A review of LCA Agrifood recent publications - July-September 2012
1 - Accounting greenhouse gas emissions in the lifecycle of Brazilian sugarcane bioethanol:
methodological references in European and American regulations.
KHATIWADA, D.; SEABRA, J.; SILVEIRA, S.; WALTER, A.
Division of Energy and Climate Studies, KTH-Royal Institute of Technology, Brinellvagen 68, 100 44,
Stockholm, Sweden.
Energy Policy; 2012. 47: 384-397. -- [0301-4215 ] -- English + [acces au document]
--> bioenergy; biofuels; directives; emission; ethanol; eu regulations;
greenhouse gases; land use; life cycle assessment; models; sugarcane;
sustainability; saccharum; saccharum officinarum; brazil
--> This study discusses four European and American regulatory schemes designed for accounting lifecycle
GHG emissions in relation to the Brazilian sugarcane ethanol. The objective is to critically examine the
methodologies and associated parameters used in existing regulatory schemes for calculating GHG
emissions, and to explore methodological convergences. The issues related to direct lifecycle and indirect
land use change emissions have been addressed. It is found that there are commonalities between the
European Renewable Energy Directive (EU-RED) and the UK's Renewable Transport Fuels Obligation
(UK-RTFO), but the US-EPA's Renewable Fuel Standard (US-EPA) and the Low Carbon Fuel Standard of
the California Air Resources Board (CA-CARB) vary greatly not only among themselves, but also in
relation to the European regulations. Agricultural practices (especially soil carbon and nitrogen dynamics),
co-product credits from surplus electricity and uncertainties around economic modeling approaches for
indirect land use change are the major areas where methodological divergences exist. Incorporation of
domestic agricultural practices, sugarcane mills operations, and realistic modeling of indirect impacts of
land use change using regional models could provide more coherence in estimations of GHG emissions.
Furthermore, the Brazilian trend of novelty in all phases of sugarcane bioenergy systems should be
considered when projecting GHG emissions.
ref. [K20/20123233387](CAB ABSTRACTS)
2 - Carbon and water footprint tradeoffs in fresh tomato production
PAGE, GIRIJA; RIDOUTT, BRAD; BELLOTTI, BILL
Journal of Cleaner Production. 2012. 32, 0, 219-226 + [acces au document]
--> agriculture; endpoint modelling; lca; midpoint modelling;
sustainability
--> "... There is growing interest in carbon footprints of products but for horticulture water use can also be
important, hence we studied both for fresh tomatoes supplied to the Sydney market. Carbon and water
footprints for each kg of fresh tomato supplied to Sydney depend on the season and the type of production
system (ranging from 0.39 to 1.97_kg CO2e; 5 to 53_L). Energy use of the systems was also reported
which ranged from 6.16 to 27.42_MJ for each kg of fresh tomato supplied to Sydney. Tradeoffs exist
within studied production systems such that a system which had higher carbon footprint had lower water
footprint; this complicates setting priorities for overall environmental improvement. To address this
limitation, life cycle impacts of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and water use were subsequently
modelled using endpoint indicators and compared. The results indicated that in all cases the climate change
impacts were most important representing 8496% of the combined scores on damages to the environment. s
such the vegetable industry's priority to reduce GHG emissions is confirmed. In case of field production,
transportation of tomatoes to market was the hotspot in carbon footprint, while for the medium and high
technology greenhouses it was artificial heating. Although the results indicated priority to reduce carbon
footprint, further development and harmonisation of LCA impact assessment models for water use at the
endpoint level is considered essential. ..."
ref. [Z82/285](SCIENCE DIRECT)
3 - Carbon and water footprint tradeoffs in fresh tomato production.
PAGE, G.; RIDOUTT, B.; BELLOTTI, B.
School of Science and Health, University of Western Sydney, Locked Bag 1797, Penrith, NSW 2751,
Australia.
Journal of Cleaner Production; 2012. 32: 219-226. -- [0959-6526 ] -- English + [acces au document]
--> air pollutants; carbon; carbon markets; climatic change; emission;
greenhouse gases; life cycle assessment; tomatoes; water use; solanum
lycopersicum; australia; new south wales
--> There is growing interest in carbon footprints of products but for horticulture water use can also be
important, hence we studied both for fresh tomatoes supplied to the Sydney market. Carbon and water
footprints for each kg of fresh tomato supplied to Sydney depend on the season and the type of production
system (ranging from 0.39 to 1.97 kg CO2e; 5 to 53 L). Energy use of the systems was also reported which
ranged from 6.16 to 27.42 MJ for each kg of fresh tomato supplied to Sydney. Tradeoffs exist within
studied production systems such that a system which had higher carbon footprint had lower water footprint;
this complicates setting priorities for overall environmental improvement. To address this limitation, life
cycle impacts of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and water use were subsequently modelled using
endpoint indicators and compared. The results indicated that in all cases the climate change impacts were
most important representing 84-96% of the combined scores on damages to the enviro ment. As such the
vegetable industry's priority to reduce GHG emissions is confirmed. In case of field production,
transportation of tomatoes to market was the hotspot in carbon footprint, while for the medium and high
technology greenhouses it was artificial heating. Although the results indicated priority to reduce carbon
footprint, further development and harmonisation of LCA impact assessment models for water use at the
endpoint level is considered essential.
ref. [K20/20123218242](CAB ABSTRACTS)
4 - Economic impact of the legal reserve on different types of agricultural production
units.[Portuguese]
FASIABEN, M. DO C. R.; ROMEIRO, A. R.; PERES, F. C.; MAIA, A. G.
Empresa Brasileira de Pesquisa Agropecuaria - Informatica Agropecuaria (EMBRAPA/CNPTIA), Sao
Paulo, Brazil.
Revista de Economia e Sociologia Rural; 2011. 49: 4, 1051-1096. many ref. -- [0103-2003 ] -- Portuguese
+ [acces au document]
--> afforestation; crop enterprises; economic impact; farm forestry; farm
results; gross margins; nature conservation; reserved areas; small
farms; citrus; brazil; sao paulo
--> This paper aims to analyze the economic impact of the legal reserve on the gross margin of different
types of farms located in the watershed of the Oricanga River - in Sao Paulo state, Brazil. In order to reach
such purpose, a typology of farmers was elaborated for the watershed. Two farmer types were selected for a
detailed study: small farmers with low technology and citrus producers. The productive structure of both
types was modeled through the recursive programming method, comprising the period between 2002/03
and 2008/09. The current farm system adopted by each type was confronted with two scenarios for legal
reserve compensation: (I) through the reallocation of productive areas within the farms and sustainable
management of natural vegetation recovery in order to explore the production of timber; (II) through the
spontaneous growth of natural vegetation. Results highlight the importance of policies aimed to obtain a
more equitable distribution of environmental conservation costs in the society, as we l as the importance of
locational adjustments of the legal reserves, in order to reach a better equilibrium between the preservation
of biodiversity and the opportunity cost of land.
ref. [K20/20123198124](CAB ABSTRACTS)
5 - Effects of dietary addition of capsicum extract on intake, water consumption, and rumen
fermentation of fattening heifers fed a high-concentrate diet.
RODRIGUEZ-PRADO, M.; FERRET, A.; ZWIETEN, J.; GONZALEZ, L.; BRAVO, D.;
CALSAMIGLIA, S.
Animal Nutrition, Management, and Welfare Research Group, Departament de Ciencia Animal i dels
Aliments, Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona, 08193 - Bellaterra, Spain.
