The Joint Graduate School of Energy and Environment, King Mongkut's University of Technology Thonburi, Bangkok, Thailand; Center for Energy Technology and Environment, Ministry of Education, Bangkok, Thailand.
Bioresour Technol. 2013 Dec;150:457-65. doi: 10.1016/j.biortech.2013.07.052. Epub 2013 Jul 19.
The study assesses the implications of the bioethanol policy mandate in Thailand of producing 9 M litre ethanol per day by 2021 on water use and water deprivation. The results reveal that water footprint (WF) of bioethanol varies between 1396 and 3105 L water/L ethanol. Cassava ethanol has the highest WF followed by molasses and sugarcane ethanol, respectively. However, in terms of fresh water (especially irrigation water) consumption, molasses ethanol is highest with 699-1220 L/L ethanol. To satisfy the government plan of bioethanol production in 2021, around 1625 million m(3) of irrigation water/year will be additionally required, accounting for about 3% of the current active water storage of Thailand. Two important watersheds in the northeastern region of Thailand are found to be potentially facing serious water stress if water resources are not properly managed. Measures to reduce water footprint of bioethanol are recommended.
本研究评估了泰国到 2021 年每天生产 9000 万升生物乙醇这一政策对水利用和水短缺的影响。结果表明，生物乙醇的水足迹（WF）在 1396 至 3105 升水/升乙醇之间变化。木薯乙醇的 WF 最高，其次是糖蜜和甘蔗乙醇。然而，就淡水资源（特别是灌溉用水）消耗而言，糖蜜乙醇最高，为 699-1220 升/升乙醇。为了满足政府在 2021 年生产生物乙醇的计划，每年将需要额外增加约 1.625 亿立方米灌溉用水，占泰国目前活跃储水量的约 3%。研究发现，如果水资源管理不当，泰国东北部的两个重要流域可能面临严重的水资源短缺压力。建议采取措施减少生物乙醇的水足迹。
