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Ethanol Debate - Water Usage

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Food and Fuel
Water Usage

Water and the Ethanol Industry

It does take water to make ethanol – about 3 gallons of water for each gallon of ethanol. However, through environmental efforts and developments in technology, ethanol plants have been able to significantly reduce their water usage. We hope to continue to work to reduce water usage.

The facts show that in comparison to other industries, ethanol plants are relatively small users of water. Here are some examples:

It takes 1,851 gallons of water to refine a 42 gallon barrel of crude oil.
It takes 62,600 gallons of water to produce one ton of steel.
It takes 39,090 gallons of water to manufacture a new car.
It takes approximately 1 gallon of water to process a quarter pound of hamburger.
It takes 11.6 gallons of water to process one chicken.
It takes 9.3 gallons of water to process one can of fruit or vegetables.
It takes 1,500 gallons of water to process one barrel of beer.
It takes 24 gallons of water to make one pound of plastic.

Source: EPA
[ http://media.mgbg.com/wkrg/photos/weather/downloads/Water_Facts.pdf ]




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