Journal of Animal Science; 2012. 90: 6, 1879-1884. -- [0021-8812 ] -- English + [acces au document]
--> ammonia; animal feeding; barley; barley straw; beef cattle;
butyrates; capsaicin; diets; dry matter; feeding; feeds; fermentation;
finishing; gluten; gluten feed; heifers; holstein; meal; oilmeals;
rumen; rumen fermentation; soyabean oilmeal; soyabeans; s
--> Four beef Holstein heifers (BW=438+or-71 kg) fitted with a 1-cm i.d. plastic ruminal trocars were used
in a 4x4 Latin square design to evaluate the effect of 3 doses of capsicum extract (CAP) on intake, water
consumption, and ruminal fermentation in heifers fed a high-concentrate diet. Animals were fed (DM basis)
10% barley straw and 90% concentrate (32.2% barley grain, 27.9% ground corn, 7.5% wheat bran, 10.7%
soybean meal, 10.7% soybean hulls, 7.2% corn gluten feed, 3.1% mineral-vitamin mix; 16.6% CP, 18.3%
NDF). Treatments were no additive (CTR), 125 (CAP125), 250 (CAP250), and 500 (CAP500) mg/d of
capsicum oleoresin standardized with 6% of capsaicin and dihydrocapsaicin (XTract 6933, Pancosma,
Geneva, Switzerland). Each experimental period consisted of 25 d (15 d for adaptation, 5 d of continuous
measurement of DMI, and 3 d for rumen sample collection). Animals had ad libitum access to water and
feed offered once daily at 0800 h. Data were analyzed by the MIXED procedure of SAS. The model
included the f xed effects of period and treatment, the random effect of heifer, and the residual error. The
effects were tested for linear and quadratic effects. A linear response was observed (CTR, CAP125,
CAP250, and CAP500, respectively) for DMI (8.56, 9.84, 8.68, and 9.40 kg/d; P<0.04), ruminal pH (6.03,
5.84, 5.96, and 5.86; P<0.08) and total VFA (134.3, 144.8, 140.1, and 142.8 mM; P<0.08). There was a
strong correlation between water consumption and DMI (R2=0.98). Dry matter intake in the first 2 h after
feeding was reduced (P<0.05) in all CAP treatments compared with control. The molar proportion of
acetate tended to decrease linearly (from 59.6 to 55.5 mol/100 mol; P<0.06), and ammonia N concentration
tended to increase linearly (from 14.4 to 16.0 mg N/dL; P<0.08). In contrast, the molar proportion of
propionate (23.8 mol/100 mol), butyrate (14.2 mol/100 mol), and lactate (0.28 mol/100 mol) were not
affected by treatments. Resu
ref. [K20/20123210269](CAB ABSTRACTS)
6 - Gender as a factor in an environmental assessment of the consumption of animal and plant-based
foods in Germany.
MEIER, T.; CHRISTEN, O.
Institute of Agricultural and Nutritional Sciences, Chair of Agronomy and Organic Farming, University
Halle-Wittenberg, 06120 Halle (Saale), Germany.
International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment; 2012. 17: 5, 550-564. 47 ref. -- [0948-3349 ] -- English +
[acces au document]
--> ammonia; animal products; carbon dioxide; diet; egg products;
environmental impact; fish products; food consumption; food grains;
food intake; foods; fruits; global warming; land use; life cycle
assessment; margarine; meat; meat products; men; milk produc
--> Purpose: Due to their production intensity, different foods of animal or plant origin play a crucial role in
the assessment of the environmental impacts of human nutrition and diets. Based on a representative
nutrition survey in Germany from the year 2006, a life cycle assessment (LCA) was conducted to quantify
nutrition-related emissions of animal and plant-based foods (excluding beverages), with a special focus on
the socio-demographic factor gender. Materials and methods: For the study, representative data sets
concerning German food production and consumption were used. These were complemented by the Danish
LCA Food database and other LCA data to analyse the impact of food imports. As regards environmental
impact assessment, global warming potential (GWP) was assessed, which included emissions from direct
land use change and land use (dLUC, LU), along with three inventory indicators (ammonia emissions, land
use, blue water use). The following food groups were analysed from cradle-to-store and their impa ts were
evaluated and compared with each other: animal-based foods (meat products, milk products, egg products
and fish products), plant-based foods (grain products, vegetables, fruits, potato products, margarine/oils,
sugar/sweets). The reference year in the study is the year 2006. Results and discussion: For all indicators,
the results show strong variation between the genders. Even if the physiologically different consumption
patterns among men and women are adjusted on a weight basis, men show a higher impact in terms of
GWP (CO2 eq. +25%), ammonia emissions (+30%) and land use (+24%). In contrast, women demonstrate
a higher water demand (+11%). These differences are primarily caused by a higher share of meat and meat
products in the usual diet of men (+28%) as well as of fruit and vegetables in the diet of women (+40%). If
men were to shift qualitatively to the usual diet of women, then 14.8 Mt CO 2 eq. and 60.1 kt ammonia
emissions coul
ref. [K20/20123201077](CAB ABSTRACTS)
7 - LCA of eucalyptus wood charcoal briquettes
ROUSSET, PATRICK; CALDEIRA-PIRES, ARMANDO; SABLOWSKI, ALEXANDER;
RODRIGUES, THIAGO
Journal of Cleaner Production. 2011. 19, 14, 1647-1653 + [acces au document]
--> biomass; charcoal briquettes; global warming potential (gwp); life
cycle assessment (lca); life cycle inventory (lci)
--> "... This paper sets out to describe the environmental impact assessment for wood charcoal briquettes
produced from eucalyptus wood in Brazil, with specific reference to those impacts associated with Global
Warming Potential. To achieve that objective, the work was undertaken in accordance with ISO 14040
"Environmental management Life cycle assessment Principles and framework" which describes essential
LCA characteristics and good practices. Charcoal briquettes are produced from two basic raw materials,
charcoal fines and starch. The fines result from the production of charcoal from sustainably managed
eucalyptus plantations. Starch is extracted from baba_u pulp in the Amazon region. Multioutput processes
were allocated based on income from the different by-products. The results showed that more than 90% of
incoming CO2 was due to biomass production for charcoal, and the remainder to starch biomass
production. Based on Brazilian data, as well as information provided by the GaBi4.3 database, it turned out
hat supplying the energy content of 1_kg of briquettes resulted in the sequestration of 3.9690_kg of CO2,
i.e. around 4_kg of CO2 per kg of briquettes produced. CO2 emissions throughout the briquette production
process are totally compensated for by the environmental quality of the raw materials used. ..."
ref. [Z82/283](SCIENCE DIRECT)
8 - Life cycle assessment of fresh pineapple from Costa Rica
INGWERSEN, WESLEY W.
