Updated Modelling Tool Measures Water Footprint of Biofuels Production

Earlier in January, the Department of Energy’s Argonne National Laboratory released an update to their agricultural water-use modeling tool, the Water Assessment for Transportation Energy Resources (WATER).  The tool evaluates water consumption that is associated with the production of fuels, including shale gas, corn based ethanol, soybean biodiesel, corn stover and wheat straw ethanol.  Its most recent update includes perennial grasses and woody fuels, such as wood waste from lumber production. 

Crop production can be water intensive. While steps have been made in improving water management, understanding the water footprint is critical in that endeavor. At the same time, the National Climate Assessment (NCA) predicts that extreme weather events in agricultural production areas will increase and include, droughts and extreme heat as well as floods. NCA also predicts that climate change will force corn growing to migrate northward, and perhaps other, more drought tolerant crops may be sought for food and fuel production. The WATER tool, first developed in 2013 by Argonne, can assist industry, municipalities and policy makers assess the potential water resource impacts of biofuels growth and production.  It also assesses the impact to water of conservation measures, such as no-till and conservation tillage.

The growth of biofuels feedstocks and refining requires water inputs; therefore, the assessment process for feedstock suitability should also include an assessment of the water footprint. Research from the group finds that cellulosic fuels and woody fuels may have low water impacts, compared to other biofuel feedstocks. According to Dr. May Wu, Principal Environmental Systems Analyst and Water Team lead, “forest wood resources are some of the highest potential non-food biofuel feedstocks in terms of availability... As industry seeks to address the future need for new fuel sources, it is important to consider all the resources that go into that process.”

For more information see: 

Argonne model analyzes biofuel impacts, Phys.org

Life-cycle Water Quantity and Water Quality Implications of Biofuels, Current Sustainable/Renewable Energy Reports

Water Analysis Tool for Energy Resources (WATER) – Assessing Water Sustainability of Fuels in the United States, Argonne National Laboratory