LCA of tomato greenhouse production using spatially differentiated life cycle impact assessment indicators: an Albanian case study

Environmental impact assessment of vegetable production in West Java, Indonesia

Indonesia is one of the world's economies contributing the most to greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from the global food system. This study aimed to quantify the environmental impacts of Indonesian vegetable production and the relative contribution of different farm inputs. Data were collected from 322 vegetable farms in the Lembang sub-district in West Java. A Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) was carried out to estimate global warming potential (GWP), acidification potential (AP), freshwater eutrophication potential (EP), and abiotic resource depletion. Results of the LCA showed that GHG emissions were 14.1 t CO₂eq ha^-1 yr^-1 (0.5 t CO₂eq t^-1), AP was 39.3 kg SO₂eq ha^-1 yr^-1 (1.4 kg SO₂eq t^-1), EP was 45.3 kg PO₄eq ha^-1 yr^-1 (1.7 kg PO₄eq,), and depletion of phosphate, potash, and fossil fuel resources were 60.0 kg P₂O_5, 101 kg K₂O, and 6299 MJ ha^-1 yr^-1, respectively (1.9 kg P₂O₅, 3.7 kg K₂O, and 281 MJ t^-1). Organic fertilizer use contributed the most to impact categories of global warming, freshwater eutrophication, and acidification, followed by synthetic fertilizer. The sensitivity analysis showed that yield and organic fertilizer use explained most of the variation in GHG emission per ton product. Therefore, it is recommended to include organic fertilizer use in the fertilizer advisory system for vegetable production in Indonesia.

Tomatoes from the desert: Environmental footprints and sustainability potential in a changing world

Worldwide growing demand for food, alongside limited resources and accelerating environmental changes, suggests that future global food security may rely at least partially on unconventional land and production systems, such as built infrastructure located in desert areas. This paper analyses the environmental footprints (water, soil, carbon, material, solid waste, and ecological) of a tomato production system in passive greenhouses, a low-tech growing structure with no artificial heating or cooling. We collected data from 10 farms in the hyper-arid region of the Central Arava, Israel. Our analysis covers the four stages of production up to the overseas export destination and investigates the system's direct and indirect biophysical interactions. The average footprint of a ton of tomatoes is 1,040 kg/t (Material footprint), 94 m3/t (Water footprint), 72 m2/t (Land footprint), 952 kgCO2eq/t (Carbon footprint), 442 kg/t solid waste (SWF) and 243 gha/t (Ecological footprint). Our results indicate that the environmental hotspots can be attributed to universal factors–water production, fossil energy, fertilizers, structures, and road transport, alongside case-specific elements–soil, evaporation, location and the human-factor. Some differences were found when examining the full range of footprints within farms. No correlation was found between the farm's yields and materials inputs or carbon footprint, pointing to the human factor. We discuss the advantages and limitations of the local production system and proposed some improvement strategies.

The Environmental Impact of Poplar Stand Management: A Life Cycle Assessment Study of Different Scenarios

The circular economy will play an important role in the reduction of carbon emissions and poplar might be one of the winning choices according to sustainable development. As for agricultural crops, high-quality production is strictly related to genetic variability and best management practice. The main objective of this study was to analyze different stand management options to quantify differences on carbon emission and environmental impacts. Moreover, the study was focused on the assessment of differences between standard poplar management for veneer and poplar management according to sustainable production (such as the PEFC certification scheme). The system boundaries embraced fertilization (inorganic or organic), agricultural operations, machinery, and field emissions associated with poplar cultivation. The environmental impacts were quantified by a life cycle assessment (LCA) calculation using SIMAPRO software v8.0 with different databases. The primary data of poplar stands were collected during a decades-long Italian experience. A reduction of carbon emissions was observed in the stand managed with MSA clones (Case “Mezzi PEFC”), and negative emissions were observed due to organic fertilization (scenarios 7m-29 t CO2-eq ha−1 and 26M-129 t CO2-eq ha−1). In all cultivation scenarios, the environmental impacts were lower than conventional crops in the study area, such as corn. A higher impact was observed in the 26M scenario with oversized machinery for stand management. These data can also contribute to poplar stand modeling and represent a basis for future research developments in this field.

