The DOI matches its Crossref record; 28 of the 30 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.
Accounting for the water impacts of ethanol production
Open accessAbstract
Biofuels account for 1–2% of global transportation fuel and their share is projected to continue rising, with potentially serious consequences for water resources. However, current literature does not present sufficient spatial resolution to characterize this localized effect. We used a coupled agro-climatic and life cycle assessment model to estimate the water resource impacts of bioenergy expansion scenarios at a county-level resolution. The study focused on the case of California, with its range of agroecological conditions, water scarcity, and aggressive alternative fuel incentive policies. Life cycle water consumption for ethanol production in California is up to 1000 times that of gasoline due to a cultivation phase that consumes over 99% of life cycle water use for agricultural biofuels. This consumption varies by up to 60% among different feedstocks and by over 350% across regions in California. Rigorous policy analysis requires spatially resolved modeling of water resource impacts and careful consideration of the various metrics that might act to constrain technology and policy options.
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“Although biofuels are renewably sourced, the production of biofuel crops can lead to competition for natural resources, particularly land, food, and water [61,62].”
From Investigation of Biofuel as a Potential Renewable Energy Source (2021) · cites this paper as [62]
In the citing paper
“Large-scale bioenergy production and associated additional demand for irrigation may further intensify existing pressures on water resources [21].”
From The effect of bioenergy expansion: food, energy, and environment (2014) · cites this paper as [21]
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Citations
Cites
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“For example, the developing understanding of market-mediated or ‘indirect’ land use change (Searchinger et al 2008, Fargione et al 2008) may cause production of biofuel feedstocks to trend away from currently cultivated land.”
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- Orang M, 2005, California Water Plan Update 2005: A Framework for Action
- Schlegel S, 2007, J. Agric. Food Indust. Organ., 5, 7
- United Nations Conference on Trade, 2008
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Items 101–115 of 115
Neville, K. J. (2021) · Oxford University Press eBooks · doi:10.1093/oso/9780197535585.003.0003
Neville, K. J. (2021) · Oxford University Press eBooks · doi:10.1093/oso/9780197535585.003.0005
Neville, K. J. (2021) · Oxford University Press eBooks · doi:10.1093/oso/9780197535585.003.0002
Neville, K. J. (2021) · Oxford University Press eBooks · doi:10.1093/oso/9780197535585.003.0006
Neville, K. J. (2021) · Oxford University Press eBooks · doi:10.1093/oso/9780197535585.003.0001
Integration of Water and Energy Sustainability
Chen, D. H. (2016) · Green chemistry and chemical engineering · doi:10.1201/9781315373850-14
Islam, M. R., & Speight, J. G. (2016) · doi:10.1002/9781119301417.ch8
Neville, K. J. (2021) · Oxford University Press eBooks · doi:10.1093/oso/9780197535585.002.0007
Neville, K. J. (2021) · Oxford University Press eBooks · doi:10.1093/oso/9780197535585.002.0008
Neville, K. J. (2021) · Oxford University Press eBooks · doi:10.1093/oso/9780197535585.002.0003
Neville, K. J. (2021) · Oxford University Press eBooks · doi:10.1093/oso/9780197535585.002.0004
Legume Green Manure and Intercropping for High Biomass Sorghum Production
Neely, C. B., Rouquette, F. M., Jr., Morgan, C. L. S., Hons, F. M., Rooney, W. L., & Smith, G. R. (2024) · Agricultural Sciences · doi:10.4236/as.2024.156034
Ramaswamy, K., Aragon, N. U., & Lark, T. J. (2025) · SSRN Electronic Journal · doi:10.2139/ssrn.5638491
Ramaswamy, K., Aragon, N. U., & Lark, T. J. (2026) · Agricultural Water Management · doi:10.1016/j.agwat.2026.110675
Metadata
- Authors
- Fingerman, K. R., Torn, M. S., O’Hare, M. H., & Kammen, D. M.
- Affiliations
- University of California, Berkeley (US)
- Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (US)
- Corresponding author
- Kammen, Daniel M
- Venue
- Environmental Research Letters
- Publisher
- IOP Publishing
- Published
- 2010-01
- Volume
- 5
- Issue
- 1
- Pages
- 014020
- ISSN
- 1748-9326 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W2162937654
- Cited by
- 115
- References
- 30
- Citations by year
- 2026: 1 · 2025: 5 · 2024: 2 · 2023: 1 · 2022: 2 · 2021: 15 · 2020: 3 · 2019: 3 · 2018: 12 · 2017: 8 · 2016: 16 · 2015: 8 · 2014: 8 · 2013: 9 · 2012: 11
- FWCI
- 9.55
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- gold
- doi.org
- Licence
- cc-by
- Locations
- Environmental Research Letters (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- eScholarship (California Digital Library) (submittedVersion)
- Funders
- California Air Resources Board
- California Energy Commission
- Energy Biosciences Institute
- European Commission
- University of California, Davis
- Topics
- Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Environmental Engineering › Environmental Impact and Sustainability
- Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Water Science and Technology › Water-Energy-Food Nexus Studies
- Life Sciences › Agricultural and Biological Sciences › Agronomy and Crop Science › Bioenergy crop production and management
- Keywords
- ethanol production, biofuels, water consumption, life cycle assessment, water scarcity, feedstock, California, biofuel policy, agricultural water use
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