Journal of Cleaner Production. 2012. 35, 0, 152-163 + [acces au document]
--> carbon footprint; emergy; lca; openlca; soil erosion; traci; tropical
fruits; usetox; water footprint
--> "... Costa Rica is the largest exporter of fresh pineapple to US and European markets and production
area has tripled since 2002 with associated economic benefits and environmental concerns. A detailed life
cycle assessment of fresh pineapple from the farm to retail shelf in the US was performed to characterize
the range of environmental performance and identify important sources of environmental impact and
opportunities for improvement. Participating producers representing three major production regions and a
range of field conditions and management practices provided data to support the assessment. Impacts
estimated included energy demand, carbon footprint, stress-weighted water footprint, soil erosion, emergy,
human and ecosystem toxicity, and others from TRACI with models customized for Costa Rican
conditions. Using the functional unit of 1 serving of fruit for comparative purposes, pineapple likely has a
higher energy demand and carbon footprint than common tree fruits such as apples and oranges becaus it is
more input intensive but causes less water stress because of ideal climatic conditions in Costa Rica. The
farming stage was the most important source of impacts and thus provides the most opportunities for
improvements; packaging was significant due to the packing material, and refrigeration is the primarily
contributor to impact during distribution, although it is a small contribution to overall impact. Selecting flat
terrain, maximizing the yield:input ratio, packing in reusable cartons without crowns, and using energyefficient refrigeration can provide significant reduction of measureable impacts, but these need to be
considered alongside other impacts such as worker health and site-specific ecological and human risks that
are not typically part of LCA. This approach and selected impact indicators provide a model for
characterizing environmental performance of other fruits, especially in the humid tropics. ..."
ref. [Z82/280](SCIENCE DIRECT)
9 - Life cycle assessment of milk produced in two smallholder dairy systems in the highlands and the
coast of Peru
BARTL, KARIN; G_MEZ, CARLOS A.; NEMECEK, THOMAS
Journal of Cleaner Production. 2011. 19, 13, 1494-1505 + [acces au document]
--> carbon dioxide; global warming; life cycle assessment; methane; milk
production; peru
--> "... Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) was applied to two smallholder milk production systems in Peru in
order to evaluate the environmental burden of milk produced in each. An Andean highland milk production
system where livestock feeding is restricted to permanent pastures supplemented with on farm grown
ryegrass-clover was opposed to a coastal system with dairy cows fed a diet consisting of fodder maize and
purchased concentrate. Milk production levels (kg/cow day) differed considerably with 2.57 for the
highland and 19.54 for the coastal system. A Life Cycle Inventory was calculated for the functional unit of
1_kg energy corrected milk (ECM) and the environmental impacts global warming, acidification and
eutrophication were estimated for 1_kg ECM, 1_ha and 1 animal, considering the multi-functionality of the
system. The highland system was characterized by a high land use (23.1_m2a/kg ECM vs. 1.71_m2a/kg
ECM at the coast). Irrigation water and energy were on the other hand used to a much higher amount at the
oast (7291_l/kg ECM and 8791_MJ/kg ECM, respectively) than in the highlands (848_l/kg ECM and
0.20_MJ/kg ECM). Global warming potential, acidification and eutrophication were higher for 1_kg ECM
produced in the highlands than at the coast by 10.6_kg CO2 equivalents, 6.58_g sulfur dioxide equivalents
and 10.63_g phosphate equivalents, respectively. Nevertheless, 5220_kg CO2 equivalents more were
emitted per animal at the coast than in the highlands. Also acidification and eutrophication were estimated
to be on average 6 and 4 times higher at the coast compared to the highlands when expressed for the
functional units of 1_ha and 1 animal.ResultsWhereas livestock is mainly responsible for impacts on the
environment in the highlands, at the coast both livestock related emissions and forage cultivation play an
important role. Furthermore CO2 releases from soybean cultivations heavily contribute to total emissions.
Sensitivity analysis indicates that for dairy systems
ref. [Z82/281](SCIENCE DIRECT)
10 - Life-cycle assessment of continuous pad-dyeing technology for cotton fabrics
YUAN, ZENG-WEI; ZHU, YA-NAN; SHI, JUN-KUI; LIU, XIN; HUANG, LEI
The International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment. s.d.. , , 1-14 + [acces au document]
--> earth and environmental science
--> "... Purpose China is the largest producer of textile-dyeing products in the world. The production of
these materials consumes high amounts of water and energy and results in the discharge of huge amounts of
pollutants. This study aimed at evaluating the life-cycle environmental impacts of the textile-dyeing
industry and determining the key processes for mitigating life-cycle environmental impacts efficiently and
effectively, which will benefit the application of cleaner production technologies. Methods A life-cycle
assessment was performed according to the ISO 14040 standard series. The system investigated includes
the dyeing process and final disposal and the transportation of raw material, energy production, and
transportation. The functional unit is 10,000 m of cotton fabric, which weighs 2,000 kg. Our study
encompasses three types of data. The data regarding the production process and the major raw materials,
necessary energy, and the source of the energy, as well as the emissions of some pollutants, w re provided
by a textile-dyeing enterprise in Jiangsu Province. The data regarding transport were generated using the
GaBi version 4.3 database. Some emission factor data such as those on CO 2 , CH 4 , and N 2 O emissions
were obtained from the literature. Resources, energy consumption, and emissions are quantified, and some
of the potential environmental effects were evaluated using the CML2001 method built into the GaBi
version 4.3 database. Results and discussion Scouring and oxygen bleaching, dyeing, stentering and setting,
wastewater treatment, and incineration are the key processes in terms of global warming potential,
acidification potential, photochemical ozone creation potential, and eutrophication potential. It will
therefore be useful to enhance the recycling of water, control the consumption of additives and dyes, and
conserve energy as much as possible. Through scenario analysis, we note that motorized shipment should
be used instead of shipment by t
ref. [Z83/282](SPRINGER)
11 - New-Type Planar Field Emission Display with Superaligned Carbon Nanotube Yarn Emitter
PENG LIU; YANG WEI; KAI LIU; LIANG LIU; KAILI JIANG; SHOUSHAN FAN
[b1] Tsinghua-Foxconn Nanotechnolgy Research Center, Department of Physics, Tsinghua University,
Beijing 100084, China
Nano letters (Print). 2012 vol. 12 (5) : pp. 2391 - 2396 [6 p.] -- [1530-6984 ] -- English + [acces au
document]
--> circuit design; field emission; diode; cutting; printing;
nanostructured materials; carbon nanotubes; nanotube devices; field
emission displays df - 7970; 8107b; 8107d; 8535k; conception circuit;
emission champ; diode; decoupage; impressi
--> With the superaligned carbon nanotube yam as emitter, we have fabricated a 16 x 16 pixel field
emission display prototype by adopting screen printing and laser cutting technologies. A planar diode field
emission structure has been adopted. A very sharp carbon nanotube yarn tip emitter can be formed by laser
cutting. Low voltage phosphor was coated on the anode electrodes also by screen printing. With a specially
designed circuit, we have demonstrated the dynamic character display with the field emission display
prototype. The emitter material and fabrication technologies in this paper are both easy to scale up to large
areas. NR - 37 ref.
ref. [K60/120228023](PASCAL)
12 - Process of innovation in product lifecycle management business strategy
GECEVSKA, VALENTINA; CUS, FRANC; POLENAKOVIC, RADMIL; CHABERT, PAOLO
Recherche sur Internet; 2012; information non valid_e. [consult_e le 26 juillet 2012]. + [acces au
document]
--> "... This article proposes a scenario of Product Lifecycle Management (PLM), as a innovative business
strategy based on the analysis of business drivers, industry requirements, limit of current solution, and
recent state-of-the-art review in the domain related to PLM. Potential industrial impact of the developed
PLM technology solutions is analyzed. It is hoped that the proposed PLM technology solutions will form
the frontier basis for further research, development, and application of PLM systems to quickly adapt to the
dynamic changing market for industry companies to pursue the most advanced competitiveness. This
article presents a process oriented framework to support effective PLM implementation with a set of
lifecycle oriented business process reference models which links the necessary fundamental concepts,
enterprise knowledge and software solutions to effectively deploy PLM. (source : AgEcon) ..."
ref. [Z27/128](THE WEB)
13 - Strategy of technological innovation to use somatic embryogenesis on semisolid culture media in
Musa spp. and the economic impact.[Spanish]
SUAREZ-CASTELLA, M.; KOSKY, R. G.; CHONG-PEREZ, B.; REYES, M.; GARCIAAGUILA, L.; SARRIA, Z.; ORELLANA, P.; RODRIGUEZ, A.; TRIANA, R.; PEREZ,
Z.; GONZALEZ, M.; LEON, M.; PEREZ, B.
