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The production of biofuels (e.g., ethanol and biodiesel) requires a significant amount of water during feedstock production, transportation, and its conversion into biofuels. Therefore present study devoted to study the impact of biofuel production on water demand in Alberta. In scenario #1, it is assumed that ethanol is produced from both wheat and wheat straw and that biodiesel is produced from rapeseed. Scenario #2 proposes ethanol production from wheat only and biodiesel production from rapeseed. The water requirements for biofuel production in both scenarios are calculated for Alberta for the year 2025. Data on the current availability of water in Alberta indicate that the Athabasca, North Saskatchewan, and Peace River basins of northern Alberta have enough water to grow crops for the production of biofuels. In 2025, Alberta will have to produce 3,754 million liters of ethanol and 270 million liters of biodiesel to meet the projected levels. If biofuels are produced from the crops grown in the abovementioned northern river basins, the province of Alberta should be able to meet biofuel demand in 2025 sustainably. The water requirement from these river basins for biofuel production will increase to 5.2%, 0.6%, and 11.6%, respectively, of the natural flow in scenario #1 whereas, for scenario #2, the water requirement from these rivers basins will increase to 5.2%, 2.3%, and 16.1%, respectively, of natural flow. These increases in the requirements are much lower than the possible allowed withdrawal levels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Alberta's food processing industry is the second largest food waste producer after the household sector. Most of the waste currently produced from the food processing industry is landfilled. Decomposing landfill waste, moreover, emits greenhouse gases (GHG), which contribute to global warming. In this paper, we estimated the amount of food waste produced by Alberta's food processing industry by developing a geographical information system (GIS)-based model with data from food processing companies in the province. The companies were selected such that all sizes, types, and geographic locations were considered. The information was gathered on the amount and characteristics of food waste, the location of the processing facilities, and the food waste disposal method and then the total amount of food waste generated in Alberta was estimated. In addition, GIS maps were created to show the distribution of food waste throughout the province and the availability intensity. Finally, we estimated the potential energy that could be produced in the form of biogas and electricity using Alberta's food processing waste and mapped it as well. There is a potential to generate 852 GWh of electricity per year from Alberta's food processing waste, which is about 1% of the province's total electricity generation. This potential capacity could help in the development of waste-to-value-added facilities in Alberta. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]