 All energy sources require water, including ethanol production. Millions of dollars are going into research and development to reduce the use of water both in agriculture and ethanol production. But let’s put the current water needs of the ethanol industry into perspective of our everyday lives.
Fact: If the average person drives 12,000 miles per year, uses approximately 600 gallons of fuel with an average of 20 miles per gallon, and drives using E10, only 1,590 gallons of water was used to produce his fuel. In comparison, an average person who brushes his teeth 2 times per day will use approximately 1,460 gallons of water per year!
Here are some interesting water facts:
- It is estimated that it may take around 1,750 gallons of water to produce a bushel of corn. That sounds like a lot, but did you know it takes 684,000 gallons of water per acre per year to irrigate a golf course? And that, on average, a homeowner uses 21,600 gallons to water his or her lawn each year?
Source: Nebraska Corn Board
- In the United States, 96 percent of corn used for ethanol production is not irrigated. Therefore, the current accepted statistic of 785 gallons of water per gallon of ethanol when irrigating applies to only 4 percent of total ethanol produced today. The ethanol industry only produces 260 million gallons of ethanol per year with irrigated corn crops out of a total of 6.5 billion gallons. But did you know that 80 percent of an ear of corn is water?
Source: National Renewable Energy Laboratory
- According to a recent article by the Associated Press, a typical 40 million gallon-per-year ethanol plant uses about 330,000 gallons of water per day. But did you know that an urban area of roughly 180,000 residents (roughly the size of Overland Park, Kan.) uses 23 million gallons of water per day and the city of Chicago pumps 500 million gallons per day from Lake Michigan?
Source: article, "Scientists say ethanol's water demands cause for scrutiny, not alarm"
- On average, a corn plant needs 30 inches of water per year to produce a maximum yield. Within the next two years, we will see drought resistant corn that can produce a maximum yield with only 15 inches of water. That’s a 50 percent reduction in water needs! Did you know when it rains one inch, an acre of corn receives 27,000 gallons of water?
Source: Monsanto, Syngenta and Pioneer Hi-Bred International
- According to the U.S. Geological Survey, an acre of corn gives off 3,000-4,000 gallons of water each day through transpiration. As a corn plant grows, it takes in water, but it also transpires water, releasing it into the atmosphere and starting the hydrologic cycle all over again. This process is known as water transpiration. Did you know that on average, an individual uses 50 gallons of water daily? Source: U.S. Geological Survey
- On average, the production of one gallon of ethanol requires three gallons of water. It takes approximately 2.5 gallons of water to produce one gallon of gasoline. However, with new cellulosic developments, it is estimated that it will take between 2 -2.5 gallons of water for each gallon of ethanol. Did you know it takes 1,851 gallons to refine one barrel of crude oil?v
Source: National Renewable Energy Laboratory
- If a person turns on the faucet to wash his hands, shave and wash his face, four times a day for an average of two minutes, he uses 24 gallons of water per day, 730 gallons per month and 8,760 gallons per year. Did you know, in a year, a consumer pays 25 cents per day for water and uses 107,000 gallons per year?
Source: Ethanol Promotion and Information Council
- In most cases, a third of the water used in ethanol production is reused within the production process. The remaining water is evaporated in the atmosphere or discharged into drainage pumps where it is filtered and held in a drainage pond for reuse. Did you know it takes 39,090 gallons of water to produce one car?
Source: Ethanol Promotion and Information Council
How do products stake up in their water use?
| Item/Action | Water Used |
A five minute shower | 25-50 gallons |
To flush the toilet | 2-7 gallons |
To run an automatic dishwasher | 9-12 gallons |
To hand wash dishes | 20 gallons |
To make one board for lumber | 5.4 gallons |
To make one pound of plastic | 24 gallons |
To make one pound of wool or cotton | 101 gallons |
To produce a quarter pound of hamburger | 1 gallon |
To produce 4 new tires | 2,072 gallons |
To produce one ton of steel | 62,600 gallons |
To process one chicken | 11.6 gallons |
To process one can of fruit or vegetables | 9.3 gallons |
To process one barrel of beer | 1,500 gallons |
To process one ton of cane sugar to make processed sugar | 28,100 gallons |
To process one ton of beet sugar to make processed sugar | 33,100 gallons |
Source: U.S. Geological Survey
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