Instituto de Biotecnologia de las Plantas, Universidad Central Marta Abreu de Las Villas, Carretera a
Camajuani km 5.5, C.P. 54. 830, Santa Clara, Villa Clara, Cuba.
Biotecnologia Vegetal; 2012. 12: 1, 41-48. 20 ref. -- [1609-1841 ] -- Spanish + [acces au document]
--> bananas; culture media; in vitro culture; in vitro regeneration;
methodology; micropropagation; somatic embryogenesis; somatic embryos;
tissue culture; musa
--> Somatic embryogenesis as a propagation technology has been recognized by many authors as the future
generation of plant regeneration on mass scale due to the advantages in production efficiency. However,
specialized literature has stated the problems faced by various experiences in the use of this technology. It
highlights the presence of off-types plants and the few studies of plants in the field, which has limited its
application in the in vitro production at a commercial scale. The Instituto de Biotecnologia de las Plantas
(IBP) developed a strategy of technological innovation that has been used for the past three years in the
production at commercial scale of more than 300 000 in vitro plants of plantains and bananas ('Grande
naine', 'Dwarf Cavendish','FHIA 18','FHIA 21'). Based on that experience, this paper aimed to show the
economic advantages using somatic embryogenesis for plantain and banana propagation in semisolid
culture media by comparative analysis of the main concepts of produc ion cost in somatic embryogenesis
and organogenesis. Results of the experience developed stated that the use of somatic embryogenesis as a
mass production of plants technology is viable, efficient and a key tool for food production.
ref. [K20/20123231358](CAB ABSTRACTS)
14 - The water footprint of sweeteners and bio-ethanol
GERBENS-LEENES, WINNIE; HOEKSTRA, ARJEN Y.
[b1] Twente Water Centre, University of Twente, P.O. Box 217, 7500 AE Enschede, Netherlands
Environment international. 2012 vol. 40 : pp. 202 - 211 [10 p.] -- [0160-4120 ] -- English + [acces au
document]
--> water footprint; sweeteners; bio-ethanol; sugar beet; sugar cane;
maize; agrofuel; sustainable development; domestic waste water;
environmental protection; sweetener; alternative motor fuel; biofuel;
ethanol fuels; saccharum; sugar beet; wa
--> An increasing demand for food together with a growing demand for energy crops result in an increasing
demand for and competition over water. Sugar cane, sugar beet and maize are not only essential food crops,
but also important feedstock for bio-ethanol. Crop growth requires water, a scarce resource. This study
aims to assess the green, blue and grey water footprint (WF) of sweeteners and bio-ethanol from sugar
cane, sugar beet and maize in the main producing countries. The WFs of sweeteners and bio-ethanol are
mainly determined by the crop type that is used as a source and by agricultural practise and agro-climatic
conditions; process water footprints are relatively small. The weighted global average WF of sugar cane is
209 m3/tonne; for sugar beet this is 133 m3/tonne and for maize 1222 m3/tonne. Large regional differences
in WFs indicate that WFs of crops for sweeteners and bio-ethanol can be improved. It is more favourable to
use maize as a feedstock for sweeteners or bio-ethanol than sugar beet or suga cane. The WF of sugar cane
contributes to water stress in the Indus and Ganges basins. In the Ukraine, the large grey WF of sugar beet
contributes to water pollution. In some western European countries, blue WFs of sugar beet and maize need
a large amount of available blue water for agriculture. The allocation of the limited global water resources
to bio-energy on a large scale will be at the cost of water allocation to food and nature. NR - 34 p.
ref. [K60/120231804](PASCAL)
1 - A consumptive water footprint analysis for apple fruit production.
GREEN, S. R.; DEURER, M.; CLOTHIER, B. E.
The New Zealand Institute for Plant & Food Research Limited, Palmerston North, New Zealand.
Acta Horticulturae; 2012. 951, 197-204. 6 ref. -- [978-90-66053-58-8 ] -- [0567-7572 ] -- English
-- VIII International Symposium on Sap Flow, Volterra, Italy. + [acces au document]
--> agricultural production; apples; fruits; leaching; losses from soil;
nitrate; plant water relations; roots; sap flow; soil water balance;
malus; malus domestica; new zealand
--> Eco-verified footprints are increasingly being used as criteria to secure shelf-access for products in
large supermarket chains. The water footprint (WFP) of a product is the volume of water used along the
supply chain to make that product. Green-water represents the store of soil water from rainfall that is
transpired by the crop. Blue-water represents the store of ground and surface water that may be used for
irrigation. Grey-water represents the amount of freshwater needed to assimilate a load of pollutants given
natural background concentrations and existing water quality standards. We set up a field experiment in a
commercial apple orchard to monitor the soil water balance and to measure nitrate leaching losses. Sapflow data from apple trees and time-domain reflectometry (TDR) data from root-zone soil are used to
quantify changes in the green-water store. Irrigation volumes are used to represent changes in the bluewater store. Passive-wick flux meters installed below the root-zone are used to monitor drainage and
leaching losses of nitrate in order to quantify changes in the grey-water component. We demonstrate how
this field data, along with mechanistic computer modelling, can be used quantify the water footprint of an
apple orchard in the Hawke's Bay, New Zealand. Model-measurement comparisons are very important to
provide growers, industry and regulators with confidence in the quality of the data and appropriateness of
the models used to determine footprints.
ref. [K20/20123255190](CAB ABSTRACTS)
2 - A disaggregated emissions inventory for Taiwan with uses in hybrid input-output life cycle
analysis (IO-LCA).
LIU CHIAHAO; LENZEN, M.; MURRAY, J.
Department of Environmental Engineering, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan 701, Taiwan.
Natural Resources Forum; 2012. 36: 2, 123-141. 35 ref. -- [0165-0203 ] -- English + [acces au document]
--> agricultural sector; carbon dioxide; coal; crop production;
electricity generation; emission; forestry; greenhouse gases; input
output analysis; life cycle assessment; methane; oil and gas industry;
rice; oryza; oryza sativa; taiwan
--> This paper reports on a life-cycle analysis (LCA) of Taiwan's "agriculture and forestry", "crude
petroleum, coal and natural gas extraction" and "electricity generation" sectors, revealing for the first time
Taiwan's CO2 and CH4 emissions inventories and matching Taiwan's input-output sectors. Integrated hybrid
input-output life cycle analysis is used to disaggregate the electricity generation sector into nuclear, hydro,
gas, oil and coal, and cogeneration. Results show that the fossil-fuel-related electricity sub-sectors have
higher CO2 emissions intensity than the remaining sectors in the economy and that the "paddy rice" sector
is Taiwan's most CH4-intensive sector, making rice cultivation an important source of CH 4 emissions. This
work is vital to sound policy decisions concerning power generation, coal, and agriculture and forestry at
the national level.
ref. [K20/20123250816](CAB ABSTRACTS)
3 - Economic impact of sanitary and phytosanitary measures on Philippine pineapple exports
BATHAN, B.M.; LANTICAN, F.A.
