Water Availability for Biorefineries in the Contiguous United States and the Implications for Bioenergy Production Distribution

Renewable biofuel production depends on many factors, including feedstock availability, refinery and shipment infrastructure, and in particular, water availability. This study assesses water requirement and availability for mainstream biorefinery technologies in the contiguous United States (CONUS)....

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Environmental science & technology 2022-03, Vol.56 (6), p.3748-3757
Main Authors: Yang, Pan, Piao, Ximin, Cai, Ximing
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Alternative energy sources
biodiesel
Biodiesel fuels
Biofuels
Biomass
Biorefineries
biorefinery
cellulosic biofuel
Corn belt
crops
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
Operating costs
Raw materials
Refineries
Refining
Renewable energy
renewable fuel standard
Renewable fuels
River basins
Rivers
Sustainable Systems
Transportation
United States
Washington
Water availability
Water requirements
Water stress
Water use
Zea mays
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Summary:Renewable biofuel production depends on many factors, including feedstock availability, refinery and shipment infrastructure, and in particular, water availability. This study assesses water requirement and availability for mainstream biorefinery technologies in the contiguous United States (CONUS). The assessment is conducted in newly defined spatial units, namely, biorefinery planning boundaries, considering feedstock availability, transportation cost, and refinery capacity requirement for cost-effectiveness. The results suggest that the total biorefinery water use in the CONUS by 2030 will be low compared to the total water availability. However, biorefinery water requirements can aggravate the water stress situation in many regions, including the Great Plains, California Central Valley, and the upper Columbia-Snake River basin in Washington. Bioenergy productions in these regions can be largely constrained by water. It is projected that biofuel production will concentrate in Northern Plains, Lake States, and Corn Belt regions, which contribute 94.4% of the conventional, 86.1% of biodiesel, and 54.8% of cellulosic biofuel production mandated by the renewable fuel standard. If biorefineries are constrained to use less than 10% of the locally available water, up to 7% of planned cellulosic biofuel production will be affected. Findings from this study can aid the sustainable planning of national bioenergy production.
ISSN:0013-936X
1520-5851
DOI:10.1021/acs.est.1c07747