Biofuels Journal - January/February 2008 - (Page 73)

Ethanol Water Use Amount Determined by National Research Council Report A 100-million-gallon-per-year (MMGY) ethanol plant uses the same amount of water as a town with a population of approximately 5,000 people, according to a report by the National Academy of Sciences’ National Research Council, Washington, D.C. The three-month study, “Water Implications of Biofuels in the United States,” released Oct. 10, according to the director of the study, William Logan (202-334-3422). He said his figures are based on an ethanol plant with 3.5 gallons of water per gallon of ethanol. Some new plants use less than 3.5 gallons. Also, the figures are based on water usage from a public water supply of approximately 180 gallons per day per person. The 180 gallon per capita figure was calculated utilizing figures from the U.S. Geological Survey’s “Estimated Use of Water in the United States in 2000,” (USGS, 2004), Logan said. “For the purposes of the 5,000 population town, it includes industrial, commercial and residential water usage,” Logan stressed. He said he had seen other reports using a figure of a 100 MMGY ethanol plant with water usage equivalent to a population of 10,000 people, but said that figure was based on a 100 gallon per day per capita use. The Math Here is how Logan’s math works: • A 100 MMGY plant utilizing 3.5 gallons of water per gallon of ethanol would take 350 million gallons of water per year to produce 100 MMGY of ethanol. • That translates to approximately 960,000 gallons of water per day. • To determine the equivalent of a town population, divide 960,000 gallons by 180 gallons (per capita water usage on public water system) and come up with a town populated by 5,360 people. Greater Stress on Water? This study did not include crop water from irrigation. The study, which concluded that biofuels are currently putting a “marginal” stress on water supplies at the regional to local scale, said that significant acceleration of biofuels production “could cause much greater water quantity problems depending on where the crops are grown.” Myke Feinman, editor Response No. 731 JAN/FEB 08 | BFJ 73

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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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