Comments on: Biofuel’s Heavy Water Footprint Threatens Regional Water Supplies http://bluelivingideas.com/topics/water-infrastructure/biofuels-heavy-water-footprint-threatens-regional-water-supplies/ Resources for saving blue, and green. Wed, 10 Mar 2010 05:59:34 -0800 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.6 hourly 1 By: BLI Editors http://bluelivingideas.com/topics/water-infrastructure/biofuels-heavy-water-footprint-threatens-regional-water-supplies/comment-page-1/#comment-503 BLI Editors Fri, 22 May 2009 19:19:42 +0000 http://bluelivingideas.com/?p=1781#comment-503 Thanks for the intelligent and constructive comment, and contributing to the discussion! You make some good points. Thanks for the intelligent and constructive comment, and contributing to the discussion! You make some good points.

]]> By: Snake Oil Baron http://bluelivingideas.com/topics/water-infrastructure/biofuels-heavy-water-footprint-threatens-regional-water-supplies/comment-page-1/#comment-502 Snake Oil Baron Fri, 22 May 2009 19:16:54 +0000 http://bluelivingideas.com/?p=1781#comment-502 Certainly, water usage is one of the factors which needs to be considered when evaluating biofuel production schemes (interesting that few spellcheckers can yet handle words like biofuel). Ironically, one of the sources which one would assume is most water intensive, algae, may be the least if methods which isolate the growth in bags or tubes prove practical. The systems can also be developed to use nutrient rich waste water, decontaminating it in the process. They produce a plant-like oil which can be used to make bio diesel and the bio diesel process creates glycerol which can now (due to a newly developed strain of bacteria) be fermented into ethanol (two fuels in one process) and provide protein for animal feed or nutrients for fertilizer at the same time. A process which uses otherwise unusable land to treat waste water, create fuels and provide fertilizer/animal feed could justify measures to secure water in a region of limited resources, such as condensation harvesters or geo-engineering hydrology (tunnels through mountains) that would not otherwise not be cost effective. Also, water usage estimates for more conventional biofuel crops is always based on current technologies. There are lots of projects designed to develop less water intensive methods of farming. Since other agricultural methods are using less space and less land it is not inconceivable that biofuels will do so also. Crop waste is a large potential source of biofuel without using any extra water. I don't think that biofuels will be a panacea but they will not be a Pandora's Box either. They will play a part in our energy strategy, likely smoothing over the temporal irregularities of other renewable like wind and solar with nuclear and new fossil fuel discoveries also playing a part for some time to come. Cheers Certainly, water usage is one of the factors which needs to be considered when evaluating biofuel production schemes (interesting that few spellcheckers can yet handle words like biofuel). Ironically, one of the sources which one would assume is most water intensive, algae, may be the least if methods which isolate the growth in bags or tubes prove practical. The systems can also be developed to use nutrient rich waste water, decontaminating it in the process. They produce a plant-like oil which can be used to make bio diesel and the bio diesel process creates glycerol which can now (due to a newly developed strain of bacteria) be fermented into ethanol (two fuels in one process) and provide protein for animal feed or nutrients for fertilizer at the same time.

A process which uses otherwise unusable land to treat waste water, create fuels and provide fertilizer/animal feed could justify measures to secure water in a region of limited resources, such as condensation harvesters or geo-engineering hydrology (tunnels through mountains) that would not otherwise not be cost effective.

Also, water usage estimates for more conventional biofuel crops is always based on current technologies. There are lots of projects designed to develop less water intensive methods of farming. Since other agricultural methods are using less space and less land it is not inconceivable that biofuels will do so also. Crop waste is a large potential source of biofuel without using any extra water.

I don’t think that biofuels will be a panacea but they will not be a Pandora’s Box either. They will play a part in our energy strategy, likely smoothing over the temporal irregularities of other renewable like wind and solar with nuclear and new fossil fuel discoveries also playing a part for some time to come.

Cheers

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