alternatives Platts Advanced Biofuels Seminar Cellulosic Heating Oil Glycerine Used for Ethanol Blackmer Fremont Industries Biomass Association DOE Grants $7.7 Million for Biofuels Aecometric Corp. Civacon Viking Pump, Inc. SimplexGrinnell ICM Inc. Applied Milling Systems Ad Index

Biofuels Journal - January/February 2008

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