Philippines Univ. Los Banos, College, Laguna (Philippines). Coll. of Economics and Management. Dept.
of Agricultural Economics
Journal of ISSAAS [International Society for Southeast Asian Agricultural Sciences] (Philippines), v. 15(1)
p. 126-143. (Jun 2009) -- [0859-3132 ] -- English + [acces au document]
--> pineapples; processed products; standards; prices; trade policies;
economic competition; wto; statistical methods; philippines
--> This paper determined the economic impact of sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) measures on Philippine
pineapple exports in accord to the implementation of the World Trade Organization (WTO) agreement on
the application of SPS measures and compliance to importing countries' standards. As the Philippine SPS
standards for fresh and processed pineapple were revealed to be at par with the Codex standards and that of
the major trading partners, namely: Japan, South Korea, Canada, the Netherlands and the United States; the
country has maintained its export competitiveness in the pre and post-SPS regimes. Results of the multiple
regression analysis revealed that foreign exchange rate, domestic production, and exports price positively
affected the value of pineapple exports while domestic price negatively influenced the value of pineapple
exports. Australia, which has imposed stringent SPS requirements, registered a declining import volume of
Philippine fresh pineapple as shown by a significant and negative coefficie t of SPS dummy variable. In
general, in spite of the insignificant effect of SPS measures on total value of Philippine pineapple exports,
there are still production-, marketing-, and trade-related problems in the industry that require policy
directions in order to remain competitive in traditional and emerging foreign markets.
ref. [K05/PH2012000198](AGRIS)
4 - Economic impacts and impact dynamics of Bt (Bacillus thuringiensis) cotton in India.
KATHAGE, J.; QAIM, M.
Department of Agricultural Economics and Rural Development, Georg-August-University of Goettingen,
D-37073 Goettingen, Germany.
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America; 2012. 109: 29, 1165211656. 35 ref. -- [0027-8424 ] -- English + [acces au document]
--> cotton; crop damage; crop yield; economic impact; genetic
engineering; genetic transformation; household consumption; household
expenditure; innovation adoption; living standards; productivity;
returns; sustainability; transgenic plants; bacillus thuringi
--> Despite widespread adoption of genetically modified crops in many countries, heated controversies
about their advantages and disadvantages continue. Especially for developing countries, there are concerns
that genetically modified crops fail to benefit smallholder farmers and contribute to social and economic
hardship. Many economic studies contradict this view, but most of them look at short-term impacts only, so
that uncertainty about longer-term effects prevails. We address this shortcoming by analyzing economic
impacts and impact dynamics of Bt cotton in India. Building on unique panel data collected between 2002
and 2008, and controlling for nonrandom selection bias in technology adoption, we show that Bt has caused
a 24% increase in cotton yield per acre through reduced pest damage and a 50% gain in cotton profit among
smallholders. These benefits are stable; there are even indications that they have increased over time. We
further show that Bt cotton adoption has raised consumption expenditures, a co mon measure of household
living standard, by 18% during the 2006-2008 period. We conclude that Bt cotton has created large and
sustainable benefits, which contribute to positive economic and social development in India.
ref. [K20/20123268899](CAB ABSTRACTS)
5 - Greenhouse Gas Emission from Rice and Wheat Systems: A Life-Cycle Assessment
PATHAK, H.; AGARWAL, T.; JAIN, N.
Recherche sur Internet; 2012; information non valid_e. [consult_e le 22 aout 2012]. + [acces au document]
ref. [Z27/92](THE WEB)
6 - Growth, water consumption and use efficiency of summer squash crop in closed rice husk
medium growing system.
PEIL, R. M. N.; STRASSBURGER, A. S.; FONSECA, L. A. DA
Dept. Fitotecnia, Universidade Federal de Pelotas, Pelotas, RS, Brazil.
Acta Horticulturae; 2012. 952, 645-650. 13 ref. -- [978-90-66053-38-0 ] -- [0567-7572 ] -- English
-- International Symposium on Advanced Technologies and Management Towards Sustainable Greenhouse
Ecosystems: Greensys2011, Athens, Greece. + [acces au document]
--> closed systems; crop yield; fruits; growth; nutrient solutions; plant
water relations; rice husks; shoots; soilless culture; squashes; water
uptake; water use efficiency; cucurbita; brazil; rio grande do sul
--> The determination of both crop water consumption and use efficiency provides important information
for the irrigation management, especially in soilless culture in which all water must be supplied by the
irrigation. In this system, the water consumption, as well as plant growth and crop yield, is affected by the
ionic concentration of nutrient solution. Therefore, the aim of this work was to evaluate growth, yield and
water consumption and use efficiency (WUE) of summer squash plants growing in raw rice husk medium
with recirculating nutrient solution according to the ionic concentration of nutrient solution. Two
experiments were conducted in spring-summer and summer-autumn crop-seasons, in Pelotas RS, south of
Brazil. Four ionic concentrations of nutrient solution supplied to the crop were evaluated: 1.3, 1.7, 2.1 and
4.2 dS/m. The water consumption was not affected by the ionic concentration in spring-summer (139.9
L/plant). In summer-autumn, the increasing of ionic concentration increased the water consu ption (from
41.6 to 71.6 L/plant). Ionic concentrations equal or lower than 1.7 dS/m decreased growth and yield in both
crop-seasons and, in spring-summer, reduced the WUE related to fresh and dry mass fruits production. In
summer-autumn, ionic concentration did not affect WUE (37.8 L of water per kg of fruit fresh weight and
0.98 g of fruit dry mass production per L of water). According to the adjusted mathematics models, the
electrical conductivity that maximizes (respectively in spring-summer and summer-autumn) the fruits dry
mass (259.4 and 78.31 g/plant) and crop yield (7.8 and 3.7 kg/m2) for both crop-seasons and WUE (21.5 L
of water/kg of fruit fresh weight and 1.94 g of fruit dry mass/L of water) in spring-summer is
approximately 3.0 dS/m. Ionic concentrations greater than 3.0 dS/m reduced fruits and shoot dry mass,
yield and WUE in spring-summer.
ref. [K20/20123255285](CAB ABSTRACTS)
7 - Int_gration des pr_occupations environnementales en industrie agro-alimentaire: utilisation de
l'analyse de cycle de vie et de l'_co-conception Integration
FELLAH, SOPHIA; ATTARASSI, BEN AISSA; CHAFI, ABDEL HAFED
Recherche sur Internet; 2012; information non valid_e. [consult_e le 31 aout 2012]. + [acces au document]
ref. [Z27/415](THE WEB)
8 - LCA of a tomato crop in a multi-tunnel greenhouse in Almeria
TORRELLAS, MARTA; ANT_N, ASSUMPCI_; L_PEZ, JUAN CARLOS; BAEZA, ESTEBAN
JOS_; PARRA, JER_NIMO P_REZ; MU_OZ, PERE; MONTERO, JUAN IGNACIO
The International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment. 2012. 17, 7, 863-875 + [acces au document]
ref. [Z83/28](SPRINGER)
1 - Economic Allocation in Life Cycle Assessment
ARDENTE, FULVIO; CELLURA, MAURIZIO
Recherche sur Internet; 2012; information non valid_e. [consult_e le 28 septembre 2012]. -- [1530-9290]
+ [acces au document]
--> allocation procedures; industrial ecology; joint production; life
cycle inventory (lci); partitioning; sensitivity analysis
--> "... This article examines methods for analyzing allocation in life cycle assessment (LCA); it focuses on
comparisons of economic allocation with other feasible alternatives. The International Organization for
Standardization's (ISO) guideline 14044 indicates that economic allocation should only be used as a last
resort, when other methods are not suitable. However, the LCA literature reports several examples of the
use of economic allocation. This is due partly to its simplicity and partly to its ability to illustrate the
properties of complex systems. Sometimes a price summarizes complex attributes of product or service
quality that cannot be easily measured by physical criteria. On the other hand, economic allocation does
have limitations arising, for example, from the variability of prices and the low correlation between prices
and physical flows. This article presents the state of the debate on the topic and some hypothetical
examples for illustration. A general conclusion is that it is not possible to determine one best allocation
method. The allocation procedure has to be selected on a case-by-case basis and no single approach is
suitable for every situation. Despite its limitations, economic allocation has certain qualities that make it
flexible and potentially suitable for different contexts. In some situations, economic allocation should not
be the last methodological resort. The option of economic allocation should be considered, for example,
whenever the prices of coproducts and coservices differ widely. ..." (Source Internet)
ref. [Z27/](THE WEB)
2 - Effect of biogas utilization and plant co-location on life-cycle greenhouse gas emissions of cassava
ethanol production
MORIIZUMI, YUE; SUKSRI, PIYAWAN; HONDO, HIROKI; WAKE, YOKO
Journal of Cleaner Production. 2012. 37, 0, 326-334 -- [0959-6526] + [acces au document]
--> biogas recovery; cassava ethanol production; cassava starch factory;
electricity generation; plant co-location; steam generation; thailand
--> Five types of plants that produce ethanol from cassava in Thailand were examined to identify the best
option with respect to greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reduction. We specified the five plant types for
evaluating the impacts of biogas utilization and the co-location of ethanol production at existing cassava
starch factories and assessed the life-cycle GHG emissions of these plant types. The results showed that the
amount of GHG emission reduction in cassava ethanol production depended on the plant type. Substantial
GHG savings are achieved by ethanol plants that use biogas produced during wastewater treatment as fuel.
