Ethanol production and the environment

Abstract

Ten proposed fuel-ethanol production facilities that were candidates for federal loan guarantees were evaluated under the terms of the National Environmental Policy Act to determine if they would result in significant impacts on the human environment. The plants ranged in production capacity from 58 million liters (ML) per year (15.4 million gal/year) to 450 ML/year (120 million gal/year) and were proposed to be located in a variety of settings (rural, small town, urban, and industrial). Engineering design information on air emissions and water effluents was used to assess impacts on air quality and water quality. Projected air emissions were found to be common to many industries and could be controlled with available technology. Predicted air quality impacts were found to comply with applicable air quality standards and regulations. Water quality issues were largely related to siting. Potential discharge of treated wastewater effluent posed considerable difficulties when plants were sited on small streams and few problems when they were sited on large ones. Otherwise, potential water quality impacts were controlled by conventional wastewater treatment and handling methods. No significant adverse ecological, socioeconomic, or land-use impacts were expected from the projects. Future expansion of the fuel ethanol industry with the types of facilities located in the general settings evaluated herein should be possible without significant adverse impacts on the human environment.