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WATER RESOURCES RESEARCH, VOL. 44, W00A02, doi:10.1029/2007WR006683, 2008

Water resource requirements of corn-based ethanol

Stanley Mubako

Environmental Resources and Policy Program, Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, Illinois, USA


Christopher Lant

Environmental Resources and Policy Program, Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, Illinois, USA


Abstract

Ethanol derived from fermentation of corn is a very water-intensive product with water to ethanol mass ratios of 927 to 1178 and volumetric ratios of 1174 to 1492 for the major rainfed corn-growing U.S. states of Illinois and Iowa and the leading irrigated corn-growing state of Nebraska, respectively. Over 99% of water requirements are for growing corn feed stocks, with 99% of that amount in Illinois and Iowa, occurring as evapotranspiration of rainfall in corn fields, and 60% as evapotranspiration of applied irrigation water in Nebraska. As a rough measure of water quality impacts, 65.5 g N, 23.8 g P, and 1.03 g of pesticides are applied, and 4.8 kg of soil is eroded per liter of ethanol produced. These results add to knowledge on corn-based ethanol's low net energy balance and high carbon footprint by demonstrating the high water resource intensity of corn-based ethanol production.

Received 19 November 2007; accepted 4 June 2008; published 21 August 2008.

Keywords: biofuels; corn; ethanol; evapotranspiration; water footprint.

Index Terms: 1813 Hydrology: Eco-hydrology; 1818 Hydrology: Evapotranspiration; 1880 Hydrology: Water management (6334).

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Citation: Mubako, S., and C. Lant (2008), Water resource requirements of corn-based ethanol, Water Resour. Res., 44, W00A02, doi:10.1029/2007WR006683.