Assessing the impact of water use in conventional and organic carrot production in Poland

As global water resources are decreasing and the demand for it is constantly increasing, the problem of proper water management is becoming more pressing. Poland is one of the largest producers of vegetables in Europe, including carrots, with significant exports. However its freshwater resources are relatively small. The paper presents the results of research on the water footprint (WF) life cycle assessment (LCA) in conventional and organic carrot production. The methodology of calculating WF was used in accordance with PN-EN ISO 14046. It was found, e.g., that WF for organic production of carrot (WF = 1.9 m³ ha⁻¹) is over five times lower, as compared to conventional production (WF = 10.4 m³ ha⁻¹). In the case of conventional production, the fertilization process (67.0–67.7%) has the greatest impact on the shaping of WF in the individual impact categories, i.e. Human Health, Ecosystem Quality and resources. In organic production, the WF-shaping factor is carrot harvesting (41.9–43.1%). The research can be used to develop pro-ecological carrot production technologies, as well as to shape sustainable development plans in agricultural areas. It can also be used to outline policy directions regarding foreign trade in water-consuming agricultural products.

Greenhouse production contributes to pesticide occurrences in Swedish streams

Greenhouse and other covered cultivation systems have increased globally over the past several decades, leading to considerably improved product quality and productivity per land area unit. However, there is a paucity in information regarding the environmental impacts of covered production systems, especially regarding pesticides entering the surrounding environment. Aiming to address this knowledge gap, we collected grab samples downstream of greenhouses from seven Swedish streams every 14 days during a 12 month period. In three of the streams, samples were also taken upstream of the greenhouses and in four of the streams time-integrated samples were collected by TIMFIE samplers in the period between grab sampling occasions. The samples were analyzed for 28 substances (27 that were permitted for use in greenhouse production systems in Sweden and one degradation product to a permitted substance). Pesticide use journals were collected from the greenhouse producers for the 12 month period. The results were examined for indications of greenhouse contributions to detection frequencies, maximum and average concentrations, and potential ecotoxicicity in several ways: (1) comparing locations downstream of greenhouses with registered use of a substance with those without registered use, (2) comparing results from this study with those from the Swedish environmental monitoring program of pesticides in surface water from catchments with no greenhouses from the same period and region, (3) comparing concentration trends with registered pesticide application times in the greenhouses, and (4) comparing up- and downstream concentrations. The results strongly suggest that greenhouse applications do contribute to pesticide occurrences, maximum and median concentrations for most of the pesticides included in this study, and to potential toxicity to aquatic organisms for several of them, most notably imidacloprid, acetamiprid, carbendazim, and pirimicarb.

Evaluating the energy use, economic and environmental sustainability for smoked fish production from life cycle assessment point of view (case study: Guilan Province, Iran)

The purpose of this study is to determine energy use patterns, evaluating the environmental impacts and economic evaluation of smoked fish production in the Guilan Province. The initial data were collected from seven smokehouses in the north of Iran through face-to-face questionnaire method, while the required data related to the background system were extracted from the Ecoinvent 2.2 database. The total input and output energy result showed the use is examined to be 98,143.29 and 60,048 MJ ton^-1, respectively. About 79.31% of this was generated by fish, 7.7% from electricity, and 6.7% from wood chip. Life cycle assessment results showed that fish and salt emissions have the most notable effects. Among damage categories, the largest emissions were related to human health (37.77%). Climate change (30.35%), resource (28.78%), and ecosystem quality (0.92%) are next phases. The rates of nonrenewable, fossil in CExD method calculated 35,426.61 MJ ton^-1. Economic analysis of production was carried out. Some economic indicators have been calculated, and the benefit to cost ratio was obtained as 3.09. Due to the justification of fisheries management, these issues merit further exploration.