Using biogas for steam generation is more effective in reducing GHG emissions than using it for electricity
generation. Plants co-located with starch factories have advantages in relation to GHG emissions when
compared with stand-alone plants. However, the impact of co-location is limited because cassava starch
factories are not energetically self-sufficient. Improvement analysis suggested hat boiler efficiency and the
energy source for steam generation are key factors for reducing GHG emissions.
ref. [Z82/](SCIENCE DIRECT)
3 - Environmental impact of agro-fuel production.[Spanish]
OTERO-RAMBLA, M. A.; FAIFE-PEREZ, E.; ALVAREZ-DELGADO, A.
Instituto Cubano de Investigaciones de los Derivados de la Cana de Azucar, Via Blanca 804 y Carretera
Central, San Miguel del Padron, La Habana, Cuba.
ICIDCA Sobre los Derivados de la Cana de Azucar; 2011. 45: 2, 19-27. 16 ref. -- [0138-6204 ] -- Spanish
+ [acces au document]
--> agricultural sector; biodiesel; bioenergy; biofuels; cattle farming;
climatic change; cultivation; energy consumption; environmental impact;
ethanol; ethanol production; fertilizers; fossil fuels; greenhouse
gases; industrial microbiology; maize; microorg
--> The contribution of agricultural and transportation sectors on present day energy consumption is
analysed. The most important consumers of fossil fuel today are fertilizers, cattle rearing and rice
cultivation, which at the same time are the most important sources of greenhouse gas emission (GGE). An
important part of mankind put their hopes in the positive effect of agro fuels and other renewable sources of
energy on climatic change. Nevertheless, these productions have an unquestionable negative environmental
impact. The sustainability of agro fuel production is analysed on the basis of Thermodynamic Laws and it
is demonstrated that all economic processes convert low entropy sources in wastes. The consumption of
fossil fuel energy in bioethanol production from maize and sugarcane is analysed as well as their waste
generation. Some aspects of biodiesel production from microorganisms are presented and their perspectives
are emphasized as they do not compete for land for food production.
ref. [K20/20123259435](CAB ABSTRACTS)
4 - Evaluating the global warming potential of the fresh produce supply chain for strawberries,
romaine/cos lettuces (Lactuca sativa), and button mushrooms (Agaricus bisporus) in Western
Australia using life cycle assessment (LCA)
GUNADY, MARIA G.A.; BISWAS, WAHIDUL; SOLAH, VICKY A.; JAMES, ANTHONY P.
Journal of Cleaner Production; Working towards a more sustainable agri-food industry: Main findings
from the Food LCA 2010 conference in Bari, Italy. 2012. 28, 0, 81-87 -- [0959-6526] + [acces au
document]
--> carbon footprint; lettuces; life cycle assessment; mushrooms;
strawberries
--> A life cycle greenhouse gas (GHG) assessment of 1_kJ of strawberries, button mushrooms (Agaricus
bisporus), and romaine/cos lettuces (Lactuca sativa) transported to retail outlets in Western Australia (WA)
was examined and compared. The study included pre-farm, on-farm, and post-farm emissions. The prefarm stage included GHG emissions from agricultural machinery and chemical production, and transport of
raw materials (spawn, peat, and compost) in mushrooms. The on-farm stage included GHG emissions from
agricultural machinery operation, chemical use, water for irrigation, waste generated, as well as electricity
and energy consumption. The post-farm stage included transport of produce to Distribution Center (DC),
storage in DC, and transport to retail outlets. The hotspots or the stages that emit the highest GHG were
determined for strawberries, button mushrooms and romaine/cos lettuces. The results have shown that the
life cycle GHG emissions of strawberries and lettuces were higher than mushrooms due to in ensive
agricultural machinery operations during the on-farm stage. Mushrooms, however have significantly higher
GHG emissions during pre-farm stage due to transport of peat, spawn, and compost.
ref. [Z82/](SCIENCE DIRECT)
5 - Farmers' perception on environmental impact of rice monoculture in Bangladesh.
ROKONUZZAMAN, M.
Deptt. of Agril. Ext. & Rural Development, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Agricultural University,
Gazipur-1706, Bangladesh.
Indian Research Journal of Extension Education; 2012. 12: 2, 15-20. 10 ref. -- [0972-2181 ] -- English +
[acces au document]
--> age; education; environmental impact; extension; family size; farm
size; farmers' attitudes; grain legumes; income; monoculture; mustard;
participation; potatoes; rice; soil management; vegetables; oryza;
oryza sativa; sinapis alba; solanum tuberosum; ban
--> The main purpose of the study was to assess the farmers' perception on environmental impact of rice
monoculture. Data were collected from randomly selected 120 rice growers using pre-tested interview
schedule during 15 January to 14 February, 2011. Majority of the respondents were found old aged having
no education level, small family size, medium farm size, medium level annual income, medium extension
contact, medium organizational participation, low participation in farming and medium innovativeness. The
findings revealed that, in case of dependent sub variable production and soil management aspects; farmers
education, family size, farm size, annual income, extension media contact, organization participation, direct
participation in farming and innovativeness in rice farming had positive significant correlation, but age had
negative significant relationship. Moreover, in case of dependant sub-variable environmental aspects;
extension media contact, organizational participation, direct participating in far ing and innovativeness in
rice farming had positive significant relationship. Besides, in case of dependent sub variable economic
aspects; direct participation in farming had positive significant relationship. Furthermore, in case of
dependent sub-variable socio-cultural aspects; only direct participation in farming had positive significant
relationship where farm size had negative significant relationship. Best alternative to rice monoculture may
be 'Rabi (potato/ vegetable/ mustard/ pulse) - Maize - T.Aman rice' for medium high land and 'Rabi Fallow - B. Aman' for medium low land. Though, rice monoculture has negative impact on environment
and other selected aspects but farmers are interested to adopt it because of staple food crop, easy to
marketing and bringing more benefit than other competing crops.
ref. [K20/20123295700](CAB ABSTRACTS)
6 - Growth and Oil Extraction from Chlorella vulgaris: A Techno-Economic and Environmental
Assessment
JARAMILLO, JUAN J.; NARANJO, JAVIER M.; CARDONA, CARLOS A.
