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TAMU BICH 407 - The New Gold Rush

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TECHNICAL REPORTS318Renewable fuel production, particularly grain-based ethanol, is expanding rapidly in the USA. Although subsidized grain-based ethanol may provide a competitively priced transportation fuel, concerns exist about potential environmental impacts. Th is contribution focuses on potential water quality implications of expanded grain-based ethanol production and potential impacts of perennial-grass–based cellulosic ethanol. Expanded grain-based ethanol will increase and intensify corn production. Even with recommended fertilizer and land conservation measures, corn acreage can be a major source of N loss to water (20–40 kg ha−1 yr−1). A greater acreage of corn is estimated to increase N and P loss to water by 37% (117 million kg) and 25% (9 million kg), respectively, and measures to encourage adoption of conservation practices are essential to mitigate water quality impairments. Dried distiller’s grains remaining after ethanol production from corn grain are used as animal feed and can increase manure P content and may increase N content. Cellulosic fuel-stocks from perennials such as switchgrass and woody materials have the potential to produce ethanol. Although production, storage, and handling of cellulosic materials and conversion technology are limitations, accelerating development of cellulosic ethanol has the potential to reduce dependence on grain fuel-stocks and provide water quality and other environmental benefi ts. All alternative fuel production technologies could have environmental impacts. Th ere is a need to understand these impacts to help guide policy and help make programmatic and scientifi c decisions that avoid or mitigate unintended environmental consequences of biofuel production.The New Gold Rush: Fueling Ethanol Production while Protecting Water QualityThomas W. Simpson University of MarylandAndrew N. Sharpley* University of ArkansasRobert W. Howarth Cornell UniversityHans W. Paerl University of North Carolina at Chapel HillKyle R. Mankin Kansas State UniversityA rapidly accelerating emphasis is being placed on the conversion of grains into ethanol as costs and instability of petroleum supplies for oil production have increased. Ethanol and other liquid biofuels were used throughout the 20th Century and were critical in the development of early internal combustion engines and automobiles. Th e fi rst internal combustion engine ran on ethanol, as did the fi rst versions of the Model T Ford, and the diesel engine was originally conceived to run on peanut oil (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biofuel). Although the energy picture of the 20th Century was dominated by fossil fuels, worldwide use of ethanol has grown rapidly over the past two decades due to fossil-fuel supply instability and unreliability, price increases, and concerns about growing pollution from emissions (Fig. 1). Since the 1970s, Brazil has led the way in developing ethanol as a major fuel source. More recently, the USA has become a major producer of ethanol, with production doubling from 8 billion L yr−1 (B L yr−1) in 2002 to 15 B L yr−1 in 2005 and increasing further by 25% to 20 B L yr−1 in 2006 (Fig. 1) (Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy, 2006).In 2005, Brazil and the USA each contributed 42% of the global production of liquid biofuels, mostly in the form of ethanol (World Watch Institute, 2006). In the USA, President George W. Bush proposed that biofuels replace 75% of imported oil by 2025 (Bush, 2006). Th e EU has a similarly ambitious plan. In most nations, fac-tors driving the increased use of biofuels include reduced greenhouse gas emissions, increased energy independence and security, better use of agricultural surpluses and wastes, and continued agricultural subsidies (which, under international trade rules, in the future can only be used for “green” purposes). Although grain-based ethanol production, primarily from corn (Zea mays, L.), dominates biofuel production in the USA (>95%) (Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy, 2006), we suggest that the use of grain to meet ethanol demands could have negative impacts on water quality and the environment. Cellulosic fuel-stocks have considerable potential to enhance biofuel production and would likely have positive impacts Abbreviations: CRP, Conservation Reserve Program; DDG, dried distillers grain; MRB, Mississippi River Basin.T.W. Simpson, Dep. of Environmental Science and Technology, Univ. of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742. A.N. Sharpley, Dep. of Crop, Soil and Environmental Sciences, Univ. of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR 72701. R.W. Howarth, Dep. of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Cornell Univ., Ithaca, NY 14853. H.W. Paerl, Inst. of Marine Sciences, Univ. of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Morehead City, NC 28557. K.R. Mankin, Dep. of Biological and Agricultural Engineering, Kansas State Univ., Manhattan, KS 66506. Copyright © 2008 by the American Society of Agronomy, Crop Science Society of America, and Soil Science Society of America. All rights reserved. No part of this periodical may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including pho-tocopying, recording, or any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.Published in J. Environ. Qual. 37:318–324 (2008).doi:10.2134/jeq2007.0599Received 10 Nov. 2007. *Corresponding author ([email protected]).© ASA, CSSA, SSSA677 S. Segoe Rd., Madison, WI 53711 USAENVIRONMENTAL ISSUESSimpson et al.: Fueling Ethanol Production while Protecting Water Quality 319on water quality more consistent with the concept of a “green” energy supply (Parrish and Fike, 2005).Th e recently passed federal energy bill provides additional incentives for ethanol and biodiesel production (Renewable Fuels Association; see http://www.ethanolrfa.org/). Most current ethanol production is concentrated in the US Midwestern states of Il-linois, Nebraska, Iowa, Minnesota, South Dakota, Wisconsin, and Kansas (Renewable Fuels Association; see http://www.ethanolrfa.org/). Although much of the projected growth in ethanol produc-tion remains in the Midwest, numerous plants have been proposed in the East. For example, several plants have been proposed in Chesapeake Bay watershed states, and several plants have been ap-proved and/or are under construction, such as the 850 M L yr−1 plant in Chesapeake, VA, the 750 M L yr−1 plant under construc-tion in western Pennsylvania,


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