Life cycle assessment and energy comparison of aseptic ohmic heating and appertization of chopped tomatoes with juice

The energy balance and life cycle assessment (LCA) of ohmic heating and appertization systems for processing of chopped tomatoes with juice (CTwJ) were evaluated. The data included in the study, such as processing conditions, energy consumption, and water use, were experimentally collected. The functional unit was considered to be 1 kg of packaged CTwJ. Six LCA impact assessment methodologies were evaluated for uncertainty analysis of selection of the impact assessment methodology. The energy requirement evaluation showed the highest energy consumption for appertization (156 kWh/t of product). The energy saving of the ohmic heating line compared to the appertization line is 102 kWh/t of the product (or 65% energy saving). The energy efficiencies of the appertization and ohmic heating lines are 25% and 77%, respectively. Regarding the environmental impact, CTwJ processing and packaging by appertization were higher than those of ohmic heating systems. In other words, CTwJ production by the ohmic heating system was more environmentally efficient. The tin production phase was the environmental hotspot in packaged CTwJ production by the appertization system; however, the agricultural phase of production was the hotspot in ohmic heating processing. The uncertainty analysis results indicated that the global warming potential for appertization of 1 kg of packaged CTwJ ranges from 4.13 to 4.44 kg CO₂eq. In addition, the global warming potential of the ohmic heating system ranges from 2.50 to 2.54 kg CO₂eq. This study highlights that ohmic heating presents a great alternative to conventional sterilization methods due to its low environmental impact and high energy efficiency.

Evaluation of energy use and carbon dioxide emissions from the consumption of fossil fuels and agricultural chemicals for paste tomato cultivation in the Bursa region of Turkey

This study was aimed to determine the fossil fuel consumption, energy use, and carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions in per unit production area (ha) considering the petroleum products (PP) directly used and the chemical fertilizers and pesticides for the cultivation of paste tomatoes in open-field conditions in Bursa region of Turkey. The primary data of the study consisted of data collected by making face-to-face surveys with the producers of paste tomatoes in the Bursa region. The direct energy inputs and CO₂ emissions related to diesel fuel and lubricant oil consumptions of engines of agricultural tractors for cultivation operations and the indirect energy inputs and CO₂ emissions related to the manufacturing of chemical fertilizers and plant growth regulators used for plant nutrition and pesticides used for plant protection were determined for paste tomato cultivation. A total of 288.6 L diesel fuel and 0.067 L lubrication oil are consumed per hectare when using tools and machinery in paste tomato production. A total of 408 kg of chemical fertilizers and 15.5 kg of pesticides are used per hectare in paste tomato production in the Bursa region of Turkey. A total of 2343.45 MJ/ha and 2700.5 MJ/ha indirect energy is used in the application of chemical fertilizers and pesticides, respectively. A total of 792.43 kg and 0.189 kg CO₂ is released as a result of diesel fuel and lubricant oil consumptions. For the production of one kilogram of paste tomato, 2.68 grams (g) diesel fuel and lubricating oil, 175.02 kilojoules (kJ) of energy is consumed, and 15.88 g CO₂ is released in the Bursa region of Turkey.

An integrated data envelopment analysis and life cycle assessment method for performance measurement in green construction management

The construction industry routinely extracts vast quantities of materials and releases deleterious pollutant emissions to the biosphere. In this study, we propose an integrated data envelopment analysis (DEA) and life cycle assessment (LCA) method to measure the performance of eco-friendly building materials in green construction management. Initially, we use the LCA method and environmental impact analysis to identify alternative green flooring systems and relevant sustainability criteria. We then use factor analysis to further evaluate these criteria and choose the most significant sustainability factors. Finally, a DEA model and a new enhanced Russell model (ERM) is proposed to measure the performance of the green flooring systems with factor analysis.