[b1] Instituto de Biotecnologia y Agroindustria, Departamento de Ingenieria Quimica, Universidad
Nacional de Colombia, Sede Manizales, Carrera 27 No. 64-60, Manizales, Colombia
Industrial & engineering chemistry research. 2012 vol. 51 (31) : pp. 10503 - 10508 [6 p.] -- [0888-5885 ] - English + [acces au document]
--> environment impact df - impact environnement dg - impacto medio
ambiente; chemical engineering; biotechnology; energy; chemical
engineering; if - genie chimique; biotechnologies; energie; genie
chimique;
--> In this work, the technical, economic, and environmental viability of the growth, harvest, drying, and
extraction of oil from Chlorella vulgaris was evaluated. A flue stream from a rice husk processing plant
was taken as the substrate for microalgae growth and the production of 1 ton/h of microalgae oil. The mass
and energy balances were calculated using Aspen Plus Software. The economic assessment was developed
using Aspen Process Economic Analyzer Software. The environmental impact evaluation was carried out
using the waste reduction algorithm (WAR). The yields of the process were 0.37 kg of oil/kg of dry
microalgae and 0.63 kg of cake/kg of dry microalgae. The production costs were 0.56 USD/kg of oil and
0.33 USD/kg of cake. The potential environmental impact was 0.003 PEI/kg of product. The results
indicate significant mitigation of smog formation potential because gases are used to generated value-added
products. NR - 36 ref.
ref. [K60/120333810](PASCAL)
7 - Identifying best existing practice for characterization modeling in life cycle impact assessment
HAUSCHILD, MICHAEL; GOEDKOOP, MARK; GUIN_E, JEROEN; HEIJUNGS, REINOUT;
HUIJBREGTS, MARK; JOLLIET, OLIVIER; MARGNI, MANUELE; DE SCHRYVER, AN;
HUMBERT, SEBASTIEN; LAURENT, ALEXIS; SALA, SERENELLA; PANT, RANA
. s.d.. , , 1-15 -- [0948-3349] + [acces au document]
--> earth and environmental science
--> "... Purpose Life cycle impact assessment (LCIA) is a field of active development. The last decade has
seen prolific publication of new impact assessment methods covering many different impact categories and
providing characterization factors that often deviate from each other for the same substance and impact.
The LCA standard ISO 14044 is rather general and unspecific in its requirements and offers little help to
the LCA practitioner who needs to make a choice. With the aim to identify the best among existing
characterization models and provide recommendations to the LCA practitioner, a study was performed for
the Joint Research Centre of the European Commission (JRC). Methods Existing LCIA methods were
collected and their individual characterization models identified at both midpoint and endpoint levels and
supplemented with other environmental models of potential use for LCIA. No new developments of
characterization models or factors were done in the project. From a total of 156 models, 91 were short li ted
as possible candidates for a recommendation within their impact category. Criteria were developed for
analyzing the models within each impact category. The criteria addressed both scientific qualities and
stakeholder acceptance. The criteria were reviewed by external experts and stakeholders and applied in a
comprehensive analysis of the short-listed characterization models (the total number of criteria varied
between 35 and 50 per impact category). For each impact category, the analysis concluded with
identification of the best among the existing characterization models. If the identified model was of
sufficient quality, it was recommended by the JRC. Analysis and recommendation process involved hearing
of both scientific experts and stakeholders. Results and recommendations Recommendations were
developed for 14 impact categories at midpoint level, and among these recommendations, three were
classified as satisfactory while ten were in need of some improveme
ref. [Z83/](SPRINGER)
8 - L'application de l'analyse de cycle de vie (ACV) aux systemes biotechniques complexes : quels
fronts de science ?
BELLON-MAUREL, V.; BESSOU, C.; JUNQUA, G.; LARDON, L.; LOISEAU, E.;
MACOMBE, C.; RISCH, E.; ROUX, P.
L'application de l'analyse de cycle de vie (ACV) aux systemes biotechniques complexes. 2012. , 66, 35-41 +
[acces au document]
ref. [Z00/](AGRITROP)
9 - LCA of a tomato crop in a multi-tunnel greenhouse in Almeria.
TORRELLAS, M.; ANTON, A.; LOPEZ, J. C.; BAEZA, E. J.; PEREZ PARRA, J.;
MUNOZ, P.; MONTERO, J. I.
IRTA (Research and Technology Food and Agriculture), Ctra. de Cabrils, km 2, 08348 Cabrils Barcelona,
Spain.
International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment; 2012. 17: 7, 863-875. 46 ref. -- [0948-3349 ] -- English +
[acces au document]
--> electricity; environmental impact; eutrophication; fertilizers;
greenhouses; irrigation systems; life cycle assessment; protected
cultivation; renewable energy; substrates; tomatoes; solanum
lycopersicum; spain
--> Purpose: Protected crops have expanded significantly in the Mediterranean area over the last few
decades as a successful means to provide abundant and high-quality produce. Although resources are
generally used efficiently, greenhouse areas cause major environmental impacts. The aim of this work was
to study, from an environmental point of view, the improvement capacity of greenhouse areas in the
Mediterranean region and to assess several alternative agricultural practices to decrease their contribution
to the environmental impacts in this system. Materials and methods: The methodology used was life cycle
assessment (LCA) based on a tomato crop grown in a multi-tunnel greenhouse in Almeria, on the southeast
coast of Spain. The functional unit chosen was 1 ton of loose classic tomatoes. Five midpoint impact
categories and one energy flow indicator were selected for their relevance. The agricultural practice
alternatives evaluated were reduction of volume of substrate and fertilizers, extension of substrate a d
greenhouse life span and increase in renewable energy for electricity production. Results and discussion:
The results indicated that the main contributors to impact categories in the tomato production were
structure, auxiliary equipment and fertilizers. Structure accounted for between 30 and 48% of the
contributions, depending on the impact category. The principal burdens in the auxiliary equipment stage
were substrate and consumption of electricity. Fertilizers environmental impacts were due to emissions
during their manufacture and application to the crop. In a best-case option, taking into account the best
alternatives, contributions to the impact categories were reduced by between 17 and 30%. The LCA
methodology proved to be a useful tool to evaluate the environmental damage of this agricultural activity.
The importance of including farm infrastructure in the assessment was demonstrated as it was a major
contributor. The risk of eutrophication could be redu
ref. [K20/20123277167](CAB ABSTRACTS)
10 - Life Cycle Assessment Based Evaluation of Regional Impacts from Agricultural Production at
the Peruvian Coast
BARTL, KARIN; VERONES, FRANCESCA; HELLWEG, STEFANIE
Environ. Sci. Technol.. 2012. 46, 18, 9872-9880 -- [0013-936X] + [acces au document]
--> "... Crop and technology choices in agriculture, which largely define the impact of agricultural
production on the environment, should be considered in agricultural development planning. A life cycle
assessment of the dominant crops produced in a Peruvian coastal valley was realized, in order to establish
regionalized life cycle inventories for Peruvian products and to provide the basis for a regional evaluation
of the impacts of eutrophication, acidification, human toxicity, and biodiversity loss due to water use. Five
scenarios for the year 2020 characterized by different crop combinations and irrigation systems were
considered as development options. The results of the regional assessment showed that a business-as-usual
scenario, extrapolating current trends of crop cultivation, would lead to an increase in nitrate leaching with
eutrophying effects. On the other hand, scenarios of increased application of drip irrigation and of mandarin
area expansion would lead to a decrease in nitrate leaching. In all cenarios the human toxicity potential
would decrease slightly, while an increase in irrigation water use would benefit the biodiversity of a nearby
groundwater-fed wetland. Comparisons with results from other studies confirmed the importance of
regionalized life cycle inventories. The results can be used as decision support for local farmers and
authorities. ..." (Source Internet)
ref. [Z18/](WILEY)
11 - Life Cycle Assessment in the Agri-Food Sector. October 2-4, 2012. Saint Malo (France)
Recherche sur Internet; 2012; information non valid_e. [consult_e le 25 septembre 2012]. + [acces au
document]
--> "... INRA will host the 8th International Congress on Life Cycle Assessment in the Agri-Food Sector.
