Water Footprint Analysis of Native Tapioca Starch Production of Factory in Ubon Ratchathani Province

Abstract

The water footprint of starch factory in native tapioca starch production is one of the important requirement of the upcoming agricultural exports. Tapioca starch is an important agricultural export of Thailand. Water footprint of world native tapioca starch relatively high. Therefore, to collect data in real area from a case study of cassava starch factory, Ubon Ratchathani Province. Based on the analysis of water footprint of native starch production in the 2017/8-2020 by questioning and interviewing information in each production process. It found that 1 ton of native starch uses an average 4.35 tons of cassava fresh root, calculated from the amount of starch in the fresh root in average 23%. The highest water consumption was in the fresh root washing process, 57% of the total water consumption in the production process. When analyzing the actual water consumption and the virtual water volume in the starch production, found that water footprint of native starch 1 ton in the factory was 38.1 m³, separate in green, blue and grey were 0, 18.7 and 12.5 m^3., respectively. When embedded with water footprint of raw materials 253 m^3/ton fresh root yield and fraction of product, the native tapioca starch products 1 ton had water footprint of 1,132.2 m³ separate in green, blue and grey were 925, 18.7 and 187.5 m³, respectively. The database obtained from this research will support water footprint product labeling data, improve water consumption management in the processing process and enable environmentally friendly production in the future.