Water Resources in Bio-Fuels Production

With intensified economic development in low and middle income countries and the global population growing by almost 100 million a year, the demand for energy is set to intensify. Particularly world-wide production of bio-fuels is forecasted to rise rapidly in the next decades. This development not only accelerates climate change and but also leads to potential depletion or degradation of natural resources and places an additional burden on ecosystems. Our research investigates the environmental consequences of both agricultural and final industrial production of bio-fuels, specifically focusing on the role of natural resources such as freshwater and land and the associated ecosystem impacts. Specifically methods for water-use assessment are being developed to better examine the environmental costs and benefits of bio-fuel agricultural practices and technologies. Different regionalized assessment metrics, both complex and simplified, are applied to identify trade-offs and provide guidance for more sustainable natural resource management.

Studies are being performed on various bio-fuel types and technologies including, for instance, rapeseed production in Argentina, corn-based bio-ethanol production in the US and energy crops produced in Spain.