Study: Corn-based Biofuel Costs 50 Gallons of Water per Mile | Environmental Protection

Study: Corn-based Biofuel Costs 50 Gallons of Water per Mile | Environmental Protection: "Federal requirements to increase the production of ethanol has developed into a 'drink-or-drive issue' in the Midwest as a result of biofuel production’s impact on water supplies and water quality, says an environmental engineering researcher at Missouri University of Science and Technology in the latest issue of the journalEnvironmental Science & Technology.

In an analysis of the water required to produce ethanol from various crops, Joel G. Burken, Ph.D., a professor of environmental engineering at Missouri S&T, and colleagues from Rice University and Clarkson University find that ethanol could become a costly proposition in terms of 'gallons per mile' and other water quality issues. They describe the Midwest’s water needs and impacts as the 'water footprint' in the cover feature for the May 1 issue of Environmental Science & Technology.

The researchers report that ethanol derived from corn grown in Nebraska, for example, would require 50 gallons of water per mile driven, when all the water needed in irrigation of crops and processing into ethanol is considered. Fuel derived from irrigated sorghum grown in that state would require even more water to produce—as much as 115 gallons per mile."

Not to mention the fact that the price of corn will rise dramatically. Thus feeding cattle will be more expensive, driving the cost of beef up .. and the list goes on and on and on.