The congress is organised by the Joint Research Unit for Soil, Agrohydrosystems and Spatial Modelling
(INRA Agrocampus, Rennes). Over the last two decades the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) methodology
has been developed and applied in the agriculture and food sectors to quantify environmental impacts and
assist decision making. (source : INRA) ..." (Source Internet)
ref. [Z27/](THE WEB)
12 - Reducing the environmental impact and optimising nutrient requirements for mill mud
applications in cane farming operations.
MARKLEY, J.; REFALO, B.
Mackay Sugar Limited, Mackay, Queensland, Australia.
Proceedings of the 2011 Conference of the Australian Society of Sugar Cane Technologists held at
Mackay, Queensland, Australia, 4-6 May 2011; 2011. Ag 15. 3 ref. -- English
-- Proceedings of the 2011 Conference of the Australian Society of Sugar Cane Technologists held at
Mackay, Queensland, Australia, 4-6 May 2011. + [acces au document]
--> application rates; environmental impact; farming systems; mud;
optimization; prototypes; row spacing; runoff; sugarcane; tillage;
saccharum; saccharum officinarum; australia; queensland
--> A significant source of nutrients for growing sugar cane in all sugar milling regions is derived from
filter mud (also known as mill mud). Mill mud is a by-product of the sugar milling process and is
considered a rich source of nutrients, in particular nitrogen, phosphorus and calcium. Mackay Sugar (MSL)
produces approximately 400 000 tonnes of mill mud per year which is subsequently returned to cane fields
in trucks. By elevating the tipper body and using a paddle in the tailgate, these trucks have traditionally
distributed the mud in a largely ad hoc manner. The trucks are driven over the field applying mud at a
nominal rate of 150 tonnes of wet mud per hectare (t/ha), but in-field measurements show wide variability
in application rates. Mackay Sugar had deemed this method of application as unacceptable to their growers
and has set about finding alternative solutions to application rates and methods. Mackay Sugar, in
association with Reef Catchments Mackay Whitsunday, funded a project that sought to addre s the issues of
mill mud application. Consolidated Plastics and Epoxy Qld Pty Ltd were engaged to design and fabricate
the applicators to be fitted onto the back of the existing mud truck fleet. The brief details of the design
included: the ability to spread across three rows; the ability to control the rate at differing row spacing;
control of the rate to a minimum of 50 tonnes of wet mud per hectare; must not add excessive weight to the
back of the truck; and applicators must be able to be fitted onto existing truck bodies and use the existing
truck hydraulic components with minimum truck modifications. The resultant applicators have been
established and fitted to several trucks applying mud throughout the Mackay Sugar region in 2010. This
method of application has delivered the following benefits: mud has been placed in the centre of the plant
growth row; no mud is distributed onto the wheel tracks where the ground is more likely to have been
compacted and is
ref. [K20/20123226752](CAB ABSTRACTS)
13 - Social impact assessment in LCA using the Preston pathway
FESCHET, PAULINE; MACOMBE, CATHERINE; GARRAB_, MICHEL; LOEILLET, DENIS;
SAEZ, ADOLFO ROLO; BENHMAD, FRAN_OIS
. 2012. , , - -- [0948-3349, 1614-7502] + [acces au document]
ref. [Z83/](SPRINGER)
14 - System expansion for handling co-products in LCA of sugar cane bio-energy systems: GHG
consequences of using molasses for ethanol production
NGUYEN, THU LAN T.; HERMANSEN, JOHN E.
Applied Energy; Special issue on Thermal Energy Management in the Process Industries. 2012. 89, 1, 254261 -- [0306-2619] + [acces au document]
--> greenhouse gases; indirect land use change; molasses ethanol; system
expansion
--> This study aims to establish a procedure for handling co-products in life cycle assessment (LCA) of a
typical sugar cane system. The procedure is essential for environmental assessment of ethanol from
molasses, a co-product of sugar which has long been used mainly for feed. We compare system expansion
and two allocation procedures for estimating greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions of molasses ethanol. As
seen from our results, system expansion yields the highest estimate among the three. However, no matter
which procedure is used, a significant reduction of emissions from the fuel stage in the abatement scenario,
which assumes implementation of substituting bioenergy for fossil-based energy to reduce GHG emissions,
combined with a negligible level of emissions from the use stage, keeps the estimate of ethanol life cycle
GHG emissions below that of gasoline. Pointing out that indirect land use change (ILUC) is a consequence
of diverting molasses from feed to fuel, system expansion is the most adequate method when the purpose of
the LCA is to support decision makers in weighing the options and consequences. As shown in the
sensitivity analysis, an addition of carbon emissions from ILUC worsens the GHG balance of ethanol, with
deforestation being a worst-case scenario where the fuel is no longer a net carbon saver but carbon emitter.
ref. [Z82/](SCIENCE DIRECT)
15 - Water Footprint and Life Cycle Assessment as approaches to assess potential impacts of
products on water consumption. Key learning points from pilot studies on tea and margarine
JEFFERIES, DONNA; MU_OZ, IVAN; HODGES, JULIET; KING, VANESSA J.;
ALDAYA, MAITE; ERCIN, ALI ERTUG; MIL_ I CANALS, LLOREN_; HOEKSTRA,
ARJEN Y.
Journal of Cleaner Production. 2012. 33, 0, 155-166 -- [0959-6526] + [acces au document]
--> consumer product; life cycle assessment; margarine; tea; water
footprint; water impact assessment
--> Water accounting and environmental impact assessment across the product's life cycle is gaining
prominence. This paper presents two case studies of applying the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) and Water
Footprint (WF) approaches to tea and margarine. The WF, excluding grey water, of a carton of 50_g tea is
294_L green water and 10_L blue water, and that of a 500_g tub of margarine is 553_L green water, 109_L
blue water. The inventory results in the LCA studies (blue water) are 13_L for tea and 114_L for
margarine. In the impact assessment phase of WF, Coonoor in Southern India appears as a potential hotspot
for tea production, although the water consumed in energy to boil the kettle and by the consumer are also
significant. For margarine the main potential hotspot is irrigated sunflower around Zaporizhia in Ukraine.
The impact assessment results of LCA for tea causes the water in the consumer use phase to be downweighted and stresses the contribution from Coonoor due to the higher water scarcity of this region
Similarly the LCA impact assessment of margarine causes the palm oil contribution to be down-weighted
due to the low water scarcity of Medan in Indonesia. From these case studies we identify similarities,
differences and synergies at both the water accounting and impact assessment levels for both approaches
with the purpose of improving and advancing the water resource assessment process.
ref. [Z82/](SCIENCE DIRECT)