Drowning water use myths
February 5, 2008
BY Jerry W. Kram
Web exclusive posted March 7, 2008 at 12:37 p.m. CST
On Feb. 21, the Minnesota Corn Growers Association took aim at recent reports that said ethanol plants are gluttons for water. Like most industries, ethanol processing requires water, but the group said the ethanol industry should be viewed in the context of other water consumers.
"In 2005, Minnesota's ethanol industry used less than one-fifth of 1 percent of all water used in the state," said MCGA President Roger Moore. "At the same time, the Twin Cities Metro area used as much water in two days as all of the ethanol plants in the state use in one year."
The ethanol industry's use of water is much less than other common commodities and uses, Moore said. According to U.S. Geological Survey estimates, it takes two to three gallons of water to produce one gallon of ethanol. The MCGA compared that to USGS estimates for other production processes: 9.3 gallons of water to produce one can of vegetables, 16.6 gallons of water to produce one pound of beet sugar, 24 gallons of water to produce one pound of plastic, 44 gallons of water to produce one gallon of refined crude oil, 1,500 gallons of water to produce one barrel of beer and 2,075 gallons of water to produce four tires. Plus, the average home uses 107,000 gallons of water in one year.
Industry and residential sectors aren't the only big water consumers in the state. Water is also used for recreational applications such as maintaining golf courses, where approximately 680,000 gallons of water are consumed annually to irrigate just one acre.
As new technologies are developed, water usage by ethanol plants is expected to drop. Already, many plants discharge little or no wastewater. The primary water loss in these advanced plant comes from water that remains with the distillers grains that is fed to livestock. "Farmers and other owners of renewable energy production in Minnesota employ state-of-the-art technology to make water use as efficient as possible," Moore said. "No one is more concerned about conserving resources than the farmer-owned biofuels industry."
On Feb. 21, the Minnesota Corn Growers Association took aim at recent reports that said ethanol plants are gluttons for water. Like most industries, ethanol processing requires water, but the group said the ethanol industry should be viewed in the context of other water consumers.
"In 2005, Minnesota's ethanol industry used less than one-fifth of 1 percent of all water used in the state," said MCGA President Roger Moore. "At the same time, the Twin Cities Metro area used as much water in two days as all of the ethanol plants in the state use in one year."
The ethanol industry's use of water is much less than other common commodities and uses, Moore said. According to U.S. Geological Survey estimates, it takes two to three gallons of water to produce one gallon of ethanol. The MCGA compared that to USGS estimates for other production processes: 9.3 gallons of water to produce one can of vegetables, 16.6 gallons of water to produce one pound of beet sugar, 24 gallons of water to produce one pound of plastic, 44 gallons of water to produce one gallon of refined crude oil, 1,500 gallons of water to produce one barrel of beer and 2,075 gallons of water to produce four tires. Plus, the average home uses 107,000 gallons of water in one year.
Industry and residential sectors aren't the only big water consumers in the state. Water is also used for recreational applications such as maintaining golf courses, where approximately 680,000 gallons of water are consumed annually to irrigate just one acre.
As new technologies are developed, water usage by ethanol plants is expected to drop. Already, many plants discharge little or no wastewater. The primary water loss in these advanced plant comes from water that remains with the distillers grains that is fed to livestock. "Farmers and other owners of renewable energy production in Minnesota employ state-of-the-art technology to make water use as efficient as possible," Moore said. "No one is more concerned about conserving resources than the farmer-owned biofuels industry."
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