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Assessing Impact of Large-Scale Biofuel Feedstock Production on Regional Water Resources

May Wu, Ph.D. Argonne National Laboratory

Enhancing Mississippi Watershed Ecosystems with Perennial Bioenergy Crops CenUSA-HTF Conference

• Sept. 23-24, 2013

Minneapolis, MN

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Great Mississippi River Basin: Multiple Outputs and Burdens

10 20 30 40 Billion gallons per year

EISA

• Major hub for current biofuel production, 95%

conventional biofuel

• High potential for cellulosic biofuel (agricultural

residue, perennial, etc.)

• Historical water quality issues associated with

nitrogen and phosphorus

Potential Cellulosic Biomass Resources for Biofuel Production

• Billion-Ton Resource Update (DOE)

−

Cellulosic biomass feedstock of nearly 1.1 billion dry tons potentially available for biofuel production by 2030

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Replace approximately 30% of the nation’s current petroleum consumption

• Perennial grass

─ Non-food energy crop ─ Used in conservation program ─ Impact of biofuel production from perennial on water resource has not been fully evaluated

• Local resource constraint
• Competing water use (Power,

domestic use, other industries)

• Climate change

Source: US DOE 2011, 2006

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Miscanthus Switchgrass

Analytical Framework for Water Analysis

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• Advance understanding
• f regional climates,

land usage, water issues, and soil types as they relate to feedstock production

• Support development of

diverse, non-food feedstock that improve ecosystem services

• Addresses water quality in tributary

basins of Mississippi river basin by developing watershed models.

• Considers water consumption across

biofuel production supply chain with a focus on feedstock production and refinery

• Characterize spatial-explicit water

footprint of biofuels produced from conventional crops, agricultural residue, perennials, and forest resources, algae biofuel.

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Factors considered

• Biofuel feedstock:

grain, residue, perennial, energy crop

• Land use changes
• Agricultural

management and practices

• Yield increase

Watershed environmental loading: N, P, SS

Surface water Ground water

Examine Options to Meet Sustainability Requirement for the Biofuel Production System Using SWAT

• Identify sub basins that have shown

strong response to a change in land use for biofuel feedstock production

• Assist in a variety of management

decisions and protection strategies to meet regulatory limit and sustainability criteria

• 10.0%
• 8.0%
• 6.0%
• 4.0%
• 2.0%

0.0% 2.0% SI SII-2 SII-4 SIII SWG SIII-2 SWG Relative changes to the baseline Total P loading Total Flow Total sediment loading High yield High yield Stover 14% High yield Stover 24% SWG low yield SWG high yield

Perennial Energy Crop is Effective in Reducing Soil Loss and Capture Some of the Run-off Phosphorus

Upper Mississippi River Basin Scenario:

• Harvest 8 million dry short

ton of perennial biomass producing 690 million gallons

• f biofuel
• Sediment loading decrease:

>2%

• Phosphorus loading decrease:

1-2%

• Flow decrease: 2%
• Plant transpiration may

increase in the region when pasture land converted to grow perennial grass

• BT2 projected significant land

conversion from crop to idle, from idle to pasture, and from pasture to perennial bioenergy crops.

• Riparian/CRP land can grow perennials.

Source: Wu, et al. 2012, Biomass Bioeng.

• Increased production
• Increased production with

climate change

• Results mixed

─ Evapotranspiration Runoff ─ N, P Sediment

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• Identify potential hot spot and assist evaluating

mitigation program that could reduce negative impact

Change of Nitrate Loadings Increased production from 2006-2022 Increased production with response to climate change UMRB ORB UMRB

Modeling Future Production and Climate Impacts

Sources:

• 1. Demissie et al. 2012, ES&T
• 2. Manuscript under preparation

Blue water footprint – Surface and ground water use by crops and biorefinery Green water footprint – Rainfall use by crops Grey water footprint – Volume-equivalent water required to dilute chemicals to acceptable level

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Biofuel life cycle

Biofuel Water Footprint Accounting

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Distribution of Various Types: Miscanthus and Lowland SWG dominant BT2 scenario, 76.9 Million d.s.t. Green Water Footprint Nitrogen Grey Water Footprint: Relatively small

Estimated switchgrass ET (mm/yr) Satellite imagery grass ET (mm/yr)

Water Footprint of Biofuel Produced from Switchgrass and Miscanthus

Distribution of Perennial Production

• BT2 scenario

Manuscript under preparation

• Water-biofuel nexus must be

examined on regional basis to account for land availability, water resource, soil, and climate factors.

• Development of a region-specific

biofuel feedstock mix (starch, cellulosic, sugar, and oil crops) is essential for a water-sustainable biofuel production.

• Using perennial grass as feedstock

can assist soil runoff control and reduce nutrient loss to water body while producing additional biofuels.

• Biorefinery site selection should

incorporate local water resource constraints, in addition to economic and infrastructure considerations.

Develop Water Sustainable Biofuel Production through Multiple Resource Planning

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Source: Chiu and Wu, ES&T 2012; BioFPR 2013.

SWG and MXG biofuel

Contact: mwu@anl.gov

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Sponsors

Department of Energy EERE Office Bioenergy Technology Office

Argonne National Laboratory

• Y. Chiu, Y. Demissie, S. Yalamanchili,
• E. Yan

US Army Corp. Engineers

• Z. Zhang

Acknowledgement